Marriage is a folly: Salman Rushdie

London, Apr 30: After marrying four times and perhaps heading for the fifth one, author Salman Rushdie has ironically attacked the institution of marriage, saying he does not believe in it and that women rush to tie the knot only because they want to wear the wedding dress.

''It's strange, given that I've been married four times, but I actually don't think marriage is necessary,'' Sir Salman said in an interview to Elle magazine.
The Booker Prize winner has been married most recently to Padma Lakshmi, from whom he split up last year. He also disclosed that he and Miss Lakshmi had marriage counselling, but without success. His latest novel ''The Enchantress of Florence'' is an inspiration from their troubled relationship. The 60-year-old author thinks that women marry just to have a taste of the wedding dress, as reported by the Daily Telegraph.

''Girls like it, especially if they've never been married before, it's the dress. Girls want a wedding, they don't want a marriage. If only you could have weddings without marriages.'' The author of controversial ''Satanic Verses'' is now dating 32-year-old Ammie Mullins, a champion athlete who turned model.

UNI