Ever since she won the Booker Prize for her one and only novel 'The God of Small Things', she has been in the lime-light not only for the coveted, prestigious awards but for other reasons as well. Even before winning the Prize, she was both a writer and an actor in her own right. She had won awards for her 'Electric Moon' and 'In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones' for the best Script Writer. She had touched upon many matters of contemporary relevance but none took serious note of it before being awarded for her Booker winning novel. Winning an award escpecially if it is a prestigious one seems to be the criteria for inviting the attention of literary and cultural as well as the intellectual community.
'The God of Small Things' brought both acclaim and scathing criticism both abroad and her own nation India. Most of the acclaim came from abroad but scathing criticism alongside appreciation showered upon her in India, particularly Kerala.
She didn't try to pen a second novel, but that doesn't in anyway means that she won't write another one. And Arundhati Roy has her own explanations and much substance in them that her essays, interviews and speeches all contain an element of creativity, her self-interpretation. On going through her writings, articulate, poignant, fearless and courageous almost all of them point towards the plight of the oppressed and downtrodden and her bitter attacks on Globalisation and neo-liberalism not in the sense that they are archaic actually her attacks are levelled against the erosion values and corporate aggression over the society.
She has in the process earned the wrath of apostles of multinationals including a section of the media and a few have gone to the extent of deriding her as 'one book wonder' - ostensibly they refer to her novel 'The God of Small Things'.
She is not only a one book wonder but the author of several works, all epoch-making. That 'high-brow' historian from Bangalore, Ramachandra Guha recently reported to have advised her to concentrate on fictons and not to get involved in current affairs as if the latter is his fiefdom.
It is worthwhile to go through her book 'Shape of the Beast' where in an interview given to N.Ram, Editor-in-Chief of 'The Hindu' she has with documentary evidences attacked Ramachandra Guha's arguments relating to Narmada Sarovar Dam project. Without providing the millions of displaced farmers and other poor any rehabilitation measures even without doling out peanuts after suppressing their futile attempts to stick to forcing them to flee and remain roofless for life - Arundhtai Roy has vividly, poignantly portrayed. And according to her estimates in the name of building mega-dams across India almost 3600 of them 56 million poor people were forcibly evicted from their lands. The herculian fight launched against the ruthless evacuation of countless farmers depriving of their lands for cultivation for the sole purpose of constructing a mega-dam by Narmada Bachao Andolan leader Medha Patkar and other environmentalists and social activists all penned in detail by Mrs.Roy.
Here, in her interview to N.Ram titled 'Scimitars in the Sun' to the criticism of the self-proclaimed ecological historian Mr.Ramachandra Guha she has pointed out in detail the two books on ecology he co-authored do not even casually mention the havoc the mega-dam's wreak across a developing country like India and point by point through the interview she has convincingly establish the absurdities in the arguments of Mr.Guha and the self-proclaimed pro-development champion like B.G.Varghese. In a tone of sarcasm and humour she points to the deliberate personal attacks levelled against her by Mr.Guha (the full text of the interview is published in her work 'The Shape of the Beast').
Right from the day of her novel reaching more hands, she had begun to be the target of right, left and all who were against her 'The King is naked' type pronouncements to the top of her voice. She was criticised by the leftists terming her anti-left for writing a novel like 'God of Small Things' and by the Rightists terming anti-right and an agent of Swadeshi Jagran Manj and other such organisations. An all out attack launched simultaneously for her outspoken views on various issues.
Nothing could back-track her, still cannot force her to back-track and remaining most part of her life amongst the Maoist-infested States of Jharkhand and Chattisgarh and living with the tribals there, mingling with the Maoists and learning about their centuries-old exploitation by the wealthy corporate miners with the connivance of concerned govts the heavy handed repression let loose on the tribals by the State missionary and she lived with them for about more than one month without any security coveragel. Mr.Guha accuses Mrs.Roy of her 'left-wing extremism' though not a historian like Mr.Guha, as a common citizen I have never felt Arudhati Roy turning a left-extremist. Even the Communist parties who often take up cudgels against Mrs.Roy as per my observation, don't appear to have learned or play innocence where she stands, with whom she stands, for whom she fight day-in and day-out. Her one and only novel 'The God of Small Things' even cries to mirror the plight of marginalised section of the society, her character Velutha and his hapless father and brother, the blood-chilling assault by the police on Velutha, all bear testimony to her empathetic attitude towards the exploited. The way Velutha is being side-lined and kept at a distance like an untouchable by a Communist Comrade Pillai, and his remarks about Velutha to some in bitter taste, Velutha being a Paravan ( a representative of an untouchable community of those days) simultaneously preaching the 'dictatorship of the proletariat' displaying framed photos of revolutionaries of yore on the walls of his house, bares out the hipocrisy or double-face of certain Communist leaders once, well-portrayed by Mrs. Roy. That must be the reason behind certain Communists fretting and fuming even calling her an anti-Communist. Write fearlessly and courageously is always her way and none appears before her as a frightening fellow or a demon while she takes up her pen.
Mrs.Roy became the topic of my writing this time for another reason.
Her recent vist to Jammu&Kashmir and some of her outspoken statements at Delhi which turned out to be controversial much to the disgust of certain leaders of political parties.
Reports suggest she visited the State to conduct a detailed investigation in her own capacity as a social activist, the alleged human rights violations let loose against innocent civilians branding them terrorists. She points out the brutal raping of two women, Asiya and Nilofer of Shopian, then murdering them and throwing into a drainage, youth shot through the eyes alleging anti-State activities repression let loose across the State and the simple disappearance of hundreds and hundreds of civilians from the scene day by day ultimately forcing the citizens turning against their own nation and demanding 'azadi' and she asks with a heavy-heart how is it possible to make Jammu&Kashmir an integral part of the State if things are taking such a turn.
BJP (Bharathiya Janata Party) leaders, Farooq Abdullah, leader of National Conference and some other leaders have demanded her imprisonment slapping sedition charges.
Meanwhile Arundhati Roy has made a statement pitying the attitude of our nation for speaking out without fear and she has made it clear that whatever she said is out of love for our nation. Listen leaders.......
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