ONE OF A KIND: THE STORY OF ARUNDHATI ROY

Foreword: When I was in eight grade, my father gifted " the god of small things" for my birthday. And thus, Arundhati Roy entered my life. Over the years, her writing has influenced me more than anyone else. In my peace and justice class, I got an opportunity to write about a female peace maker. Using sources on internet, I penned her biography. This is my tribute to the person whom I regard as one of the most eloquent and talented writer of our time.

Since 1997, the world knows Arundhati Roy as the first Indian woman to win the prestigious Booker price for her novel, The God of Small Things. But for the last few years, Roy’s name has been associated more with protest against Indian government and the corporate globalization than with literature. Thus far, her passionate and provocative political essays about social equality and justice have born fruition in the form of seven books that has established a new identity for Roy as a writer cum activist. While many in the literary intellectual circle find it unexpected and uncalled for a fiction writer to not only venture but also linger in the so called dirty world of politics, a flashback into her own upbringing helps us to better understand the roots of her values that has made her the peace activist she is today. 
         Much of who Arundhati is can be traced to her mother’s influence. Mary Roy was a woman ahead of her time. In an India where inter-religious marriages were a social taboo, Roy senior married a man from a different religion and caste. While she was a Keralite Syrian Christian[1], her husband Ranjit Roy was a Bengali Hindu tea planter. A year after Arundhati Roy was born on November 24^th 1961, her parents’ filed for divorce, an extremely rare happenings in the Indian 60s. Roy senior was not submissive to old age traditions and took her family back to Ayamanam, her mother’s village in Kerala. Mary Roy went to become a woman’s activist after she won the landmark case that ensured equal rights for woman to their ancestral property.[2] Her mother’s courage is often reflected in the tireless fight for justice that Arundhati rages despite the threats from the Indian government.                                                                                                                                     

Part of Roy’s rebellious nature stems from her own unique education. Arundhati Roy was homeschooled by her mother until she was 10. Mary Roy, unsatisfied with the education system in India started her own experimental school where her daughter was the first student, “I was my mother’s guinea pig”[3]. Pallikoodam is a school that subscribes to leftist and communist ideologies in India[4]. Arundhati Roy has shared that her early experiences made her determined to negotiate with the world on her own.[6] At 16, she left the comforts of home and went to find her own living in Delhi, the capital city of India. She studied at the National School of Architecture and supported herself by taking various jobs in New Delhi[7]. But in 1997, she unexpectedly found herself in midst of international stardom as her first novel, The God of Small Things, won both commercial and critical acclaim. While many saw a startling literary future for Arundhati Roy, the 1998 nuclear testing in India brought the talented writer a political calling.

In 1998, the Indian government carried out a series of test explosions of five nuclear devices provoking Pakistan to follow the suit as well. The success of the tests garnered appraisal from a large scale of Indian society who saw it as a development of nuclear arsenal for the country’s armed forces.  But at an international level, the UN condemned both India and Pakistan for risking the security in the South Asia[8]. Arundhati Roy responded by penning The End of Imagination, an article that attracted worldwide attention[9]. As the voice of a brilliant writer, she spoke with conscience and knowledge and condemned the government of India’s actions, “My world has died. And I write to morn it’s passing”. Her call was not simply in opposition to the overwhelming potential destruction of nuclear weapon. She also eloquently spoke of the environmental cost of such actions and the risks it imposes on the future generations. She criticized the Indian government for carrying out policies based on fear and condemned them for manipulating the Indian citizens by calling the nuclear tests a nationalism test[10]. At the national level, Roy’s clarity served to inform the general public on “the other side of the story” as her persuasive and confident writing helped to gain social awareness. At the international level, her article  made people to rethink as she appealed not only as an Indian but also as a citizen of the world seeking for universal peace.

            Since then, Roy has used the media’s fixation on her to lend voices to many social causes in India, notably for the Narmada Dam project. This is a large hydraulic engineering project involving the construction of multiple dams on the Narmada River. Critics believe that the cost of the dams outweigh the benefits[11]. Arundhati Roy has always been against forced modernization and displacement of indigenous people. In her essay, The Greater Common Good, she lends voice to the villagers whose farms and houses will submerge after the dams will be put in place. This protest has grown from a fight for a river over doubts of an entire political system. Roy’s article and the controversy captured popular imagination as she challenged the nation to think of the actions that their government is undertaking. By using her own talent as a writer, she has raised awareness and support for the people of Narmada.

            Arundhati Roy again came on the headlines of India’s national news when she offered an alternative viewpoint on the Maoists in India. The Maoists in India have been violently opposing the government’s industrialization project in the tribal areas. The Indian PM Manmohan Singh has called them the gravest internal security threat as well.[12] While the news only showed of the violent atrocities Maoists inflicted on the national police, Arundhati went into the jungle and talked with the Maoists. She wrote an article Walking with the comrades where she explained why the Maoists have taken up arms. Indian politicians and public have criticized her for provoking and supporting violence. This has not stopped her from point out the flaws of Indian democracy. Even at an international level, Roy has spoke against the US foreign policy. After the September 2001 attack, she has broadened her field and wrote about the war against terror. She criticized the American government for their violent policy in Afghanistan and has also collaborated with noted thinkers such as Noam Chomsky to oppose Israel’s invasion of Palestine[13].

           Arundhati Roy, to say the least is a controversial figure. While her writings have been applauded, many have reserved to comment on the contents of what she says.  She has drawn criticism from people who doubt the efficacy of her actions on policymakers. Despite her writings and her protests against many of the government action, she lacks the leverage to pose a threat to the authority or power of the state. However, Arundhati Roy has expanded the definition of what a writer is or should be. She has always faced the consequences of her writings but has refused to remain silent. By openly speaking her mind; she has exemplified herself to the other artists, to the citizens of India and the world. While the heads of the state and the policymakers have dismissed her, she has educated the common Indian people of their government action. As the power vested in her as a writer, she has used her writing as a means to reach out to the people. Those who could no longer trust the national media, she has been a source that filters the truth and offer a different perspective on many issues. She has truly challenged India’s democracy and thus in a fundamental manner, she has contributed to creating peace and justice in Indian society. Roy’s work is unique because she does not tell people what to do. She does not think for them. She simply informs the truth to the public and makes them responsible for changes.                                                                                                             

In this tireless process, she has provoked citizens of the state and in particular women to speak their mind. Politics in India is a highly masculinized field where it is generally the men in suits who have the power. But Roy has stood symbolically and also literally to challenge all of those men. In a male dominated society, she has refused to let her identity as a woman stop her from doing what she is and thus, by embracing the womanhood, she has become an example of strength for many young girls in India. She has negotiated herself in a position of choices.[14] Because of her work as a citizen of the world and as a writer, she has been awarded with numerous peace prizes. As of today, Arundhati Roy continues to speak for justice as a woman, a writer, an activist and a human being with a conscience.

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[1] The Syrian Christians are a group of ethno religious group based in Kerala who adhere to churches of Saint Thomas tradition. Since settling in Kerala, they have mastered the English language and were among the more affluent social groups.http://www.india-today.com/itoday/27101997/cov.html December 12, 2010

[2] http://www.hindu.com/2006/05/29/stories/2006052918730100.htm December 20, 2010

[3] http://www.salon.com/sept97/00roy.html December 12, 2010

[4] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pallikoodam December 20, 2010

[5] The Maoists in India have been protesting against the government forced urbanization plan on their lands and recently took up arms against them as well. http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?264738 December 20, 2010

[6] http://www.rediff.com/news/apr/05roy2.htm December 12, 2020

[7] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arundhati_Roy December 20, 2010

[8] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pokhran-II December 20, 2010

[9] Foreword, John Berger. The Algebra of Infinite Justice. Page XIII Penguin Books India 2001.

[10] The End of Imagination. Page 18. The Algebra of Infinite Justice.

[11] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narmada_Dam December 20, 2010

[12] http://www.indianexpress.com/news/naxalism-gravest-internal-security-threat-to/609303/ December 20, 2010

[13] http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2006/aug/03/syria.israelandthepalestinians December 20, 2010

[14] http://www.sawnet.org/books/authors.php?Roy+Arundhati December 12, 2010

An End To A New Beginning

My peace 104 class has ended but strangely enough, I am filled with a sense of endless beginnings.

As much as I appreciate all the new things I have learned in this class, I also know that there is so much more I need to learn. Each answer has unlocked many more questions for me.  

"In expanding the field of knowledge, we but increase the horizon of our ignorance."

It is easy to take for granted the opportunity I have here and to forget how lucky I am. 

I am really grateful I get to learn as much as my heart desires. 

I wish such an education for my mother, my sister and all those I care about. 

I will end this semester with one of my favorite poems,

" The woods are lovely, dark and deep,

   But I have promises to keep,

   Miles to go before I sleep,

   Miles to go before I sleep"

 

   -Robert Frost

Just a Question for Today

Do you think making a difference is an overused cliche?

Am I A Reluctant Feminist?

Truth be told, I have wanted to write this piece for a long time. Each time I sit down to write my thoughts on feminism, a certain uneasiness prevents me. I do not have a name for that feeling and I would prefer to keep it that way. In Victor's words, I will dwell in the confusion and appreciate its complexities rather than resolve  the issue by choosing a side.

Yet I know that I could not leave this till the end. Someday, I have to sit down and write this piece. I have to write this because personally, my thoughts on feminism are an important aspect of my own journey in understanding what peace is. I am surprised this is almost coming out as a confession.

Last night, while me and my room mates were sleeping, our conversation steered around Wellesley. At some point, my friend said, almost casually, that Wellesley has helped her to find who she really is. I told her that was rather deep. That made me think about my own understanding of how this place has shaped me. Yes, it has definitely been a positive experience thus far. I have developed a passion for learning. But at the same time, I cannot claim that Wellesley has taken me to the horizon of self-discovery. As of now, what I credit this place is for helping me to become conscious of many things chief of which is a new found consciousness of what it means to be a woman

Many of my friends thought it strange of me to choose a woman's college. They ask me the reason for my decisions. Depending on the kind of people and the rapport I share with each of them, I have come up with wide variety of reasons. This is not to say that I lied. All of the reasons have some truth in it but in isolation, they are not the complete explanation of why I came here. And that is not because I choose not to reveal how I truly feel, it is simply that I myself do not know for sure what is the, so to speak, "real reason". I am not eve sure whether there is such a thing.

I have been uncomfortable with my own identity as a Wellesley woman. As much as I appreciate all that is good in my friends ( indeed, its quite a long list), an impression has settled in my mind that somehow, this identity of a Wellesley woman carries a tad bit of feminism in it. Feminisn, yes, that was my issue. At this point, I must say that my own understanding of a feminist is minimal to say the least. I have never studied the academics of it.

i like the humor in it.

I try to think why I have a problem associating myself with feminism. Two thoughts come to my mind. The first is that feminism seems to be an issue of past. It made sense that many women colleges were built because they couldn't attend other male exclusive places. Women who wants to work could not work so the feminist, correct me if I wrong, fought for equal rights of women and said they are entitled to the same rights. Yes, that is actually quite appealing to me. However, I don't understand the emphasis on feminism when so many of those issues are irrelevant now? I like creating something new and therefore I like future better than the past. For me to be labeled as a feminist almost seems to imply in my mind that I am stuck in the past. I have not moved on with the fact that such issues are not so relevant anymore. Moreover, focusing on the differences between how male and female are treated seems to create a divide than actually solve something. It seems.

But after sitting in this class, hearing about how women are still discriminated, about different views on feminism in terms of social construction, I feel like, issues that feminist fight for are very real. The world is not really that modern. And these are relevant to all of us. So then, I have to ask myself. Was I wrong about feminism? Why am I uncomfortable with such a label?  I come from a society where even if women are free to a large extent, they are also cultural norms that encourages certain etiquette from  women. My grandmother always wanted a male child and does not hesitate to hide her disappointment when I was born. I thought I was different from that. Has my upbringing affected me this much? Have I also been cultured into thinking that certain spheres are just out of women's reach? Is my reluctance a sign of an orthodoxy in me?

Am I a reluctant feminist?

As uncomfortable as it is to ask such questions, I am happy that at least I am conscious about my own prejudice.

I am starting to think that some things can only be learned, it cannot be taught. On top of studying it, I have to live it.

"You know, People in War Also Fall In Love"

Uncertainty and Confusion are my constant companions.
It is the only life I have known so far. There are few things I am sure about.
But one thing that I do know, almost fully, is that literature is my passion.
I worry at times that it has become my indulgent drug but I cannot help myself
from getting moved by the ways in which people can express themselves. Thats how I realize
that Arundhati Roy's political thoughts has such a strong influence on me. Its because she writes well.

Anyways, unlike my normal entries, I do have a point of mentioning about my passionate affair with literature.
I am always up for listening to new thoughts- and more so to new perspectives on old thoughts-but sometimes, when accuracy of the definitions are over-rated and sophistication is all I can hear and appreciate from a lecture ( or for that matter, a reading), I get disillusioned. See, many insightful researches are conducted to create better awareness about issues. Then you must know that as important are your thoughts, so is the expression you use. What is the point of saying complicated ideas if people cannot understand it? And you know what bothers me most, when I know that someone can use something so much more simpler to convey the same meanings. Its not about how many words you know. Its about how many ways you can use the words you know. Thats when literature comes in. Literature frees us from cloak of complications. It gives us WAYS to express complicated thoughts but in simple language. Unfortunately, I find very few people who has authority over such talents.

The speaker that we heard in a TED video in my peace and justice class, to my luck, just happened to be one of them. As an Iraqi war survivor and a founder of Women for Women International, she was urging the audience to see the war from both the frontline and the backline. War is not only about soldiers fighting. It is also about the less visible but equally important faces of people who survive through the wars. She says this story is not about some unknown refugee, with dirty faces and scared eyes. She gives each woman she mentions an identity. That was graceful.

Look how beautiful she is.

Conflict is not only on the battle line. She is challenging our own attitude of "casually treating the casualties of war". Such million people were killed, Oh how interesting. She wants us to look beyond the statistics and look at war from, permit me to use this word once more, humane way.

She asks us beautiful questions. Do you know, people in war also fall in love? That kisd go to school, adults go to work, there are dancing, there are marriages, divorces and life goes on. She talks about a women who in four years of war, opened her music school so that learning continues.I find it provoking. Indeed, life goes on. Those who live must live when they are alive. For them, the living is difficult. They can die from inside. That is the worst- when you die by living. Still, we endure.

And now the important question is who keeps this living going? The Women. Yes. Then why are women not included in the table that matters- that is the negotiating table of peace? When the lives of women are affected so irreparably, dont they deserve a voice? Dont they deserve a seat on the table?Ask yourself.

Rumi

At the end, she leaves us with words of a 13th century Sufi poet Rumi,

" Out beyond the worlds of right doing and wrong doings,
   There is a field.
   I will meet you there.
 
  When the soul lies down in that grass,
  The world is too full to talk about.
  Ideas, language, even the phrase "each other"
   No longer makes any sense."

Here is the link to the talk. http://www.ted.com/talks/zainab_salbi.html

I dedicate this page to TED- for giving wings to ideas worth listening to.

Liberia's Civil War

I am fond of people who have purposes in their life- people who know why they are doing what they are doing. I like them because most of the time, their conviction stands out. They perform better because they believe in the work they do. And that inspires me. The conviction that leads them towards their goals. It does not necessarily have to be something big. In my case, it is mostly individuals who are my inspirations.For example, when my room-mate sits down and creates her art, I see passion in her.I see that this is something that gives her satisfaction. I like feeling inspired. Its like you are temporarily on wings, flapping as hard as you can.

For quite some time, we have been discussing about woman's role in peace-making and peace-building processes. It is a coincidence that in my politics class, we ended up watching a documentary on the role of women peace activists in Liberia's civil war. Just to give you a brief summary, the documentary presented Liberia as a country in chaos. The then President Mr. Taylor and a rebellious faction called LURD fought for power. As each sides gets more violent, the situation erupted into a civil war. Many common people were forced to abandon their home and displaced to slums and roadsides. In this process, the soldiers from both sides took advantage to their greed and inflicted harrassment on women. At this point, the peace activists- whose name has already escaped me but whose face and voice I will not forget- realizes that something must be done to stop the situation. She calls her church to action and cooperates with muslim women. Despite their religious differences, both sides wisely agrees that a bullet does not discriminate on religion. When a woman is killed, they do not see whether she is Christian or Muslim. She was given support my other women of Liberia who decided to play a more active role. They protested on the roads and asks for a peace agreement between the two factions. By bearing the scorching heat and giving up their comforts, they stay on throadsand demands the government to intervene.

Their patience is rewarded when both sides finally decides to form a peace agreement. The peace talks was to be conducted at an African peace summit. The women sends their delegates to make sure that work was done. They sits outside the main buildings and continues to watch over the whole process. Finally, the summit comes to a conclusion and ousts Taylor. A transitional government is put into place. They go back to Liberia and takes part in the political process, campaigns for a better democracy and the documentary ends with a new female president of Liberia thanking the women peace organization.

This is a rather lame summary. However, the documentary reinforces the concept that peace is a process. The women peace activists continues their action for years and years because for them, peace was not merely negative peace, it was also about creating a new environment where democracy can thrive. Moreover, seeing other women work with so much conviction inspired me. When one woman supports another woman, it empowers both of them. By sticking together when it mattered, these women were able to create remarkable changes in their country.

It was a long journey. The odds loomed insurmountable. The easiest option was to give up. In the beginning of the documentary, I asked myself what could these women really do? But when people have purpose and they believe in what they do, the odds can be overcomed. It was a good lesson to myself as well.

" A world that is good for women is good for everyone "

The Raging Grannies of Boston

The grannies came, sang and won my heart.

I am glad I did not miss this class. Because, this is one of the most touching class experience I had at Wellesley. We were joined by Boston raging grannies- a group of older women who have defied stereotypes and became active peace activists. This morning, as I hurriedly went to get breakfast, I met Carter and she told me that the grannies were visiting. I thought that is a rather bizarre event so I decided to check my readings. I was almost late for the class so I quickly skim through the raging grannies article. I came excited because part of me was still unsure of what to expect.

Our class discussion was on war and women. We briefly watched the trailer of Lioness; American women combatants in war in Iraq and Afghanistan. I was surprised to learn that in the US, women are legally not permitted to join the combat. Like many other class mates, I assumed that when women join the war, like the Tamil tigers, they are also sent to fight. It made sense to me; somehow that this will hurt men's ego or at least the men who are in the army. As Catia said, many wars are fought with justification to protect women; the idea that feminine women who are supposed to be protected are fighting the war is unsettling to many people. It does not fit into the image of a warrior- strong built and masculine. But we also discussed that war can be good for women. When the WW2 occurred and men left to fight, it was the women of all these countries who ran the workforce. Wars, strangely enough, can be empowering to women. 

Still, I asked myself: Why does women need to acquire masculine qualities to be respected in the society? Why can we not empower the very idea of feminine qualities? These qualities; though not overt has strength in it. Why is elegance only a quality of beauty, why not of strength and respect? 

Anyways, so with topics of war and masculinity versus peace and passivity, we focused on the dilemma that Goldstein articulated, "Activism that brings power in peace versus the concept that peace are for women while war is for men". Interesting, no? With this question, we were joined by the most unexpected group of older women. Actually, I dont want to call them old because I do not like the social connotation that it is associated with aging. The first thing I noticed about them was the way they dressed up. It was almost hippy with all the colorful hats, badges, colorful skits- it was a metaphor of what they stand for. A starking juxtaposition. I also liked the fact that when they talk, they were normal.

I like seeing normal people -people I can relate to- do something special. Often Leaders are put on such high pedastals that they seems too good to be true. But when you see people like yourself achieving great feats, the confidence builds in. Well, well, so the grannies sang us some beautiful songs- songs that have deep political reasonance. Indeed, as we continue our discussion, I realized that many of the grannies possess political maturity- one granny talked about the use of war as a job program-they understand how the laws are passed, how protest are strategically planned- and they talked about facebook and youtube-And the best part, some of then have been to jail and when Catia asked about the experience-she said it was fabulous- all I could do there was sit and smile- it was an inspiring site.

As a closing line, the raging grannies left us with a question to ponder on. Let me widen the circle of ponderers. During the grannies youth, protest movements are mobilised through people and it was the activism that was solid. However, our generation might be activists online but it is hard to point where our efforts go. A letter confirming signature of 5000 people is more effective or say 500 people going to a particular place and protesting? Hm...Good question, no?