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Indie Rozdarte (2011)

by Arundhati Roy(Favorite Author)

4.06 of 5 Votes: 2

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Wielka Litera

review 1: There was a Times of India campaign some years earlier, which said, 'There are two Indias in this country...'. I disagreed with that point then, and I disagree with it now. This country isn't about two Indias, it is about a multitude of them, some thriving, some surviving, and some doing neither. Each of these alternate universes struggles to make its identity or to adopt another one.As someone from an India that can afford lots of new and shiny things, it is easy to be dissociated from the world that Ms. Roy talks about in her essays. It is easy to indulge in armchair intellectualism and conveniently demand a price to be paid for development. Easy, when that price is being paid by someone else, right?It is indeed terrifying how much power corporations wield, and how milli... moreons of people are being displaced by their march into the Indian hinterland. There is large scale disruption of lives with little or no attempts at rehabilitation. The state's abject failure to care for its poorest is highlighted in the essays. Arundhati Roy paints a vividly grim picture, of how the shiny objects of our affection are tainted with blood.However, what I found difficult to reconcile with were her distinctly pro-Maoist leanings. I find it immensely difficult to think of Naxalites as victims. Yes, the movement may have had its origins in that manner. But, terrorising the citizens of a state that is failing its people is not really the hallmark of a victim. Especially, if the alleged victim has access to sophisticated weaponry. There is no doubt that the government has handled anti-Naxal movements poorly. But, by painting tribals and Naxals with the same brush, Arundhati Roy does tribals a great disservice. The tribals are most certainly victims, the Naxals surely not.It is important for us to be cognizant of what we consider 'collateral damage' in our march towards development. Arundhati Roy has a provocative, compelling voice, one that she uses well to build a convincing case. But, at several places she does stretch logical threads to breaking point and beyond. She glosses over the use of child soldiers by Maoists. She sees cause and effect relationships where there are probably none.Nevertheless, this book will probably be an insight into a different India from the one that you and I live in. It will probably make you feel a little guilty as well.
review 2: This is an excellent expose of a resistance movement in India that is relatively little known outside that country. Roy's prose are compelling and, at turns, both stark and beautiful. Roy masterfully reveals the many nuances of the tribal-national, rich-poor, powerful-weak, and politically driven divisions intertwined in this complex and tragic conflict over land rights and social responsibilities. And while Roy is addressing the conflict in India, the implications are far reaching. less

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