Endorsing Arundhati Roy

I just saw an interview of Arundhati Roy in Devil’s advocate by Karan Thapar and needless to say I am impressed by the lady. I have always been awed by her and am still continuing to be.

Generally, when Karan Thapar grills anybody, either they go backfoot or they counter his evidences convincingly and we feel that the person has done so well. But this lady, not only accepted whatever Karan Thapar quoted from various texts, but also provided enough evidences why she thinks that way and why it is the right way.

But the best part is not that. The best part is she knows what she is doing. She knows that she will only get the wrath of politicians and even the common people for this. She will be compared with the terrorists (if not already) but still she carries on her job. She knows she is fighting a lost battle. But we need people like her. What if Narmada Bachao is actually required, what if Afzal is actually not guilty, what if Kashmiris really want an independent Kashmir and are denied of that. What if the Indian Mujahideen is a media creation and the police are actually just cooking up stories and fooling the people with collaboration from media.

Let’s hope this is all not true. What the government is doing is actually right. We will feel immensely happy and I am pretty sure Arundhati will be happy too. But what if the above is actually true? We are turning into a fascist nation and soon will become another Germany? At least we will have something to say: “But one amongst us stood up against it. One amongst us fought for it. And that is Arundhati”.

I am very sure Arundhati knows all this. She is doing all this knowingly that how much wrath this will invite for her. After all she is an author and which other does not like popularity? But the fact that she is going against all this shows that she is a big humanitarian. She has her own principle and not relenting to even the public pressure is a big courageous act. She is doing all this, just to make sure that we are all right in our decisions and not hurriedly doing anything wrong. This is my principle too, I can stand convicts moving freely in the societly, but I cannot stand a single innocent person to be punished.

Let’s briefly talk about Singur. Yes, there would not be any industries after this in West Bengal, yes Mamata Banerjee is a Mahishasur in a female form. But do you think everything was alright in the way CPIM allotted the land? Do you not think there was some underhand money involved between Tata and the government? Most importantly, do you really believe that there was no other way possible that would have convinced the entire concerned group? I believe there would have been ways out. I already read somewhere that the initial land for the tatas was allotted somewhere near Kharagpur, but it is just that the Tats said can’t you offer anything better and they gave away more important land. Can’t a compromise be arrived with the Kharagpur land as well. Why will a government have to act like a Ramu servant to a business powerhouse.

Arundhati, I am not as courageous as you are. But like you, I do really hope that the correct convicts are punished and the correct thing in Kashmir might be a way that brings peace to the actual people of Kashmir. In many other cases, I would hope that you are really wrong and the media/ common man opinion is right. Because if it is not, we are really heading towards doom. But for all your endeavors, I really respect you a lot! It is not easy to go against the people for the people.