[Reader-list] SAGARIKA GHOSE INTERVIEWED ARUNDHATI ROY

[Rakesh Iyer]

Dear Anupam

Thanks for the article.

For some members of the forum though, this may be an article by a Naxal
sympathizer, except that they don't realize that theirs is the way through
which a terrorist is born. For after all, even a terrorist is motivated by
one simple question:

'What did I or my brother or my fellow men do to deserve this (violence)?'

Hence they make it a fight for their survival, and we get nowhere. And a
terrorist is also a human being (with sinister intentions formed over a
course of time), not an alien from Mars.

I am still waiting by the way for these members to spell out what is
development as per their view. They keep parroting this word whenever
Naxalism issue springs up on this forum.

Rakesh



On Sun, Apr 18, 2010 at 4:46 PM, anupam chakravartty <c.anupam at gmail.com>wrote:

> From: http://sanhati.com/articles/2265/
>
> Soon after hearing the heart breaking news from Dantewara of Chhatisgarh,
> where 76 CRPF personals were killed in the Maoists attack on April 6, 2010,
> the India’s Home Minister P Chidambaram gave his resignation saying, “I
> have
> no hesitation in saying the buck stops at my desk. I accept fully
> responsibility for what happened in Dantewara”. Of course he is right;
> apparently because he is the person who had sent the CRPF personals for
> preparing the investment roadmap by killing the Maoists as they are the
> biggest threat to the investment climate that’s what our economist Prime
> Minister Manmohan Sigh had said earlier.
>
> A brilliant corporate lawyer turned Home Minister P Chidambaram’s odd face
> had also appeared in the media, shedding tears for the CRPF personals who
> laid down their lives in Dantewada. But how could the Prime Minister
> Manmohan Singh had accepted Chidambaram’s resignation when his assigned job
> for preparation of the investment climate has not yet accomplished? As
> usual, the corporate media did not hesitate in coining Chidambaram as hero
> of the day merely for submitting his resignation not for his deeds for the
> nation. But is he? Is it not true that he shed the crocodile tears merely
> to
> mobilize the middle class sentiments in the favour of his war against the
> Adivasis in corporate interest?
>
> Perhaps, the ARMY Chief General V K Singh has unmasked the corporate Home
> Minister saying that there appeared to be “internal deficiencies” in the
> training of the personals lost their lives in the attack. Though
> Chidambaram
> has rejected it by saying it “incorrect and baseless” but question is how
> the ARMY chief who is responsible for the security of the nation can talk
> on
> the baseless matter? Does Chidambaram know better than the ARMY chief about
> the security related matters? Of course, he can not be challenged on the
> matters of the corporate but every one can doubt on his ability on the
> security matters if he challenges the ARMY chief.
>
> Secondly, the matter of the law and order is the state subject but there
> were no support extended to the CRPF personals by the local police during
> the anti-Naxal operation in Dantewara. Thirdly, there is no electricity,
> good telephone service and other facilities available in the CRPF camp of
> Dantewara. Ironically, the CRPF personals had no vegetables for last three
> months. They were having chapattis with mangos available nearby the CRPF
> camp. In fact, the CRPF camp was established in Dantewara without
> availability of the required infrastructure, support and facilities. This
> is
> how our brave security personals are being treated and our ruling elites
> shed the crocodile tears when they lose their lives and we also walk with
> them. Is it not true that the CRPF personals were left to die in an unknown
> utterly dangerous place without any help of the local police and the
> villagers? Who is responsible for the loss of 76 brave lives?
>
> Paradoxically, the opposition party the BJP has backed Chidambaram saying
> ‘it is not the time for a Senapati (commander) to step down. His
> resignation
> at this stage would be meaning a victory for Naxalites’. A question comes
> into one’s mind is whether the BJP would have behaved in the same manner
> with Chidambaram if the Jehadi terrorists would have done the same damage
> to
> our security forces? If the 26/11 can end Shivraj Patil’s career as Home
> Minister then why should Chidambaram stay back?
>
> However, the Left parties especially the CPI (M) has shocked the most as
> now
> Bhudhadev Bhattacharjee has also agreed to work together with Chidambaram
> and of course, his party is very keen to establish corporate corridor in
> the
> so-called red corridor. The people are amazed to see the rights left and
> centre alliance on the issue of cleansing the Maoists. It is apparent
> because all these parties are working hard for converting the so-called red
> corridor into the corporate corridor. Now the corporate houses have also
> become the election investors therefore our political parties are committed
> for the corporate interest rather than the people’s interest. Obviously,
> they are the main actors who run the biggest democracy of the world, where
> the marginalized have only a day once in a five years to rejoice the
> democracy and rest of the days they have to face the brutality.
>
> Indeed, the untrained CRPF personals were deliberately put into danger with
> the expectation, if they are killed by the Maoists that would be the best
> opportunity for mobilizing the middle class sentiments for using the Army
> to
> get the Adivasis land clear for the corporate sharks in the name of
> cleansing the Maoists. Precisely, because we have tendency to call each and
> every security person as brave even the person loses his life due to
> illness
> is also called ‘martyr’ in the language of ruling elites. Of course, one
> must have respect for those brave security personals lay their lives for
> the
> national but one should not allow the politics to play in each and every
> matter.
>
> We should also find out whether our security forces are united as we are in
> a delusion of unity in diversity. According to the prominent Indian writer
> Arundhati Roy, Indians were never united. Of course, she is right. Even our
> security forces are never united. One can clearly see that how our security
> house is divided. Can one imagine for the unity when there is a regular
> practice of untouchability in the military camps? The caste based kitchens
> still exit in the military camps. One can find separate kitchen for
> Adivasis, Bhumihars, Yadav, Rajpur, Pandit and list goes on. Similarly, the
> caste based forces still exit. Are we still united? Did our Home Ministers,
> Defense Ministers or the Parliament ever think of cleansing these dirties
> before they cleanse the Maoists? Only the ruling elites shed their
> crocodile
> tears, whenever the damage was done to the security forces by the non state
> actors.
>
> Our CRPF personals were made to pay the heavy price for the corporate
> interest in the name of the national security and Chidambaram’s resignation
> is just a drama to shield his failure, bury the mistreatment of the CRPF
> personals and also to emotionally mobilize the middle class sentiment for
> the corporate interest. Indeed, the buck stops at Chidambaram’s desk for
> what has happened in Dantewara and will continue to stop but will he ever
> be
> punished for what he has done to the security forces? The expected answer
> would be ‘no’ therefore we should expect only the crocodile tears from him
> and the other ruling elites as well?
>
> *Gladson Dungdung is a Human Rights Activist and Writer from Jharkhand.*
>
>
>
>
> On Sun, Apr 18, 2010 at 3:18 PM, Pheeta Ram <pheeta.ram at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > The interview has, very interestingly, revealed how DUMB these media
> people
> > can be. Its Sagarika Ghose
> > who has been exposed instead. She asks such dumb questions; it made me
> > laugh
> > at both Sagarika and the
> > TV channel she represents. No doubt, the media have been sold out to the
> > corporates. There's another guy, much
> > admired in the 'interview circles', more i think for his impeccable
> English
> > than for his interviewing skills, called Karan Thapar.
> > The video is available on Youtube. Just look at the way he embar-asses
> > himself. For a change mute the video and concentrate
> > on his demeanour: anxiety is writ large over his face, he is too much
> aware
> > of his hollowness. Frankly speaking, Arundhati Roy has dealt a tight nice
> > slap on many people's faces with her essay in Outlook. I don't need to
> name
> > them, their cheeks are still burning. It won't be easier to appropriate
> > Arundhati anymore. Alas, she is standing alone, though evermore stronger,
> > among these celebrity writers!
> >
> > On Sun, Apr 18, 2010 at 11:58 AM, Nagraj Adve <nagraj.adve at gmail.com>
> > wrote:
> >
> > > I don't necessarily agree with all of what Arundhati wrote in Outlook,
> > > not do I hold a brief for the Maoist movement, but for someone to say
> > > that Arundhati's sincerity and intellectuality (whatever that latter
> > > means) have been exposed is just ridiculous. And in the guise of being
> > > sharp and critical, the interviewer came up with shallow, unthought
> > > out statements like "Growth is something the country needs". Really?
> > > I in fact thought Arundhati said something very important when she
> > > said, "I would say that I don't believe that the imagination that has
> > > brought to the planet to this crisis is going to come up with an
> > > alternative."
> > >
> > > And re your response Rakesh, I see your point, but a clean divide
> > > between violent and non-violent movements probably needs more
> > > stratification. Between struggles that are militant but not violent,
> > > those in which violence becomes a part, those in which armed tactics
> > > and squads are retained for purely defensive purposes, and lastly
> > > those in which armed struggle is more central aimed at the takeover of
> > > state power. Obviously, the Maoist movement falls in the fourth
> > > category, and in my view, will not work. The problem begins when
> > > movements begin to generalise from what works in their area. In
> > > practice, different strategies work in different contexts and for
> > > different issues. The Maoists have little to offer for urban areas.
> > > Though they have had some history of work in a few urban areas, they
> > > have nothing unique to offer that makes them different from other
> > > formations there, and have in fact I believe withdrawn from urban
> > > areas after the merger of PW and MCC. I think it will be more useful
> > > for us to think about a multiplicity of movements in different areas,
> > > employing different strategies and as part of a broad democratisation
> > > of society which at least minimizes the ravages of industrial
> > > capitalism.
> > > Naga
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > On 18 April 2010 10:56, Rakesh Iyer <rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com> wrote:
> > > > Dear Bipin
> > > >
> > > > How many journalists have dared to go to the jungles of Dantewada
> where
> > > the
> > > > Naxalites reside and tell their story as to why the tribals are now
> > > > increasingly joining the Naxals? Arundhati Roy has been one of the
> very
> > > few
> > > > to do so.
> > > >
> > > > And I have seen this interview. She is against the state, but I feel
> in
> > > this
> > > > interview at least, she has been less a Maoist sympathizer than a
> > critic
> > > of
> > > > state-led development paradigm.
> > > >
> > > > The reason why there is violence is simple. That's how our
> governments
> > > tend
> > > > to take notice. Look at the Narmada Bachao Andolan. What happened?
> > > Nothing.
> > > > Why? Because they didnt' resort to violence. If they would have done
> > so,
> > > the
> > > > politicians would have been forced to stop the Sardar Sarovar dam
> > project
> > > > and think about the tribals. But since this has not been done, nobody
> > > > bothers and the rights of tribals are trampled upon as if tribals
> were
> > > > insects, not human beings.
> > > >
> > > > Look at the Gujjar-reservation issue. The Gujjars were agitating
> > > peacefully,
> > > > yet nobody bothered even to explain to them why reservation was not
> > being
> > > > done to them. It's only when they unleashed violence that suddenly
> the
> > > > entire nation saw them and decided to solve the issue.
> > > >
> > > > The fact is that in this country, unless you don't organize violence,
> > > nobody
> > > > hears you or even bothers about you. Indians have a great tendency of
> > > > working only at the last minute, when the fire reaches the ass. Till
> it
> > > has
> > > > burnt your legs, nobody cares.
> > > >
> > > > Change this tendency and fight it, and automatically things will move
> > for
> > > > the better. This means ensuring that NREGA, Forest Rights Bill are
> > > properly
> > > > implemented, the Right to Food is enacted soon in its' comprehensive
> > form
> > > > and implemented well, and most importantly, development as sought by
> > the
> > > > tribals is given to them, not introducing mining which is
> unsustainable
> > > as
> > > > being done in Bellary. Don't turn Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand into
> > another
> > > > Bellary.
> > > >
> > > > Rakesh
> > > > _________________________________________
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