[Reader-list] ARUNDHATI - PUBLICITY HUNGER

Tue Nov 2 11:04:44 IST 2010

Bipin Trivedi,

I was wondering what happened to your PR firm sponsoring advertisement on
behalf of a Modi administration.

Anupam

On Mon, Nov 1, 2010 at 10:20 PM, Bipin Trivedi <aliens at dataone.in> wrote:

> Is Rajkamal publicity manager of AR?
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Rajkamal Goswami [mailto:rajkamalgoswami at gmail.com]
> Sent: Monday, November 01, 2010 5:30 AM
> To: Bipin Trivedi
> Cc: sarai-list
> Subject: Re: [Reader-list] ARUNDHATI - PUBLICITY HUNGER
>
> Dear All,
>
> I just happened to finish reading perhaps the first non-fiction
> publication of Ms Roy (the link of which is provided below). I will
> just bullet point a few unique things that eventually became the
> signature style of her non-fiction writing.
>
> * Length: She might have pioneered the long-essay in popular weeklies
> of India. But given her obscurity during the pre-booker era (this was
> published in 1994), the essay was published in two parts.
>
> * Politics: A clear politics of socialism seems to be present
> throughout the essay, which eventually became more pronounced and
> evident in her later works. She talks at length about individual
> struggles, resistance, social justice, inequities and inadequacies of
> human society, rape, injustice, caste & geneder based exploitation,
> socio-economic dominance of high caste, power struggles, violence
> .....
>
> *Endorsing the unlikely: In 1994, which
> mainstream/obscure/independent/celebrity writer had the
> proclivity/guts to write a completely biased, highly opinionated
> though highly persuasive and eloquent piece defending the basic rights
> of a person to his/her own life-story (in this particualr case:
> Phoolan Devi)!
>
> *Blunt activism: Now people accuse her of gaining mileage out of her
> celebrity status. I would say that she is perhaps the only celebrity
> in India who has stood her grounds, her morality, her ideology, her
> politics and her imagination throughout her adult life, her
> social-economic-celebrity status notwithstanding. Perhaps her writing,
> apart from anything else bears testimony to it. When she wrote this
> essay in 1994, neither she was an acclaimed author, (read financially
> stable) nor was she popular. On the contrary she was almost broke
> (financially) and this essay cost her a contract with channel 4 of UK
> (one of the financiers of Bandit Queen)! In one of her interviews she
> claimed that she can't write/imagine with a benefit (read money, fame
> and all the imagined vices that today she is claimed to starve for) in
> mind! I never doubted the fact that she meant every word of it!
>
> *Fiercely ethical: No personal attacks, no potshots, no hits below the
> belt!
>
> *Lucid prose: I lack words to describe it!
>
> *Well researched and mostly stating/relying on facts: No wonder she is
> invited by Harvard, MIT, Oxford, and Cambridge so often!
>
> There are many more but I will stop here as I am no Ms Roy!
>
> Link: http://www.sawnet.org/books/writing/roy_bq1.html
> http://www.sawnet.org/books/writing/roy_bq2.html
>
> Regards
> Rajkamal
>
>
> On 11/1/10, Rajkamal Goswami <rajkamalgoswami at gmail.com> wrote:
> > Dear All,
> >
> > I context of the argument one might find this profile of Ms Roy
> > interesting. It was written well before she won the Booker! And that
> > time, the media came after her because her novel sold like no other
> > novel by an unpublished Indian ever (even NRI's like Rushdie's or
> > Seth's). She was guarding her privacy jealously before the media got
> > the whiff of it! I think that was the time when love-to-hate Ms Roy
> > saga began taking roots!
> >
> > This is the link to that article published in Outlook (Sep 25, 1996).
> >
> > http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?202195
> >
> > Regards
> > Rajkamal
> >
> > On 11/1/10, Rajkamal Goswami <rajkamalgoswami at gmail.com> wrote:
> >> Dear Trivediji,
> >>
> >> While I respect your right to having a free opinion, I, at the same
> >> time wish to exercise my right: i.e. to disagree vehemently to your
> >> opinion.
> >>
> >> 1. Ms. Roy is not publicity hungry. Its the other way round. Its the
> >> popular print and electronic media people after sensational stories
> >> that are, and they find Ms. Roy as the perfect sacrificial doll each
> >> time Ms Roy writes/speaks something radically different (though not
> >> necessarily fantastic or untrue).
> >>
> >> 2. With regards the recent Kashmir-azadi cintroversy, all that Ms Roy
> >> did was give a talk at an obscure seminar in Delhi. The seminar
> >> (including what Ms Roy and other speakers said) would have remained
> >> obscure, but for the sensation-starved media! Ms Roy didn't shout at
> >> the top of her lungs from the rooftops demanding attention to what she
> >> spoke at the seminar. The media did.
> >>
> >> 3. Does Ms Roy happen to be so unfortunate that she won the booker
> >> prize before she started her politics/opinion came to be noticed? Was
> >> it her fault or the media's which jumped at the opportunity of
> >> publishing a booker winner!
> >>
> >> there are many more but for now i guess these will suffice.
> >>
> >> thanks and regards
> >> Rajkamal
> >>
> >> On 10/31/10, Bipin Trivedi <aliens at dataone.in> wrote:
> >>> Dear Rajkamal,
> >>>
> >>> Of course word chip I mean for cheap only as said by Aalok. Arundhati
> is
> >>> just publicity hunger nothing else. If she is really worrying for
> >>> Kashmir
> >>> than where was she for 2 decades when bloodbath was created by few
> >>> Kashmiri
> >>> separatists and terrorists. Not a single word from her against these.
> >>> Such
> >>> violent situation all these years effected heavily to common people of
> >>> Kashmir only. She never expressed any feeling for this proves that her
> >>> recent statement was just publicity stunt of her own. Perhaps you will
> >>> hear
> >>> some new booker like award for her!
> >>>
> >>> Thanks
> >>> Bipin Trivedi
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> -----Original Message-----
> >>> From: Rajkamal Goswami [mailto:rajkamalgoswami at gmail.com]
> >>> Sent: Sunday, October 31, 2010 1:29 PM
> >>> To: Bipin Trivedi
> >>> Cc: sarai-list
> >>> Subject: Re: [Reader-list] ARUNDHATI - PUBLICITY HUNGER
> >>>
> >>> Dear Trivediji,
> >>>
> >>> "she is just after negative and chip publicity"
> >>>
> >>> I wish to strongly contradict this view of yours. But before I do that
> >>> can you explain what do you mean by 'chip; here?
> >>>
> >>> Rajkamal
> >>>
> >>> On 10/31/10, Bipin Trivedi <aliens at dataone.in> wrote:
> >>>> Guha says, "She's crazy. Arundhati Roy has become a joke, a publicity
> >>>> fiend," Guha told Bangalore Mirror. "She hops from cause to cause, and
> >>> just
> >>>> look at the company she's keeping ... the likes of Syed Ali Shah
> >>>> Geelani,
> >>> an
> >>>> ultimate bigot who wants to keep women in purdah and bring in an
> >>>> Islamic
> >>>> theocracy."
> >>>>
> >>>> While posting maoist topic discussion read my view on Arundhati as
> >>>> under:
> >>>> (1) When asked the question to Arundhati that most of people hate your
> >>> views
> >>>> and writing and believe your thought impractical. She replies, if
> whole
> >>>> of
> >>>> India hate me I have to believe I am wrong. Then why you waiting for,
> >>>> understand this and come back from your wrong belief now. This proves
> >>>> that
> >>>> she is just after negative and chip publicity. (2) Even government
> >>>> wants
> >>>> Arundhati to be mediator between the government and maoist, but she
> >>> denies.
> >>>> This is also creates doubt on her sincerity. What I think, she wants
> >>>> just
> >>>> mere publicity out of this and wants to create a show that she worried
> >>>> of
> >>>> tribal! By that way, she wants to increase sale of her books and
> reader
> >>>> audience.
> >>>>
> >>>> Same thing applicable now also. Kashmir problem is there since almost
> >>> after
> >>>> independence and its intensity increased since 2 decades, but I have
> >>>> not
> >>>> heard any comment earlier for this issue. So, why now? She always
> >>>> remain
> >>> of
> >>>> search of current hot topics and sensitized it to catch attention of
> >>>> media
> >>>> just for mere chip publicity. Dear Tara, you are right, after her
> >>>> shared
> >>>> stage with crook Geelani, many like you became her critics.
> >>>>
> >>>> Thanks
> >>>> Bipin Trivedi
> >>>>
> >>>> _________________________________________
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> >>>
> >>>
> >>> --
> >>> Rajkamal
> >>>
> >>>
> >>
> >>
> >> --
> >> Rajkamal
> >>
> >
> >
> > --
> > Rajkamal
> >
>
>
> --
> Rajkamal
>
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