[Reader-list] WHO IS AFRAID OF ARUNDHATI ROY?

Sun Oct 31 13:29:33 IST 2010

http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?267719
by
 Ashis Nandy


On Sat, Oct 30, 2010 at 10:22 PM, TaraPrakash <taraprakash at gmail.com> wrote:
> How many do you have to offer? How about using some to scratch the part of
> your body that starts itching when you hear Sonia's saner questions, you
> villain of "Father Son and Holy War?" If we go in to the nuances of your
> unsolicited offers it is worse suggestion than anyone made on Ms. Roy. And
> yet Gods haven't said a word.
>
> Isn't it true now that you get admonished only if you are espousing a
> different view, if you are throwing up the same stuff as entrenched you can
> get away with murder on this list?
>
> Please Sonia don't give up because of these rude nationalists and
> masculinist delinquents. We need a true perspective, not polluted by those
> who make money for speaking in favor of one of the 2 sides.
>
> You just asked a question and these men's backsides went on fire. Amazing.
>
> Sorry, but I can't stand those who can't stand the critique.
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Aditya Raj Baul"
> <adityarajbaul at gmail.com>
> To: "reader-list" <reader-list at sarai.net>
> Sent: Saturday, October 30, 2010 1:16 AM
> Subject: Re: [Reader-list] WHO IS AFRAID OF ARUNDHATI ROY?
>
>
>> awwww poor girl you never understand questions. would you like another
>> candy?
>>
>> On Sat, Oct 30, 2010 at 10:41 AM, SJabbar <sonia.jabbar at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>> Dear Parvaiz,
>>> I don't understand your big question. Do you not make a distinction
>>> between
>>> the Kashmiri judiciary and the Indian judiciary, and between the IPC and
>>> the
>>> RPC? Please clarify.
>>> Sincerely,
>>> Sonia
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On 30/10/10 9:32 AM, "Parvaiz Bukhari" <parvaizbukhari at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Samvit this is a big question you must ask ypourself....why has the
>>>> indian
>>>
>>> judiciary failed to "perform" in Kashmir unlike
>>> elsewhere in the
>>>>
>>>> examples u give? Or, you are saying the judiciary is also
>>>
>>> run by the
>>>>
>>>> separatists?
>>>
>>> On 30 October 2010 09:19, Samvit <samvitr at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>>
>>>> Parvaiz,
>>>> The fact of the matter is that Indian media does not parrot the
>>>> language of
>>>> the fanatics (either hindu or muslim) unlike the "Greater
>>>> Kashmirs" of the
>>>> Valley where the word Pandit is an anathema. Try and pick
>>>> up any magazine or
>>>> newspaper from the Valley and all they do it glorify
>>>>
>>>> separatism/terrorism/extremism. It seems they have become the new towers
>>>> of
>>>>
>>>> capitalistic Kashmir where money is the opium of the "classes". Selling
>>>> a
>>>>
>>>> newspaper is as good as selling a toothbrush.
>>>> Indian judiciary, over the
>>>> years has done a good (if not excellent) job and
>>>> convicted people in all
>>>> kinds of crimes. An example being the case against
>>>> the former Gujarat Home
>>>> Minister Amit Shah. In Kashmir not a single case
>>>> against the Pandits has
>>>> seen the light of the day. Bitta Karata is out in
>>>> the open. Perhaps you
>>>> should have written a piece about him. So ironical you
>>>> talk about
>>>> "surviving".
>>>>
>>>> Here, the opressor is trying to prove that he is the
>>>> oppressed.
>>>>
>>>> People may write an epic of Gilgamish in Arundhati's honor but
>>>> then it will
>>>> be as slanderous as the courteisns who used to call Aurangzeb-
>>>> "Oh, king of
>>>> kings, oh pinnacle of the mercy........."
>>>> -Samvit
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On
>>>> Sat, Oct 30, 2010 at 8:31 AM, Parvaiz Bukhari <parvaizbukhari at gmail.com
>>>> >
>>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Anxiously waiting for the fear to spread more so that more may
>>>>
>>>> survive
>>>>>
>>>>> Indian politicians, media and the court historians of the
>>>>
>>>> day...
>>>>>
>>>>> On 30 October 2010 05:46, Pheeta Ram <pheeta.ram at gmail.com>
>>>>
>>>> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> > Some people on this list are afraid of 'Arundhati Roy - the
>>>>
>>>> joke' ( BTW,
>>>>>
>>>>> a
>>>>> > joke is not a joke) because they are afraid of laughing
>>>>
>>>> for obvious
>>>>>
>>>>> > reasons:
>>>>> >
>>>>> > a) they are afraid because some other
>>>>
>>>> people simply love her and are not
>>>>>
>>>>> > afraid to confess that
>>>>> > b) they
>>>>
>>>> are afraid because she used to visit some upper-class gym in
>>>>>
>>>>> skimpy
>>>>> >
>>>>
>>>> clothing
>>>>>
>>>>> > c) they are afraid because she married twice and is finally
>>>>
>>>> officially
>>>>>
>>>>> > single
>>>>> > d) they are afraid because she supports maoists
>>>>
>>>> and for them maoist is a
>>>>>
>>>>> > term of abuse
>>>>> > e) they are afraid because
>>>>
>>>> she supports the Aazadi of Kashmiri people
>>>>>
>>>>> from
>>>>> > the repressive Indian
>>>>
>>>> state
>>>>>
>>>>> > f) they are afraid because she writes bewitchingly beautiful prose
>>>>
>>>> for
>>>>>
>>>>> > subversive, anti-national purposes
>>>>> > g) they are afraid because
>>>>
>>>> they think she is publicity hungry
>>>>>
>>>>> > h) they are afraid because she is some
>>>>
>>>> day certainly going to win the
>>>>>
>>>>> Nobel
>>>>> > Prize
>>>>> > i) they are afraid
>>>>
>>>> because she is simply beautiful in those curly hair
>>>>>
>>>>> and
>>>>> > that mellow
>>>>
>>>> childlike voice; and those mesmerizingly wondrous eyes which
>>>>>
>>>>> > are
>>>>> > not
>>>>
>>>> afraid to sing for you the serenades of freedom
>>>>>
>>>>> > j) they are afraid
>>>>
>>>> because they cannot NOTREAD what she writes in a 32
>>>>>
>>>>> page
>>>>> > long essay
>>>>
>>>> after walking with the comrades in the jungles of Dantewada
>>>>>
>>>>> > k) they are
>>>>
>>>> afraid because the Indian state is now terribly scared of
>>>>>
>>>>> > putting her in
>>>>
>>>> jail for that shall certainly fetch her the Nobel Prize
>>>>>
>>>>> and
>>>>> > win
>>>>
>>>> Kashmir the Aazadi
>>>>>
>>>>> > l) they are afraid because she shared dais with SASG
>>>>
>>>> and made him
>>>>>
>>>>> realize
>>>>> > that Kashmiris are not alone in their struggle
>>>>
>>>> and also that Kashmiris
>>>>>
>>>>> also
>>>>> > need to know that there is a wider world
>>>>
>>>> surrounding them that is also
>>>>>
>>>>> > struggling and that they need to
>>>>
>>>> acknowledge it and support it; and that
>>>>>
>>>>> > the
>>>>> > Kashmiris have the
>>>>
>>>> histories of India and Pakistan ( both collective and
>>>>>
>>>>> > separate) before
>>>>
>>>> them to take strict lessons from, to fashion a
>>>>>
>>>>> > nation-state
>>>>> > that
>>>>
>>>> does justice to the sacrifices of the people who have fought, are
>>>>>
>>>>> >
>>>>
>>>> fighting and shall continue fighting for Kashmir; and that all struggles
>>>>>
>>>>> >
>>>>
>>>> against the tyrant are essentially connected
>>>>>
>>>>> > m)they are afraid because
>>>>
>>>> she hops from one issue to another ( Narmada
>>>>>
>>>>> > >>Maoists>>Kashmir>>which
>>>>
>>>> next?)
>>>>>
>>>>> > n) they are afraid because she goes against their normative
>>>>
>>>> definitions
>>>>>
>>>>> of
>>>>> > beauty and gender
>>>>> > o) they are afraid because 'even
>>>>
>>>> a rickshawala' is praising her saying
>>>>>
>>>>> that
>>>>> > she is a 'pseudo
>>>>
>>>> intellectual' (?) (Isn't it a pity that a rickshawala
>>>>>
>>>>> of
>>>>> > such a
>>>>
>>>> potential is not on the sarai list?).
>>>>>
>>>>> > p) they are afraid because the
>>>>
>>>> Indian media -the stooges of Indian state
>>>>>
>>>>> -
>>>>> > don't know what to do with
>>>>
>>>> her (even supremely articulate ones from the
>>>>>
>>>>> > media (like Karan Thapar)
>>>>
>>>> make an ass of themselves while interviewing
>>>>>
>>>>> her)
>>>>> > q) they are afraid
>>>>
>>>> because she spits on their faces and is not wee bit
>>>>>
>>>>> > apologetic about it
>>>>
>>>> because she knows that they deserve it and that its
>>>>>
>>>>> her
>>>>> > duty to do
>>>>
>>>> that
>>>>>
>>>>> > r) they are afraid because she is fast becoming a role model for
>>>>
>>>> the
>>>>>
>>>>> > beautiful, well-connected upper-class convent educated women who
>>>>
>>>> are
>>>>>
>>>>> > devouring her from cover to cover secretively like mills-and-boons
>>>>
>>>> even
>>>>>
>>>>> in
>>>>> > their bathrooms ( so that their businessmen fathers and social
>>>>
>>>> butterfly
>>>>>
>>>>> > mothers don't catch them reading her) and dreaming about being
>>>>
>>>> her in
>>>>>
>>>>> their
>>>>> > fantasy worlds (one of them confessed to me) ( in this
>>>>
>>>> manner the
>>>>>
>>>>> > phenomenon
>>>>> > called Arundhati becomes a past-master in
>>>>
>>>> reverse engineering)
>>>>>
>>>>> > s) they are afraid because she has made them realize
>>>>
>>>> that capitalism is
>>>>>
>>>>> > like
>>>>> > a deadly virus that shall one day surely eat
>>>>
>>>> itself away
>>>>>
>>>>> > t) they are afraid because she thinks with a beautiful heart
>>>>
>>>> (hence a
>>>>>
>>>>> > 'pseudo-intellectual')
>>>>> > u) they are afraid because she
>>>>
>>>> converts "aesthetics of deferral" ( one
>>>>>
>>>>> > scourge that afflicts most of the
>>>>
>>>> 'intellectuals' of todays world) into
>>>>>
>>>>> a
>>>>> > beautiful "aestheto-ethics of
>>>>
>>>> arrival", no mean feat i should say
>>>>>
>>>>> > v) they are afraid because they
>>>>
>>>> unconsciously compete with her and
>>>>>
>>>>> finding
>>>>> > her a sure winner are
>>>>
>>>> afraid to take the challenge
>>>>>
>>>>> > w) they are afraid because she challenges
>>>>
>>>> the very rationale of their
>>>>>
>>>>> being
>>>>> > and becoming
>>>>> > x) they are afraid
>>>>
>>>> because she happens to be a woman (like them)
>>>>>
>>>>> > y) they are afraid because
>>>>
>>>> the Indian state has done a beautiful job in
>>>>>
>>>>> > bringing them up on a steady
>>>>
>>>> diet of 'nationalist' propaganda through
>>>>>
>>>>> first
>>>>> > beginning with NCERT
>>>>
>>>> textbooks in brainwashing saloons called 'Schools'
>>>>>
>>>>> (
>>>>> > the reason behind
>>>>
>>>> the popularity of Bollywood and Cricket)
>>>>>
>>>>> > z) they are afraid because
>>>>
>>>> despite their manifest hate for her they have
>>>>>
>>>>> > serious doubts that some
>>>>
>>>> where down there they love her too.
>>>>>
>>>>> > ...
>>>>> >
>>>>> > BTW, who is afraid of
>>>>
>>>> what comes after Z? Jump the gun please.
>>>>>
>>>>> >
>>>>
>>>> _________________________________________
>>>>>
>>>>> > reader-list: an open discussion
>>>>
>>>> list on media and the city.
>>>>>
>>>>> > Critiques & Collaborations
>>>>> > To subscribe:
>>>>
>>>> send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with
>>>>>
>>>>> > subscribe in the
>>>>
>>>> subject header.
>>>>>
>>>>> > To unsubscribe:
>>>>
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>>>>>
>>>>> > List archive:
>>>>
>>>> <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/>
>>>>>
>>>> _________________________________________
>>>>>
>>>>> reader-list: an open discussion
>>>>
>>>> list on media and the city.
>>>>>
>>>>> Critiques & Collaborations
>>>>> To subscribe:
>>>>
>>>> send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with
>>>>>
>>>>> subscribe in the
>>>>
>>>> subject header.
>>>>>
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>>>>
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>>>>>
>>>>> List archive:
>>>>
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>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Samvit
>>>> Rawal
>>>> 9422037853
>>>>
>>>> -----------------------------------------------------------
>>>> To err is human;
>>>> to forgive, infrequent.
>>>> - Franklin P.
>>>> Adams
>>>>
>>> _________________________________________
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>>>
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>>
>> _________________________________________
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>
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