Re: Arundhati Roy says the glass is 1/2 empty

by Kris Mon Jun 06, 2011 2:50 am

With Roy, one gets the feeling that she values the rhetoric a lot higher than accomplishing any actual change on the ground. She consistently chooses incendiary language and attention-seeking tactics over substance and talking about solutions.

>>>> Seems like a valiant attempt to stay relevant. This interview is a case in point where the guy asks her about her next novel and she talks about all the things happening which limit her time. The 'atlas' complex really grates. Silhouette's point about there being real problems is well taken, but Roy carrying the banner really takes away the focus from the issues.

(Silhoutte, Welcome back! Hope all is well with you)

by Merlot Daruwala Mon Jun 06, 2011 5:46 am

Marathadi-Saamiyaar wrote:Even your trickle-down country broke up Rockefellers, vanderbilts, Carnegies, Watsons and the Bells. The Ambanis, Marans, Birlas, Tatas, and the Patnaiks, and not to mention the fast rising political industrialists are very similar and needs to be broken up.

Unkil, half knowledge is dangerous. Infinitesimally small datapoints masquerading as knowledge, infinitely so.

Long before we had any industry worth the name, our glorious socialist rulers had already put in place a draconian Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices legislation which is credited with stunting Indian industry through the 70s and 80s. That's been replaced today a strong Competition Law enforced by a CCI.

If you have some specific reason to doubt its effectiveness in curbing monopolistic behaviors, let us hear it. Otherwise, stick to your core competency of diagnosing potential marital problems arising from smartha Kannadigas marrying pure Iyengar girls.

by Merlot Daruwala Mon Jun 06, 2011 6:36 am

Silhouette wrote:Every society has figures like Roy. They may exaggerate a bit but they play a crucial role in highlighting marginalized and oft-neglected issues. I think the criticism against her is also a bit exaggerated. She sounds like any other environmentalist - while all of them like to claim the sky is failing however their underlying grievances generally tend to be true.

The exaggeration is fine - that is par for the course in the whole activism / evangelism gig. It is the relentless demonization of the other (GoI, army, police, district administration, Indian corporates etc) that really damages her credibility. I admire her writing and appreciate her giving a voice to the voiceless. But as others have mentioned, her incendiary rhetoric only serves to harden attitudes and alienate potential supporters.

One can only conclude that when she takes up a crusade, she does so for her own satisfaction and she has no real interest in drumming up support or evangelizing public opinion. She doesn't care that her taking up a cause actually ends up hurting it and losing it whatever public goodwill it might have enjoyed. And that is a sad thing because (a) the poor people who open up to her do so believing she genuinely cares for their cause and will win them broader support and goodwill and (b) there are a lot of causes in India which can do with the public attention and support that an articulate, intelligent and good-looking spokesperson can bring in.

by Guest Tue Jun 07, 2011 9:59 am

.|Sublime|. wrote:
Huzefa Kapasi wrote:
edit. i am travelling from tomorrow and i am looking forward to finishing chankya's chant.

liking it so far?

i am reading a very depressing but compelling trilogy now. hoping to finish it soon to its happy ending (i know it has one).

i had read only 2 pages before picking it up for travel. now i have finished it. good book. i liked the chanakya story more than the present day one. i would have been as happy had he told me just the chanakya story. i admire the research he undertook. also his intimidating background (masters from yale and pursuing a phd now).

by Sponsored content