Why I am returning my award by Arundhati Roy

[Zarvan]

The Sahitya Akademi is India’s premier institution of letters, with a stated commitment to “promoting Indian literature throughout the world”.

Although I do not believe that awards are a measure of the work we do, I would like to add the National Award for Best Screenplay that I won in 1989 to the growing pile of returned awards. Also, I want to make it clear that I am not returning this award because I am “shocked” by what is being called the “growing intolerance” being fostered by the present government. First of all, “intolerance” is the wrong word to use for the lynching, shooting, burning and mass murder of fellow human beings. Second, we had plenty of advance notice of what lay in store for us — so I cannot claim to be shocked by what has happened after this government was enthusiastically voted into office with an overwhelming majority. Third, these horrific murders are only a symptom of a deeper malaise. Life is hell for the living too. Whole populations — millions of Dalits, Adivasis, Muslims and Christians — are being forced to live in terror, unsure of when and from where the assault will come.

Today, we live in a country in which, when the thugs and apparatchiks of the New Order talk of “illegal slaughter”, they mean the imaginary cow that was killed — not the real man who was murdered. When they talk of taking “evidence for forensic examination” from the scene of the crime, they mean the food in the fridge, not the body of the lynched man. We say we have “progressed”, but when Dalits are butchered and their children burned alive, which writer today can freely say, like Babasaheb Ambedkar once did, that “to the untouchables, Hinduism is a veritable chamber of horrors”, without getting attacked, lynched, shot or jailed? Which writer can write what Saadat Hasan Manto wrote in his “Letters to Uncle Sam”? It doesn’t matter whether we agree or disagree with what is being said. If we do not have the right to speak freely, we will turn into a society that suffers from intellectual malnutrition, a nation of fools. Across the subcontinent it has become a race to the bottom — one that the New India has enthusiastically joined. Here too now, censorship has been outsourced to the mob.


I am very pleased to have found (from somewhere way back in my past) a National Award that I can return, because it allows me to be a part of a political movement initiated by writers, filmmakers and academics in this country who have risen up against a kind of ideological viciousness and an assault on our collective IQ that will tear us apart and bury us very deep if we do not stand up to it now. I believe what artists and intellectuals are doing right now is unprecedented, and does not have a historical parallel. It is politics by other means. I am so proud to be part of it. And so ashamed of what is going on in this country today.

Postscript: For the record, I turned down the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2005 when the Congress was in power. So please spare me that old Congress-versus-BJP debate. It has gone way beyond all that. Thanks.

Roy is the author of ‘The God of Small Things’. Her most recent book is ‘Broken Republic’.

- See more at: Why I am returning my award | The Indian Express

 

[Sky lord]

Ah! Another beautiful piece of fiction from dear Arundhati Roy.

I thought she had given up writing fiction after god of Small things. So glad to see she is still got it in her.



This lady has been brought up Christian, lives in a mansion in Delhi, been through several husbands. Travels the world bad mouthing India, Appears on television channels around the world also bad mouthing India. Travels to enemy countries and bad mouths India. Gives lectures at universities around the world to bad mouth India.

Not one hair on her head has been touched by anyone - what kind of terror is she cowering from? What more freedom of speech does she need! This is the kind of terror that a lot of people would be happy to take on.

She accepted her award in 1989 just a few years after the Congress run anti Sikh riots, why did she accept an award from a government that did what it did? Where was her conscience then? Or does it only come out when the BJP is in power!

 

[Barrel-Bomba]

madam der aayi, durust aayi

 

[SarthakGanguly]

Arundhati - 'Hey, I am still alive!'

 

[Alphacharlie]

These are All Congress Patrons and Stooges!!

Why has any one not Returned "Param Veer Charka
Why hasnt any one returned "AVSM" "VSM"
Why hasnt any one returned "Veer Chakra"

This Bitch is same one who was once Advocating on giving Kashmir to Pakistan.....

Did these Jerks return awards when Nation was under Emergency what about 84 riots. They were happily accepting more and more...

BIGOTRY at Its BEST

 

[vsdave2302]

The Sahitya Akademi is India’s premier institution of letters, with a stated commitment to “promoting Indian literature throughout the world”.

Although I do not believe that awards are a measure of the work we do, I would like to add the National Award for Best Screenplay that I won in 1989 to the growing pile of returned awards. Also, I want to make it clear that I am not returning this award because I am “shocked” by what is being called the “growing intolerance” being fostered by the present government. First of all, “intolerance” is the wrong word to use for the lynching, shooting, burning and mass murder of fellow human beings. Second, we had plenty of advance notice of what lay in store for us — so I cannot claim to be shocked by what has happened after this government was enthusiastically voted into office with an overwhelming majority. Third, these horrific murders are only a symptom of a deeper malaise. Life is hell for the living too. Whole populations — millions of Dalits, Adivasis, Muslims and Christians — are being forced to live in terror, unsure of when and from where the assault will come.

Today, we live in a country in which, when the thugs and apparatchiks of the New Order talk of “illegal slaughter”, they mean the imaginary cow that was killed — not the real man who was murdered. When they talk of taking “evidence for forensic examination” from the scene of the crime, they mean the food in the fridge, not the body of the lynched man. We say we have “progressed”, but when Dalits are butchered and their children burned alive, which writer today can freely say, like Babasaheb Ambedkar once did, that “to the untouchables, Hinduism is a veritable chamber of horrors”, without getting attacked, lynched, shot or jailed? Which writer can write what Saadat Hasan Manto wrote in his “Letters to Uncle Sam”? It doesn’t matter whether we agree or disagree with what is being said. If we do not have the right to speak freely, we will turn into a society that suffers from intellectual malnutrition, a nation of fools. Across the subcontinent it has become a race to the bottom — one that the New India has enthusiastically joined. Here too now, censorship has been outsourced to the mob.


I am very pleased to have found (from somewhere way back in my past) a National Award that I can return, because it allows me to be a part of a political movement initiated by writers, filmmakers and academics in this country who have risen up against a kind of ideological viciousness and an assault on our collective IQ that will tear us apart and bury us very deep if we do not stand up to it now. I believe what artists and intellectuals are doing right now is unprecedented, and does not have a historical parallel. It is politics by other means. I am so proud to be part of it. And so ashamed of what is going on in this country today.

Postscript: For the record, I turned down the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2005 when the Congress was in power. So please spare me that old Congress-versus-BJP debate. It has gone way beyond all that. Thanks.

Roy is the author of ‘The God of Small Things’. Her most recent book is ‘Broken Republic’.

- See more at: Why I am returning my award | The Indian Express

And All this has started after Modi came to power, she has all the reason to be concerned, The mass salughte of Hindus in Kashmir valley, 1984 Shikh riots, Burning of Hindus alive in train, Muzzaffar Nagar , Asam violence were divine act and don't qualify as intolerance. Only Dadri incident is the horrific incident and for that Holly Akilesh is not responsible at all. All this happened because of eveil Modi who provoke the people to lynch the Muslim Guys. While we have no words to describe this horrific event, great arundhati roy may ignore the lynching of Cow protector in Karnataka. This is natural because innocent Muslim youth help an evil Hindu to meet the god. So this noble work can not be considered as intolerance.

 

[ranjeet]

"I am very pleased to have found (from somewhere way back in my past) a National Award that I can return"

Found where? lying somewhere in storage?

 

[fallstuff]

People getting killed in India over suspicion that they ate beef, a fine source of protein.

Ms Roy is a fine Indian walking the righteous path.

 

[Barrel-Bomba]

People getting killed in India over suspicion that they ate beef, a fine source of protein.

Ms Roy is a fine Indian walking the righteous path.

we took Taslima, you guys want Arundhati, you can have her.

 

[ravi kiran]

People getting killed in India over suspicion that they ate beef, a fine source of protein.

Ms Roy is a fine Indian walking the righteous path.

she is fcking retard nothing more.

 

[fallstuff]

we took Taslima, you guys want Arundhati, you can have her.

Ms. Roy has much more work to do in her India, however Ms Roy is welcome in Bangladesh, the land of free and the home of the brave where the populace is free to drink ( not) or eat anything. Modi got to delhi on the back of RSS, she is the antidote India needs to counter that !!!

 

[Ragnarok connection]

the land of free and the home of the brave where the populace is free to drink ( not) or eat anything.

Are you serious bro? Have you read about Bangladesh in recent international news?
As for Arundhati Roy, we need people like her to keep the government from getting complacent in matters of religion/tolerance. For some she may be a traitor/congress bootlicker/ Pakistan sympathiser,etc but others may find her to be the epitome of social activism (probably not the latter).
I hope that this temporary illusion of intolerance in our country doesn't reach the levels as visible in Bangladesh.
Modi govt. is surely not involved in all this intolerance 'activities' but it sure helps some people in blaming them for it.

 

[mpk1988]

I would wholeheartedly support and donate money to transport her to the heart of ISIS.

 

[fallstuff]

Are you serious bro? Have you read about Bangladesh in recent international news?
As for Arundhati Roy, we need people like her to keep the government from getting complacent in matters of religion/tolerance. For some she may be a traitor/congress bootlicker/ Pakistan sympathiser,etc but others may find her to be the epitome of social activism (probably not the latter).
I hope that this temporary illusion of intolerance in our country doesn't reach the levels as visible in Bangladesh.
Modi govt. is surely not involved in all this intolerance 'activities' but it sure helps some people in blaming them for it.

People are getting killed in India for the mere suspicion that they ate beef, that my friend is a fact. You can eat anything want in Bangladesh. If you eat pork as a minority no one would care, if you pork as a Muslim, no one will tell you anything other than raising their eyebrows. There is restriction on alcohol sale to local citizens, you must have a permit for possession and drink alcohol ( I sh*t you not ).

A few blogger getting killed ( a heinous crime ) is chimp change comparing to the wholesale slaughter of the minorities in India. Spare me the BS the percentage of hindu then now, that sh*t is more fake than the claim Modi is straight !!

India has had tens of thousands of people killed in religious riots over the last few decades, continuing unabated female infanticide, not to mention epidemic level of sexual assault on women, as you can see Bangladeshis have a long way to go before they reach the Indian level of infamy.