Quando arrivano le cavallette

Earlier this year, I interviewed a senior economic adviser to the Indian government. When I challenged his view that India would soon be a “superpower” and referred to the country’s 600m poor, he shot me a venomous look: “You’ve been listening to Arundhati Roy!” That Roy should be perceived as having Leggi tutto

Had I had read this book a few years before, I would have denied and thrashed Ms.Roy as just another an intellectual who enjoys the fruits of Capitalism and democracy yet pricking at its root constantly, for in my youthful fancy I never questioned my belief in free market and the superiority of my o Leggi tutto

Labelling Arundhati leftist,anti-national,anti-american,anti-hindu,anti-progess is obviously reducing her.Truth knows no boundaries. Her uncompromising stand & her defence of the underprivileged,the downtrodden,the minorities,the poor may not be palatable for many, but truth is seldom sweet. Her com Leggi tutto

Roy is an engaged intellectual, a rare breed these days--an Indian Noam Chomsky, one might say. And her anti-globalization, basically left-wing take on politics aligns her very much with Chomsky. There is however a fundamental difference: Roy is a great writer and a truly formidable polemicist. One

Next up in my journey through Roy’s nonfiction… this volume picks some essays between 2002-2009 (i.e. War on Terror)… Highlights : --“ Listening to Grasshoppers: Genocide, Denial, and Celebration ”: the centerpiece essay indeed stood out; “grasshoppers” represents the “locusts” frequently used in xenoph Leggi tutto

Certainly, Arundhati Roy is one of the genuine champions of human rights, Justice and truth. Listening to Grasshoppers restores my faith in the courageously- spirited voice of a writer whose sole purpose and mission is to be the voice of the voiceless. This book is strongly recommended for those rea Leggi tutto

This is a collection of essays, articles and lectures by the authors written over a period of time and after certain events in recent history. All of them are connected via a common underlying theme which Roy brings out in her usual brilliant writings. The main takeaway from this book is that her's i Leggi tutto

4.5/5 None of what was being said was new, it's just that what was once considered unacceptable was suddenly being celebrated.Each time you defend the right of an institution, any institution (including the Supreme Court), to exercise unfettered, unaccountable powers that must never be challenged,

When reading a book it is always a good idea to check up on the author. Arundhati Roy is of a dying breed, the activist writer. I have to say that she intrigued me and I will, when given the opportunity, try to read some of her fiction even if I had several reservations concerning this book. For star Leggi tutto

I don't quite know how to compress my feelings about this book, or the feelings this book gives rise to, in a short review. India is the world's largest democracy. Its democratic exercises are of a gargantuan proportion- it has 3 tiers of governments, over a billion people, over 3 million square kil Leggi tutto