Rebels with a Cause: Arundhati Roy

“The only way to keep power on a tight leash is to oppose it,

never to seek to own it or have it. Opposition is permanent.”

By Group C1
Why did the author choose this dissenter?
• Instead of restricting herself to one issue, Ms. Roy has used her voice to
raise concerns about many issues such as casteism, Kashmiri azadi, dam
projects in India, industrialism, etc.
• Despite the privilege associated with her fame as an author, she chose to
use her skills as a writer to fight injustice and oppression.
• Ms. Roy represents the opposition; she does not want to be in power or
suggest the answers. She asks difficult questions and acts as a ‘Socratic
teacher’, making the establishment and the citizens think critically.
• Her courage and sacrifice in spurning a comfortable life represents the
responsibility of the privileged to examine and question the status quo.
Other dissenters who did not have fame were locked up without much
fanfare.
What do we learn?
• Ms. Roy chose to opt for a broader perspective and urges us to think about what is right for the country and
world at large, in spite of the personal sacrifices that may ensue.
• As highlighted in the Gandhi vs. Ambedkar section, once the dominant narrative becomes powerful enough,
it becomes difficult to dissent against it as people begin to “hero-worship” and refuse to listen to alternative
narratives.
• A dispute between two countries like the one over the control of Kashmir between India and Pakistan should
not be a fight over a piece of land but rather an attempt to provide people their rights, peace and freedom.
• Ms. Roy acts as a mirror into our society. Even in things like Dams, which are thought to improve quality of
life, issues such as rehabilitation of the catchment area population and environmental degradation are swept
under the rug and there is no learning from failed projects which leads to improvement.
• While Ms. Roy speaks fervently about issues surrounding industrialism and Naxalism, the author highlights
the shortcomings in her logic and the false assumptions under which they sometimes operate. This serves as
a reminder to the reader to be aware of the fallacies in our arguments and be wary of falling prey to
romanticism of the oppressed.
• While some of her arguments lack nuance (Verghese, Guha and other journalists are mentioned as
examples) they put the spotlight on these issues and encourage debate. This forces the powerful to be
careful and perform their duties diligently, knowing that someone is always watching. However, since the
arguments are not nuanced, there is also a risk of the issue and the dissenter losing face and credibility.
Why are such dissenters important for
society?
• Although dissenters such as Ms. Roy may not always be successful in
persuading their readers, they certainly pose questions and challenge us to
think about the issues at hand.
• History is written by winners, in the case of Gandhiji, he is portrayed as a
perfect character. When Ms. Roy points out shortcomings, she is met by
backlash. We should encourage alternate points of view to provide a
nuanced view of history to avoid making the same mistakes again.
• People give so much to hero-worship that they can't hear anything
negative about them, hence the role of dissenter becomes important to
rouse people out of slumber.
• Projects that are started to bring about a positive change does not always
prove to do good perennially. It is important to be cognizant of how the
impact of such projects change with time like building dams in India and
someone like Ms. Roy must bring this to light.