My Discussion on the Novel "The Ministry of Utmost Happiness"

 The Ministry of Utmost Happiness is a literary rebellion by Arundhati Roy on the predefined norms and culture of Indian society. One that is highly influenced by the colonial psyche and a contempt to make so many individuals and communities as marginalized or subaltern, as term that Gyatri Spivak used to describe the post-colonial ethics and rules in India. Roy is not satisfied with surface value of ‘Secularism’ and ‘Shining and Incredible India’, when so many people are suffering within its geographical boundaries. Secular and Marxist by heart, she wants a social justice for all classes. She cannot bear the consequences of having a subaltern state due to an unspecified gender identity like Anjum. He as Aftab had to stop attending school at the age of nine as his/her gender identity was not defined as per social but subaltern rules. Later, she had to leave the music classes as sound of gender discrimination keeps on mongering in his ears like he-she-he-she-he-hehe…!!

She cries for the children who are unwanted by the society with s social stigma of being illegitimate. Her question is very simple as if they were a result of a wedlock then who is to blame. The suffering is all set for such kids like S. Tilotoma, Zainab and Miss Jabeen the Second. The real culprits or the rapists are hidden and the consequences are faced by the kids. They become doubly subaltern as carrying a social stigma of illicit (Najaiz) children. Then they are humiliated to the core of their souls as western colonial mindset has considered them as criminals. A shame on the face of earth and they can never be seen in their own lights of intellect, likes or dislikes, love or hatred for anything, we have seen Tilo suffering her lifetime and has to take shelter of either people like Naga or Biplab DasGupta. She cannot even express her love for another subaltern, Musa Yeswi due to lakc of confidence to face the society and answer its queries. She has to bear every mark on her character being a mistress of an underworld don. She is humiliated and insulted to the core of her being by people like Inspector Pinky Chopra. Ironically, a woman who is in extra-marital relationship with Amrik Singh herself. She can easily call her whore or anything, and ordered to shave her head as a part of extreme humiliation. So, the theory of Spivak is so valid as the ruling elites and brown people in authority the same colonial mindset. They enjoy the subjugation and humiliation, and love to cause fear amongst the people who cannot even reply anyone in a normal ton

Who is responsible for making so many margins within a community, even if we take this novel in the backdrop of a City of Delhi? The Old and New Delhi division, the language of original Urdu of Mughal era as a public language now turning into thing of the past. The Muslim community is subaltern as they are living under the margins of poverty and lack so many civilian rights. At the same time, Anjum is a protagonist and a doubly subaltern, being a transgender and a born Muslim of Old Delhi (Shahjahanabad) at the same time. The Dargah of Hazart Sarmad Shaheed is a metaphorical presentation of how people were treated who used to keep different ideologies and thought process in history and still bear the same fate.

 Roy’s commitment to raise her voice doesn’t lag behind when she talks about Hindu Extremism, the ruling party – BJPs stance on creation of a Hindu State out of India. She cannot stand united with a Prime Minister, who is a convict murderer and planner of Gujarat Massacre in 2001 – 2002. ‘Gujarat Ka Lalla’ is not her leader and a proud presentation to the civilized world. A person who killed thousands of innocent Muslims, burned their homes and assets, raped their women and cut throats of Muslims kids. The reason is very simple as they had a separate faith and they were not supposed to live on earth with dignity, a Hindu imperial and colonial mindset that any sane person can recognize. How Anjum survived the mass killings while her visit to Dargah of Hazar Khawaja Moin Uddin Ajmeri. She had to wear a manly ‘Pathan Suit’ to hide her real identity, and then on discovery of her gender it was not out of compassion or sympathy but a fear of a myth of curse had saved her. She could never be a normal person who was vocal about world politics and human rights after facing that humiliation and a fearful event.

 The Untouchable cast called “Chamar’ or ‘Achoot’, by higher caste Hindus is presented with full irony. How low caste Hindus were killed brutally by higher castes, without even trying to confirm their real identities. The case was removal of a cow’s carcass that is much more sacred than human lives. Roy cannot resist her outrage when she presents us a character of “Saddam Hussain”, an untouchable boy converted to Islam after seeing his father and uncles being butchered by extremist Hindus of Cow carcass matter. It also showcase another subaltern psyche that Extremist Hindus keep as we see so many tortures and killings for the sake if suspicion that Muslims in some areas were or about to sell or eat Cows meat (Holy for Hindus). Killing Human beings is even holier is a point raised by the writer in the novel “The Ministry of Utmost Happiness”. Roy has repeated the torture and discrimination of lower caste Hindus, which she had touched as a subject matter in her first novel “The God of Small Things”. The later version is stormy and well-grounded on broader level issues that India is facing, right after independence in 1947. No such change in

It is here that Arundhati Roy puts her question about Kashmiri struggle of freedom and how Indian government with forces is dealing. With each passing day, the number of graves or martyrs has been raised, and eventually turning every normal person from Kashmir into an outrageous militant. The ironic display of hatred, discrimination, oppression and brutal killings have only made a whole community as an anti-state agent.  The way agencies and Indian forces are dealing in Jammu and Kashmir makes them rebellious, and indifferent to basic rights that India is vocal on international forums. The writer’s opinion is closer to Freedom Fighter like Musa Yeswi (Captain Gulrez). She is putting up a question about why his wife and little daughter died. Was it necessary to do damage to innocent lives, and then the cold, brutal and indifferent attitude of Amrik Singh towards Musa, on the night of her wife and daughter’s innocent killing in a torture cell. What it makes of a meaning as to cast more rage and fire into the hearts and minds of Kashmiri people. They are already subaltern due to being faithful Muslims, and having a natural inclination towards Pakistan.

Roy questions a society where a mother has to adopt her own born child as a foster mother. Maryam Ipe’ taking custody of Tilo, and Revathy is forced by circumstances to leave her new born child on the streets of Jantat Mantar, though the baby was born due to another oppressive regime that is set in Assam. It is totally in correlation with Sublatern theory of Spivak, who defines the marginalized people as the ones who are left with no options to raise their voices, and in fact live a life of fear, stress and rejection by the mainstream society. She was born out of a gang rape by police officials and yet state takes no responsibility of anything like that. It’s a dilemma that Roy has observed in her frequent visits to troubled areas and living with people who are convict of being marginalized.

Motherhood is something inborn in women and it can happen with transgender human being. But the society doesn’t approve the second to raise kids by fostering the abandoned. Obviously they cannot bear children but they can raise the ones with equal tenderness and care. We see Anjum as a true mother like personality when she picked and later adopted Zainab from the stairs of Jama Masjid of Shajahanabad. Later, she proves to be a shelter for Saddam Hussain, Tilo and Miss Jabeen the Second. There are other characters like the school teacher, the musician and other transgenders who do not have guts to fight back or repel the subaltern psyche of the same society. She is like a shelter, a vastly stretched tree that can give shadow and safety to people who are burning by the strong rays of hatred and discrimination of the normal Indian Society.

The Utmost Happiness is something of a satire that Arundhati Roy has pointed out. According to her own perception, The Ministry for Being Fully Happy is in the hands of people who sacrificed for truth like Hazrat Sarmad Shaheed. The happiness is something long forgotten by marginalized communities and they have to leave Duniya (Society) before leaving the world with death as a definite course. That’s why Anjum, Tilo, Saddam Hussain, Zaianb and many others had to take refuge in a graveyard where dead ones do not question or put them into any sort of discomforting situation.

Spivak is a theorist and Roy is an activist who wants to be a voice of the subaltern people. She wants the readers and intellectuals to take bold and broader steps to let them flourish in an otherwise congested and divided Indian Society. When will the world realize the horrors caused by indifference, degradation and casting people out of civil boundaries on the name of religion, gender, race, caste, language, skin color, food, financial situation and much more? It is a high time as per the writer of the novel to take boarder and bold steps, to equalize the genders and social communities.