Thinking Activity
This blog is crafted in response to the thinking activity assigned by Dr. Dilip Barad sir, Head of the Department of English, MKBU. As a part of that, I will try to answer the questions assigned by sir. Which are,
1) How is the intertextual references to other writers in the novel connected with the central theme of the novel? [also mention the epigraphs in English & Hindi] Click Here to visit my blog
2) What is the symbolic significance of Vulture and Gui Kyom (Dung Beetle) in the novel? Click Here to visit my blog
3) Instead of privileging the center stage, "The Ministry of the Utmost Happiness" shifts the spotlight to the back alleys and hidden corners, granting agency to those typically relegated to the sidelines. Analyze how Roy's decision to center the periphery enriches our understanding of social, political, and existential realities often ignored by mainstream narratives.
3. Instead of privileging the center stage, "The Ministry of the Utmost Happiness" shifts the spotlight to the back alleys and hidden corners, granting agency to those typically relegated to the sidelines.
Introduction:
In the novel 'The Ministry of Utmost Happiness', Arundhati Roy, instead of privileging the center stage, shifts spotlight to the black alleys and hidden corners, granting agency to those who typically relegated to the sidelines. Arundhati Roy Talks about those whose life and stories are marginalized thorough the mainstream narrative which includes transgenders, Dalits etc.
In the book Review of "The Ministry of Utmost Happiness" by Arundhati Roy, Amitava Kumar also notes that The novel gives a voice to marginalized people in India like transgender persons (hijras) and those from lower castes. It challenges the nationalistic, Hindu-centric history promoted by the current government. Moreover, the novel tells fictional stories based on real news events, like the case of an Indian army officer who committed murder-suicide in California after being accused of human rights abuses in Kashmir.(Kumar)
He suggests Roy's outspoken commentary on issues like war, injustice and globalization has led to threats from nationalist figures, predicting a "storm brewing" over this novel that challenges mainstream Indian history.
In "Social Exclusion: A Subaltern Perspective in Arundhati Roy’s The Ministry of Utmost Happiness", Bose and Haq explores the integration of the theme of social exclusion and subalternation in the novel.(Bose and Haq) This article is very much interesting which tries to incorporate Michel Foucault's ideas on social exclusion in the Middle Ages and modern times:
"In the Middle ages, exclusion hit the leper, the heretic. Classical culture excluded by means of the General Hospital, the Zuchthaus, the Workhouse, all institutions which were derived from the leper colony. I wanted to describe the modification of a structure of exclusion."
"Once leprosy had gone, and the figure of the leper was no more than a distant memory, these structures still remained. The game of exclusion would be played again, often in these same places, in an oddly similar fashion two or three centuries later. The role of the leper was to be played by the poor and by the vagrant, by prisoners and by the 'alienated'..."
It discusses how societies have tended to exclude those seen as not fitting the "basic mission", through authority, status and stigmatization based on racism, classism, misogyny, etc. It introduces Arundhati Roy, an activist writer who has written extensively about power and powerlessness:
"She has a great concern upon the never-ending struggle between power and powerlessness, which has remained a recurring theme in her writings."
Anjum:
Anjum is a central character who represents the marginalisation faced by transgender and intersex people in Indian society. As the article states:
"Transgender people are classified as a third gender and termed neither men nor women. They have been facing social exclusion and alienation and also identity crises for a long time because they can't define themselves in conventional male or female terms."(Bose and Haq)
Anjum is born intersex, initially named Aftab. The novel vividly portrays the trauma and rejection Anjum faces from a young age:
"After discovering that her child (Anjum) was not a normal boy, Anjum's mother even tried to hide it from her husband. The child's sexual identity shocks and terrifies the mother...There, in the abyss, spinning through the darkness, everything she had been sure of until then, every single thing, from the smallest to the biggest, ceased to make sense to her."(Bose and Haq)
Anjum faces bullying, social stigma, and lack of belonging due to not fitting neatly into male/female gender binaries, as it is described in the novel how his classmates use to make fun of his gender identity:
"He's a She. He's not a He or a She. He's a He and a She. She-He, He-She Hee! Hee! Hee!"(Roy)
Yet Anjum asserts her female identity, becoming "Delhi's most famous Hijra" in an act of self-realization, even though as the novel shows, transgender people continue to face "legal, social, and economic challenges."
In this way, Anjum's character represents the profound discrimination, exclusion and "identity crisis" faced by transgender Indians. Her journey of self-discovery despite immense social stigma allows the novel to humanize and give voice to this severely marginalized group.
So in portraying Anjum's lifelong struggle with rejection, bullying, and the search for self-identity and acceptance, the character is vital in depicting one of the core marginalized groups whose exclusion is central to the novel's themes.
Dalits:
Saddam Hussain represents the marginalisation faced by Dalits in The Ministry of Utmost Happiness, with relevant quotes:
Saddam Hussain, originally named Dayachand, is an important character portraying the oppression and marginalization of Dalits (those from the lowest castes) in Indian society. He is born into a low-caste, dalit family, but after his father is mercilessly murdered by an unruly mob for being suspected of killing a cow, converts to Islam. He faces alienation and exclusion in society on the base of his caste.
Saddam's background highlights how Dalits have historically faced brutal violence, exclusion and lack of rights due to the unjust caste system. The fact that his father is lynched by a mob on the mere suspicion of harming a cow demonstrates the degree of dehumanization Dalits confront.
By converting to Islam, Saddam attempts to escape the stigma of being seen as an "untouchable." However, as the passage notes, he still experiences "alienation and exclusion" due to his origins in the oppressed Dalit community.
The novel gives Saddam a voice and platform as a "representation of the subaltern in the novel." As a subaltern, he represents those systematically excluded from power structures and denied the ability to be heard or participate in society.
So through Saddam's character, the reader gains insight into the brutal historical oppression of Dalits, their attempts to escape stigma and gain rights, and how they continue to face marginalization through "legal, social and economic challenges" even in modern India.
Saddam's story, along with the other marginalized characters like Anjum, helps give the novel a strong focus on including the voices, experiences and struggles of those typically excluded, silenced and rendered subaltern by dominant power structures and prejudices in Indian society.
Tilo:
Tilo is a highly significant character in the novel. She represents challenging traditional gender norms and facing oppression as a strong, rebellious woman. As the passage states:
As it is said in "Social Exclusion: A Subaltern Perspective in Arundhati Roy’s The Ministry of Utmost Happiness", "Her existence in the world of fiction challenges some assumptions about the roles that men and women play in the public and private spheres. As she broke free from the constraints of family life and transitioned from the private to the public sector as an activist, her social and political identity began to take shape."
Tilo defies expectations of how women should behave. She "slipped off her leash" and gave the impression of "taking herself for a walk while the rest of us were being walked—like pets."
Her story illustrates the struggles and oppression faced by women who assert their independence and step out of traditional feminine roles into the public sphere as activists. The article notes she "witnessed the brutal treatment of citizens by military officers" and was punished by having her head shaved when interrogated.
Tilo also connects to the oppression faced by Kashmiris, through her search for the Kashmiri activist Musa. As the article states: "Through Tilo's life, the miserable existence of the Kashmiri people is intricately portrayed."
So Tilo is an important character representing both feminist resistance to patriarchal norms, as well as solidarity with other oppressed groups like Kashmiris. Her story highlights the interlinked struggles against authority, gender discrimination, and violent state oppression.
In this way, the character of Tilo is vital in portraying central themes of the novel - social exclusion, intersecting forms of oppression and discrimination, and challenging unjust power structures through activism and dissent. Her narrative allows the novel to explore the complex links between gender, activism, and marginalization.
Introductory Presentation on 'The Ministry of Utmost Happiness:
Works Cited
Bose, Bidyut, and Mohd InamUl Haq. “Social Exclusion: A Subaltern Perspective in Arundhati Roy's The Ministry of Utmost Happiness.” Redalyc, 30 December 2022, https://www.redalyc.org/journal/7038/703874214018/html/ . Accessed 16 February 2024.
Kumar, Amitava. “Arundhati Roy offers a portrait of India from the margins - Amitava Kumar.” Bookforum, 2017, https://www.bookforum.com/print/2402/arundhati-roy-offers-a-portrait-of-india-from-the-margins-17970. Accessed 16 February 2024.
Mohsin, Syed Wahaj, and Shaista Taskeen. “Where Margins Intersect: A Study of Arundhati Roy’s The Ministry of Utmost Happiness.” International Journal of English Language, Literature in Humanities, vol. 5, no. 10, 2017. ResearchGate, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/339676425_Where_Margins_Intersect_A_Study_of_Arundhati_Roy's_The_Ministry_of_Utmost_Happiness. Accessed 16 February 2024.
Roy, Arundhati. The Ministry of Utmost Happiness: Longlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2017. Penguin Books Limited, 2017.
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