Keywords: Kashmir conflict, political instrument, a political
novel, political literature
Over the years, the issue of
Kashmir has been taken up by numerous writers as a subject matter of their
novels. This article discusses how the novel The Ministry of Utmost Happiness
written by Arundhati Roy, has been used as a political instrument by the writer.
Roy is a writer, an actress as well as a political activist. Her wide acclaimed
debut novel The God of Small Things received the Man Booker prize for fiction.
She has written various other non-fiction literary pieces, most of which are
politically oriented. She has also been actively involved in numerous
environmental and human causes. The novel The Ministry of Utmost Happiness is
an intense and traumatic novel that takes the reader on a journey across the
sub-continent. It is full of characters and events, narrated in a haphazard
style. It begins and somewhat ends in a graveyard, however, in between it
touches various significant issues prevailing in Indian society. The novel
projects transgenders, orphans, minorities, addicts, freedom fighters, Hindu
nationalism, Kashmiri separatism, and historical incidents that took place in
India. It reflects the struggles of individuals and their ability to fight for
themselves.
The novel, The Ministry of Utmost
Happiness, reflects a specific political purpose and acts as a tool of
political propaganda. The idea of political fiction became common in the
twentieth century, mostly after World War I. This new fictional pattern gave a
chance of expressing to those sensible groups of writers who were disturbed by
the power-hungry dictatorial governments. Those political works included
different political ideologies, the impact of politics on society, people,
their hopes, and their fears. Writers found space for writing on issues that
were dominant at that time, such as war, gender discrimination, justice, race,
economic problems, etc. thus, the genre of political novels gained the
attention of the writers as well as the critics.
However, the idea of a political
novel has remained unclear because the concept of politics, to be represented
by a political novel is vague as well as complicated. In a layman’s language, a
political novel is a work of fiction that discusses politics, politicians,
governments, political leaders, etc. It discusses political behavior and most
importantly contemporary ideas, life, and issues of society. Any novel written
in support of a particular faction, is in effect a political instrument, even
if not in intent. A writer may claim to be impartial, yet the readers may
observe the ideology in the work. Such novels present phenomena or people, with
intense political seriousness. Joseph Blotner, in his book The Modern American
Political Novel (1900-1965), explains the concept of political fiction in
detail. He has classified the political novels into the sub-categories, such
as, “the novel as a political instrument”, “the novel as a mirror of national
character”, “the novel as an analyst of group behavior” or “the novelist as a
political historian”. He has further explained the concept of the novel as a
political instrument in his book. By political instrument, he means a novel
that serves a specific purpose, mainly as a tool of political propaganda for a
particular ideology, party, or individual. It could also have been written
favoring a particular political faction over the other (Blotner 1966).
In her actual life, Arundhati Roy
is a staunch supporter of Kashmir. In 2010, she had stated in an interview that
India is an "occupying force" in Kashmir. She said that the disputed
territory of Kashmir was not an integral part of India (Roy 2010). According to
her, the solution to the problem of Kashmir is independence from India. Her
stance on the Kashmir issue has been highlighted in the various stages of the
second part of the novel. Her ideology of freedom for Kashmir is evident
through the character of Musa, a freedom fighter. The novel depicts the
activist side of the author, through the characters and the incidents narrated.
The historical references of the Ahmedabad Massacre and the Kashmir fight also illustrate
the political ideas of the writer. Her choice of the word "Ministry"
in the title also shows that the novel aims to point out the political issues
under the cover of social matters and the lives of the unique characters.
At one place she writes, "It
made one feel that Kashmir belonged to those creatures. That none of us who
were fighting over it......had the right to claim the truly heavenly beauty of
that place for ourselves" (Roy 2017). Her statement depicts the notion
that Kashmir should be left alone. She has praised Kashmir multiple times in
the book. She has shown her dislike of the misuse of religion as a cause for
fight. She states, "The inbuilt idiocy, this idea of jihad has seeped into
Kashmir from Pakistan and Afghanistan" (Roy 2017). The documents on
Mr. Amrik Singh and his wife showed the difficulties they faced when Mr. Amrik
Singh was posted in Kashmir and even after they left for California. Their
reports showed that both husband and wife suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress
Disorder. Roy has featured the point of view of both sides, Indian officers and
mujahideen. She has given out the message that this half-century-long conflict
has affected both sides, not only one.
From the beginning of the
narrative, Roy accentuates the life and problems of Kashmir and Kashmiris. She
writes about its beauty, the conflict, the opinions of officers posted there,
the experiences of the freedom fighters, the sufferings of the people on daily
basis, the massacres, the murders, the murderers, the kidnappings, the
tortures, the police, the mujahedeen’s, the religious sects and every other
thing, with the help of different narratives. She has written poetry for
Kashmir and about Kashmir. She has mentioned the individuals and their
struggles before, during, and after the fights. Her ideology of "free
Kashmir" is evident in all the narratives of the second part of the book.
Roy has penned down both sides of the story so that the reader is aware of the
ground realities. Her subtle yet ingenious narration also provides a solution
to the reader. Musa's statement that if India does not leave Kashmir, one day
it will explode, is the exact ideology of Arundhati Roy about
Kashmir.
Roy has used her fiction as a political instrument to create awareness among the masses that freedom is the best solution to the Kashmir issue. The novel serves the specific purpose of showing her support for Kashmiris and Kashmir. With the help of this novel, Roy has tried to renew the sense of empathy for humanity in people, especially for Kashmiris. She has provided the details about different groups that have been established, how people are manipulated in the name of religion and certain strong groups take advantage of the weaker groups, what role do media and politicians play, etc. It directly or indirectly persuades the readers to think about the matter rationally. Her narrations provide a logical pattern, as they cover all aspects of the issue. It highlights the situation of men, women, children, and elderly people at the same time. Hence, it can be claimed that Arundhati Roy has portrayed her political ideology of Kashmir through The Ministry of Utmost Happiness and has used it as a political tool.
This novel is interpreted by Saba Alam, one of the team members at the School of Literature.
