At 6:26 AM -0700 5/23/06, Rajib Das wrote: >Yeah... and most folks in India think she is mad. And >irrelevant.
*** If true, that would be telling . > >--- Chan Mahanta <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > >> *** Hats off to Arundhati. She GETS it! And I am >> glad she is using >> her celebrity to do the RIGHT thing, say the right >> things. If telling >> the truth is EXPLOSIVE, it certainly was. >> >> >> But it is not new. We knew it all the time. Some of >> us even said so, >> in exactly the same words at times:-), right here in >> Assam Net. >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> At 9:11 AM +0100 5/23/06, Bartta Bistar wrote: >> >Arundhati voices her confusion, says India not >> democratic >> > >> >Lalit K Jha >> > >> >><http://www.samachar.com/showurl.htm?rurl=http://www.indianexpress.com/story/4941.html?headline=India~not~democratic,~Bush~addressed~giraffes:~Arundhati~in~US>http://www.samachar.com/showurl.htm?rurl=http://www.indianexpress.com/story/4941.html?headline=India~not~democratic,~Bush~addressed~giraffes:~Arundhati~in~US >> > >> >NEW YORK, MAY 22 :In an explosive expression of her >> views, >> >celebrated Indian writer Arundhati Roy told an >> audience here that >> >''India is not a democratic country''. ''The >> biggest PR myth of all >> >times is that India is a democracy. In reality, it >> is not,'' Roy, >> >the author of The God of Small Things told the >> 1,000-strong audience >> >at a book reading function she attended along with >> Eduardo Galeano, >> >one of Latin America's most distinguished writers. >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> >With her aggressive speech, Roy, the 1997 Booker >> winner, dominated >> >the event with Galeano playing second fiddle. >> > >> >She surprised the jampacked Town Hall as she >> stopped reading The God >> >of Small Things midway and said she wanted to speak >> on an issue, >> >which had been bothering her for quite some time. >> > >> >She said she was confused, as India was passing >> through a terrible time. >> > >> >Amidst frequent clapping, she blasted the Indian >> government and the >> >Bush administration. She did not spare even Prime >> Minister Manmohan >> >Singh. ''There is no real democracy in India. >> Several states in >> >India are on the verge of civil war,'' she said. >> > >> >Challenging the much-acclaimed views of columnist >> Thomson Friedman >> >praising India, a democracy of a billion >> population, for conducting >> >peaceful elections year after year, she said, ''He >> probably needs a >> >new tour of India... Does Thomas know that in >> Kashmir Valley alone, >> >some 80,000 people have been killed? In Iraq, there >> are 1,50,000 >> >military personnel, whereas in Kashmir Valley there >> are some >> >7,00,000.'' >> > >> >Referring to the visit of President George Bush to >> New Delhi in >> >March, she said, without elaborating: ''Bush visit >> was the most >> >humiliating experience of my life.'' As the venue >> for Bush's address >> >changed from Parliament to Vigyan Bhawan to Metro >> Park, he finally >> >ended up addressing India from a Zoo. ''I am not >> joking. This is >> >reality and the giraffes were disappointed,'' she >> said amidst >> >laughter from the audience. >> > >> >She did not agree with Prime Minister Manmohan >> Singh's views in his >> >lecture at the Oxford University praising Britain >> for all the good >> >things that India has, like its democracy, >> judiciary and >> >bureaucracy. India, she said, was a free market >> meant to steal from >> >the poor and subsidise the rich. >> > >> >Later, during her dialogue with Galeano, she urged >> the Americans to >> >oppose the occupation of Iraq by the US and allied >> forces. She said >> >Iraq and Afghanistan were not the only nations >> occupied by the US. >> >The others were controlled by checks and public >> diplomacy, she said. > > >The audience gave her a standing ovation. >> > >> > >> > >> >boo!! >> > >> >Iam quite disgusted by Roy's outburst. She might >> have earned a good >> >round of applause & cheer from her audience for the >> fibs but what >> >good does she thinks might evolve from it for India >> or for anyone >> >else as a matter of fact? It totally stinks. >> > >> >Name - Ram Sarangapani >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> >_______________________________________________ >> >assam mailing list >> >[email protected] >> >>http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org >> > _______________________________________________ >> assam mailing list >> [email protected] >> >http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org >> > > >__________________________________________________ >Do You Yahoo!? >Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around >http://mail.yahoo.com _______________________________________________ assam mailing list [email protected] http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
