That was well-put Neha. I don't have any views on A.R. myself...and I find the varied opinions on silk very interesting!
Deepa. On 2/15/07, Neha Viswanathan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
I didn't like ARoy's book when I picked it up first. (I must have been in 10th grade). It was interesting, but I didn't know what it was saying. A few years later, as an undergrad, I was struck by how well written it was. But unfortunately - by her politics had already coloured my vision. My first exposure to politics was when Noam Chomsky did a small and wonderful talk in Delhi University. I may not agree with what Chomsky has to say - but he says it with a certain grace and (perceived) genuineness. Besides, he doesn't make you feel like a idiot if you disagree with him. In contrast, Roy was clearly getting aggressive with the students. She somehow gets sarcastic if you question her deeper. Sarcasm is very charming but after a while it just becomes a way to get offensive without justifying one's stand. Sometime later, she turned up in my college for a seminar. She began her usual NBA spiel - but about a hundred students were closely associated with the Narmada Andolan, and many had turned dissenters. As always she answered their questions with verbal gymnastics and sarcasm that was just disguised insult. I don't know if it's intellectual dishonesty - but what I cannot take - is the way distorts her inability to answer questions by claiming that the question is a capitalist plot. But her novel - GOST - it has a certain charm to it. Unfortunately, her literary wit and grace is overshadowed by the cause-hopper she has become. -- Neha Viswanathan +44(0) 77695 65886 London, UK http://withinandwithout.com | http://globalvoicesonline.org
