Book Review: To the Unconsoled and the Silenced: Reviewing Arundhati Roy’s The Ministry of Utmost Happiness in the context of Kashmir Conflict

Abstract

The Ministry of Utmost Happiness is a work of fiction written in 2017 by the Indian author and activist Arundhati Roy whose works range from social and political issues in India and beyond, including Kashmir. She is famous for being vocal about the suppression of Kashmir’s narrative in India under the rule of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Hindu nationalism as propagated by the BJP and RSS. The novel tells the story of several characters whose lives are intertwined in modern-day India, with a special focus on the Kashmir conflict- a long-standing territorial dispute between India and Pakistan. Roy has criticized the policies of Indian government in Kashmir, arguing that its military presence in the region has resulted in myriad of human rights abuses including surveillance, extrajudicial killings, torture, disappearances, and also environmental degradation. The novel’s title itself is an ironic reference to the Indian government, which is corrupt and ineffective. Moreover, the author sheds a light on the plight of the marginalized and oppressed communities whom she calls the unconsoled people of the region. The book further explores various themes including caste, gender, human-animal relationship, politics, and multiple dimensions of war and conflict.