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Misplaced    Enthusiasm

                                                                

 

            It is not easy to have Bookers Prize for a book, naturally India is proud to have a writer who won it and got international acclaim. Arundhati Roy got her due respect as a writer and we expected more books from this writer but somehow she preferred to utilize her energy and capabilities for the Narmada Dam cause with no past history of being a social activist. Well, joining hands with a group who is involved both in political and legal battle gave Arundhati Roy much more name, fame & publicity than what she would have got for being a writer.

            The recent happening of her conduct before the Hon’ble Supreme Court is quite surprising. Judiciary is supreme all over the world. We need to respect the judicial system and must honour it. As a matter of fact in today’s global scenario of corruption if we have got something for solace then it is only our courts, which come for our rescue. Today judiciary is having the biggest task of cleaning the political and bureaucratic system even the reforms are coming out of the court verdicts and now a Bookers Prize winner  Arundhati Roy dishonouring the courts verdict is quite deplorable.

            See the newspapers big headlines, photographs glorifying  Arundhati Roy to the extent of “Arundhati crucified”. One newspaper has gone to the extent of quoting  “Christians will recognize her (Roy) non-violent protest echoes of the great rebel of Nazareth the son of God, who challenged the Jewish and Roman Authorities”.

            Arundhati Roy was given symbolic punishment by the Hon’ble Supreme Court which can be termed as the most lenient view taken by any court in the matter of contempt but see how it has been encashed for publicity. I remember one movie “Maize Sahib” may be, where she acted as an heroine in that context the publicity is  okay but not to the extent of dishonoring the courts.

            I will not be surprised if various Newspaper and journal follows the path of encashing this episode by way of making Arundhati Roy on their front page with big interviews.

I think the media which in fact makes the trial of a person before public should come forward in screening such incidents. They should think twice before giving such publicity to this kind of activities may it be by Booker’s Prize Winner.

Contd…P/2

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Lastly, let us debate to honour the Judiciary as supreme.I hope readers will appreciate my concern that glorifying the act of Arundhati Roy and her comments over the court’s verdict are dangerous for the society definitely it is going to send wrong signals to a common man. She being a celebrity (now) having back up support can afford to do it but is it practical and desirable for a commoner. I think we need to think we need to give it a thought.  

            My attempt is not to encroach upon the fundamental rights of a person, which I can’t do that too of a person of the status of  Arundhati Roy but being a poet and writer I feel like advising this Booker’s Prize Winner to work for achieving a Noble Prize in Literature, which is much awaited after Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore.