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Walking With The Comrades [back to article]

Gandhians with a Gun? Arundhati Roy plunges into the sea of Gondi people to find some answers...


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1 Apr 12, 2010	Oracle Of The Forest Arundhati Roy irritates me—her tone, her smugness, her careless use of history; specifically, her stringing of disparate events and phenomena as if they all amounted to the same old same old (eg, the lumping together of the Indian annexation of Hyderabad as part of the country’s “colonialis[t]” course, bizarre given the old order displaced was an absolute monarchy hijacked by religious revivalists in its twilight, an old order diametrically opposed to the sort of peasant insurgency one would expect Roy to be sympathetic to were the Indian state not on the “other” side), her sloppy view that the Indian polity is no more than an “upper caste Hindu state”—are annoying not only in themselves, but because they mar the force of her arguments, on issues so crucial one can ill afford to slip up (Walking with the Comrades, Mar 25). But. But. But. For the courage to talk about what other writers in English barely touch upon, and rarely without resort to the empty platitudes of those who use language not to think about problems but to avoid them, everything she writes on the plight of the Indian polity’s ultimate expendables—the tribals—can’t be missed. Umair Muhajir, New York This is the only article of Arundhati’s that I’ve read and some of the facts she mentions ring true to me. For example, I have seen strategic hamleting in Mizoram around 1977 when I was working in the nehu. A highway was built from one end of the state to the other, villages were shifted near the highway, (and I was told) fenced off, and the villagers needed identity cards to leave the fenced area to their farms. Rahul Banerjee, who worked for about 25 years with tribals in Central India, has similar things to say in his work, Recovering the Lost Tongue: The Saga of Environmental Struggles in Central India. Anandaswarup Gadde, Melbourne Speechless. That’s how Arundhati’s essay has left me. Dearton Thomas Hector, Kollam Meaningless! It’s what came to my mind about my own work (I do what’s called ‘peace-building’) after reading Arundhati’s piece. Agyatmitra, Pune The counterbalance in Arundhati’s essay lies in a paragraph in the 21st page. She echoes our misgivings about communist revolutions worldwide when she writes about the “party” being a genuine people’s party when it is the suitor, but doubts if it will remain so after the revolution. History tells us that it’s never been so. Russia, Hungary, East Germany, China, Cambodia, Nepal and, at home, the people’s government in West Bengal suffice as examples. Are Chandu, Kamla, Maase and scores of their comrades in the jungle even conscious of these? These innocents, indoctrinated by a philosophy as heady as their mahua, are caught up in the illusion of the perfect, classless world. The need to believe in something better than their miserable existence has placed them betwixt the devil and the deep sea. A generation of young will die in the forest to live the delusions of others. The country will move on. What the essay tells us about the mining companies and politicians sounds plausible. The poor will remain removed from the dream. The dream will be lived by the others. God deliver us from this indecency of living. Or send us an Avatar. Samrat Chatterjee, Raipur Outlook confuses me. On the one hand, it reflects all that is associated with big business and ‘development’—its glossy, screaming ads testify to that. On the other, it has something as remarkable as this! Talha Chowdhry, Bangalore Arundhati’s is the only voice of conscience in an India blinded by corporate greed, political corruption, imperial hubris and utter injustice wrought on its own common people. Alfred Abdul, New York After the hectoring voices on TV and in other print media, Arundhati’s essay soothed my soul and mind. Mini Mathew, on e-mail Arundhati gives voice to the voiceless, and questions the government. We Indians need to be self-critical. When we shape our country’s institutions, we must ensure they are genuinely inclusive. That said, I think Ms Roy provides no alternatives. We simply cannot have a civil war in India. The Maoists cannot continue with their guns and goonda raj. And it is equally improbable that the tribals continue with their age-old practices in the 21st century, living in the forest and competing with endangered fauna and flora—fragile natural resources. India’s population is exploding and the only way to provide decent health, education and living conditions for everyone is through common agreement and the rule of law. How can the tribals be protected in the middle of all this? How can we prevent outsiders (either Naxals/police/politicians) from taking advantage of their ignorance? That is what we have to think about. Kiran, Grenoble, France Arundhati’s essay was brilliant—for its narrative style, marshalling of facts and the intrinsic honesty in putting forth her point of view. But more than all this, Vinod Mehta deserves special credit for giving her the platform—and space—for having her say. Which other editor of a mainstream newsmagazine today would allot 31 out of 50 editorial pages for a story like this? Derek Bose, on e-mail Arundhati deserves praise for going where none of our armchair journalists go. Dinesh Kumar, Chandigarh Did Arundhati actually go to Dantewada or has she written her piece sitting in the AC study of a five-star residential address in the capital? M.J. Mansharamani, Nagpur At the end of 2008, I was in Gadchiroli for some research. The stories I heard were quite different from those in Arundhati Roy’s essay. I heard about the murder of a local leader trying to organise his community. More than one person told me that a politician, afraid of the man’s rising popularity, paid the Naxalites to kill him. I heard that the Ballarpur Paper Mills pays the Naxals to cut the bamboo from the forest and that the Naxals, in exchange allow the mill owner to develop the road leading to those forests just enough to let him carry the bamboo out. I heard that there are two job opportunities for people in these villages—the State or the Naxalites. That people from the same families are either in the police force or with the Naxal force. All poor. All desperate. All with little other choice. Unless they can feed their families with one rice crop a year. I heard that Naxalites won’t allow development, yet traders from Bengal have been allowed to set up businesses—for a price. Unlike Arundhati, I couldn’t sleep under the stars in the Dandakaranya forest, enjoying the beauty I was surrounded with. I didn’t have a friend or a comrade with a gun to protect me. Could this be true of others like me? Unlike Arundhati, I would not dare to give a ‘name’ or ‘face’ to the people I spoke to and took photos of, can’t post their images or tell their story on my blog or to a magazine that would want to hear their story. I’m no fan of the machinery deployed by various official, corporate and media forces that work overtime to push the poor and dispossessed who are increasingly ‘falling into the hole’ as Arundhati so eloquently puts it. However, I have heard with my own ears in Gadchiroli the voices of ordinary villagers—the poor, dispossessed and unarmed say in no uncertain terms that the Naxalites are the one-stop shop for the violent settling of scores. Any score. Nandini Bedi, Amsterdam Let those who have eyes, see; let those who can, read and understand. I fell in love with Comrade Kamla after reading Arundhati’s piece. T.M. Dhanaraj, Chennai For Arundhati, this is probably a thrilling escape from elitist seminar circuits in her designer clothes. The Maoists are supplied with weapons from across the border and they openly say they want to keep elected governments under pressure. They never demand roads, schools, hospitals, in short, better governance for backward tribal areas and brainwash tribals into believing that they do not need these. I’ve seen critically ill patients being carried on tractors to hospitals tens of kilometres away in these areas. It’s not just the mining lobbies that are the cause of the tribals’ miseries. The more grave threat is actually from the Maoists who deliberately deny them a dignified life and access to healthcare and education. M.K. Devarajan, Kottayam Would these tribals have raised a war against the state—where they stand to lose everything for nothing in return—had they not been pushed to the edge of survival? And it is we who have pushed them to this brink with our supposedly developmental policies. We are the real perpetrators of the war, not them. And it is we who need to step back and give these desperate souls room to return to an ordinary, peaceful existence. Reader Man, Calcutta The words of Brazilian educator Paulo Freire reiterate the incisive truth reflected in Arundhati’s essay. As he says in his seminal book, Pedagogy of the Oppressed, “Never in history has violence been initiated by the oppressed. How could they be the initiators, if they themselves are the result of violence? How could they be sponsors of something whose objective inauguration called for their existence as oppressed? There would be no oppressed had there been no prior situation of violence to establish their subjugation.” Raaj Mondol, on e-mail If this was a modern country with real democratic values, Arundhati’s essay would have evoked serious debate and discussion, with debates in Parliament and media. In India, however, it will only generate ‘Has-VM-sold-Outlook-to-Ms Roy’ kind of response from its right-wing jingoistic readers or the hysteria of Arnab Goswamis. B.F. Firoz, Trivandrum Arundhati’s piece reminded me of what the learned jurist V.R. Krishna Iyer said, “The Indian Constitution is deaf and dumb in these tribal regions. The leitmotif of people’s liberation is the spirit of autonomy, more human rights, less centralism and less illusions about peace through police actions.” S.M. Kompella, Kakinada More often than not, mainstream media chooses to ignore the worst cases of state atrocities, not because it is not aware but because we the middle class can’t be bothered as long as there’s food on our table. Upendra, Winnipeg, Canada It’s difficult to distinguish between the Naxals and the Navis of James Cameron’s Avatar. Mazhar Farooqui, Dubai Journalism at its best. Thank you, Arundhati. Ashwat Ramani, Hyderabad Instead of criticising Arundhati for speaking on behalf of people who no one else listens to, we should briefly put ourselves in the place of these men and women. What would you do if you were an adivasi doing the only thing you know how to do in the only place you know that exists and the government drives you away from there because it has conceived some fancy plan to exploit the area? Who do you turn to? It’s more difficult in India to touch a tiger belt than a tribal belt. There’s greater sympathy for animals in India than people. Sanjay Dhingra, Gurgaon While Arundhati’s writing is persuasive, she doesn’t offer any viable alternatives. It’s true that tribal exploitation has been rampant in India and these regions are some of the most underdeveloped in the country. But by taking up arms against the state, they have ensured that doctors run away from clinics in these areas, government officials are scared to do their jobs and teachers are not prepared to go to schools. Is it Arundhati’s case that tribals do not need health and education and should be left to live happily off the forest? A majority of India’s population, however distressed we might feel by the efforts of our government, is part of the mainstream because we know it benefits us personally and as a society. Sadly, tribals know nothing better and their leaders have vested interests in ensuring developmental efforts do not reach these areas. Instead of romanticising the tribal dream, people like Arundhati should work with them to develop a way of life so that they can become a part of modern India, albeit by keeping close to their land and their way of life. Divya Bharati, London A long story notable for little new except Arundhati Roy’s story-telling ability. Basically what she is saying is that the tribals of Dandakaranya do not need to learn to count beyond 20 and are best off if left alone to live as they have been for thousands of years. The use of violence to protect their way of life is also completely justified. Arundhati evidently suffers not only from directional but logical dyslexia too. If the world follows her foolishly romanticised path, change, the only constant, will become a bad idea, to be opposed at all costs. In short, she is effectively condemning the people whose cause she seeks to promote. She can’t see the tyranny of it because she does not have to lead that life; for her the fruits of the development she condemns are available—including getting her article printed here. Arundhati can pick up any group of people resisting change for any reason and write what she has written with only minor changes. One cannot shake the feeling that somewhere deep down, she is filled with vicious hatred. Vinod Sharma, New Delhi I went through Arundhati’s entire essay and while I found enough stats on how much profits corporates make, there was nothing on where comrades get their money or arms from. To me, those who use tribals as human shields are as grotesque as the cops molesting women. Both amount to a rape of humanity. Kajal Sengupta, on e-mail By going against the state, the tribals are only providing employment to the likes of Arundhati Roy and human rights activists. The state might consider Maoists the gravest internal security threat but our home minister needs to concentrate on how to deal with an even bigger one—of Arundhati Roy and her tribe. S.S. Deo, Gurgaon The last time I read something like this was about Robin Hood and his Merry Band! Arundhati has, as is her wont, demonstrated brilliantly how a bit of erudition and verbosity can make a complete travesty of truth. A.M. Diwakar, Bangalore Just a few weeks back, Arundhati was exhorting us to listen to grasshoppers and see how some Indians deny and even celebrate violence. Isn’t she doing exactly the same now: denying Maoist violence, nay, even celebrating it? Rahul, Delhi What does a directional dyslexic, capable of getting lost in life’s objectives, do? As Arundhati herself says, “Come hell or high water, I’ll be holding on to Comrade Raju’s pallu....” A.S. Raghunath, Delhi Roy loves herself and her writing, never mind if anyone else does or not. Gayatri Devi, Delhi There’s only one editor and one magazine in India courageous enough to publish such a daring piece of writing. But why does he allow Arundhati to be bashed up in letters on your web edition? I wish the magazine would start monitoring that space and make it a forum for healthy debate like in the Guardian or New York Times. Edava Shine Kutty, on e-mail It is becoming increasingly clear that, in the name of development, we are helping the rich become richer and the poor are being thrown to the dogs. In waging a war against this “internal security threat”, the government seems to be forgetting that these are our people too. Aarti Khosla, on e-mail Sixty years of freedom and none of it for people who have lived thousands of years. What a crying shame! Kailash Chandra, on e-mail Thank you Arundhati, for making us see how blind our government is. Jan ez Jalen, Ljubljana, Slovenia Great effort, great journalism. Pankaj Yadav, Gurgaon The time has come to redefine what freedom and independence really mean. If I can be displaced and hounded out of a land where my forefathers have lived for centuries, will I be called free? Yet, there is a ray of hope for Indian democracy that such an article can still be published in a mainstream magazine, that journalism survives amidst gutter press reporting. Narendra Murty, Calcutta Every time Arundhati writes, readers often pick on the writer, missing the larger point: that the poor, the adivasis, the Dalits and other marginalised people are bearing the entire brunt of the nation’s economic march. Implicit in their criticism of her is the notion that our way of life is somehow superior to theirs. All subsequent arguments stem from this belief. To dismiss her writing by accusing Arundhati of being a romantic is being naive—and dishonest. Sajosam, New Delhi While I can understand Roy’s empathy for tribals, I will never agree with the surgical tools of the Maoists. Given that, Arundhati has used the fundamental right of freedom of expression to the fullest—something no other country except the Indian democracy would allow—even daring to take potshots at the Father of the Nation. M. Ponnein Selvan, Chennai Arundhati and her ilk should be banished to the luxurious thousand-star suites in Dandakaranya where they can collect tendu leaves along with the tribals and “live happily ever after”. Sudharshan, Madras No doubt our democracy is imperfect and there have been human rights violations. But to compare it to the excesses of Stalin and Mao is revolting. G. Vijayaraghavan, on e-mail Writing novels was too easy on Arundhati’s talent, I suppose, which is why she gave it up. Many in India can write a novel, and do. But few put their writing to the use that Arundhati does. One of modern India’s greatest writers is also a true patriot. Siddharth Chowdhury, on e-mail The greatest service Arundhati has done to the tribals is to give them a name and face. What have Mangtu, Nirmala and Venu suffered in the last 50-60 years of independent India that they are ready to fight one of the biggest and most sophisticated armies of the world with only knives and front-loading rifles? K.D.M., on e-mail Arundhati’s travelogue on the time she spent in the jungles of Dandakaranya in the company of Maoist cadres is a celebration of revolutionary romanticism and her own rebelliousness. You might disagree with what she says but you can’t but be touched by her poetic prose. Aparajita Krishna, Mumbai “What this country needs is a revolution,” says Arundhati’s mother, the activist Mary Roy. And along with Comrade Kamla, Arundhati is “marching, not just for herself, but to keep hope alive for us all”. Women are leading the way everywhere you look, and we better take note. Ahmed Shamim, New York Lal salaam to Arundhati Roy and the Outlook editor for standing against the tide of state-directed media. Ranabir Roy, Agartala India’s gravest security threat, isn’t it Arundhati herself? Arnav Das Sharma, Nagpur Exclusive 32-page essay? I could count only 31. Did Chidambaram censor the last page out? Or does ‘The Big Lie’ start with the number of pages? Pritam Sengupta, Bangalore Arundhati must be smoking some good tendu if she thinks the Maoists are getting their guns and grenades from the Rs 120 cut from its proceeds they extract from the leaf-buyers. Jerin Chacko, Thiruvananthapuram If solutions flowed from the barrels of guns, the Northeast and J&K would have been restored as heavens on earth a long time back. Alok Verma, on e-mail Did the train, bus or motorbikes Arundhati would have used for her tryst with the Maoists appear at the wave of a magic wand? R.K. Asthana, Portsmouth I am burning my copy of your magazine lest the police arrest me for being in possession of Naxalite/Maoist literature. Rakesh Babu G.R., Bangalore PERMALINK
2 Apr 19, 2010	Much Mistaken The yuppie-commie rhetoric has of late turned its guns on the Mahatma, or so it would seem from a reading of the Arundhati Roy essay Walking with the Comrades, (Mar 29). And the neo-Dalit is not far behind in this offensive. Harijan has thus become a dirty word coined by a condescending bania! Let us not forget the sub-human lot of the panchamas for centuries. The first and foremost Indian to view their state with utter compassion was Gandhi. And he identified himself uncompromisingly with them. But for the bania’s undaunted service to uplift them and the Kashmiri Pandit Nehru’s defiant enactment of universal adult franchise that at one stroke enfranchised all the scheduled castes, would there be Kanshi Rams and Mayawatis at the helm, unceremoniously kicking off the Gandhi ladder that pushed them up? For heaven’s sake, let’s not dismiss the sovereign role of compassion. What Arundhati Roy has for the Naxals and the forest tribals is unambiguous compassion. It is strange, though, that the lady has not a word about the Andaman aborigines, mercilessly decimated by the Indian colonisers and their government (the Union government is exercised over the declining Parsi population) or the unspeakable sufferings of the people of Manipur and farther east (Kashmir monopolising all her selective perception). Gandhian satyagraha is no pious humbug. The pious humbug was open to the lady when she was hauled up before the court for contempt, but she chose to cave in rather than be jailed. Please recall the classic non-violent rin mutiny at Bombay, to cite but one instance, that heralded Indian Independence. It is again easy to be dismissive of trusteeship, expediently choosing to understand Gandhi’s words literally. To go to the spirit of trusteeship, it means only ploughing back to society whatever surplus one may command over one’s honest needs. Roy herself has so ploughed back her funds, in excess, I fondly believe, of her own honest needs. Jayant Mrtyunjaya, Bangalore After reading Arundhati Roy’s long-winded article, I wondered if she wanted Charu Mazumdar as our president and Kishenji as our PM! Kanu Sanyal has meanwhile committed suicide, but she could give Comrade Niti a responsible post. With her as home minister, the whole country can achieve the progress Dandakaranya has. Gurudas S., Bangalore Some three decades ago, I travelled through the parts Arundhati Roy wrote about. Later, I made the same trip in 2001. Reading her article, I realise nothing’s changed there. Roy has done a commendable job in bringing out the other side of the Maoist story. G. Sondur, Pune In Arundhati Roy’s essay, CPI (Maoist) Dandakaranya spokesperson Gudsa Usendi says that K. Balagopal, “usually meticulous about facts”, had said that the Naxalites had massacred adivasis at Kotrapal and that “later in his book (presumably referring to the Human Rights Forum report titled: ‘Death, Displacement and Deprivation, the War in Dantewara’) acknowledged his mistake...”. This is to clarify that Balagopal or HRF, the organisation he belonged to, has never issued a press statement to the effect that the Naxalites had resorted to the massacre at Kotrapal, nor has Balagopal “acknowledged his mistake”. When reports appeared in the press in June 2005 of the killing of a large number of adivasis at Kotrapal by the Maoists, the HRF wrote a letter to various civil and democratic rights organisations calling for a fact-finding in the area. Subsequently, a team of hrf and the Organisation for Protection of Democratic Rights visited the area on Jul 16-17, ’05. A joint press release was put out at a media conference in Hyderabad on Aug 3 in which it was stated that “the news of the massacre of June 19 in Kotrapal...is not true.” Both the letter and the press note can be accessed from the report on our website: humanrightsforum.org. Usendi, in this case, is shoddy about facts. V.S. Krishna, Secretary, HRF, Visakhapatnam We believers in free-market economics will rubbish all the arguments of Arundhati Roy, but despite the vitriol we pour upon her, deep in our hearts, we’ll always know she’s so goddamned right—infuriatingly, exasperatingly so! Dr Oscar Rebelo, Goa Arundhati Roy’s article is a wake-up call to India’s political establishment to stop its misguided tyranny against our own people in the name of development. Ranbir Singh, on e-mail It never ceases to amaze me how naive the extreme left is. Arundhati Roy goes to meet the Maoists—and that’s courageous! She gives them a voice—and it’s her right to do so! But what rubs me the wrong way is her tone that goes thus—“look at the emaciated, courageous men and women who are taking on the jackbooted government criminals”. And while criticising the government for not developing the area, she calls the companies that are taking development there colonials. How does one develop a place in a capitalist system? In my opinion, Roy is a decent person but we’re lucky she does not run our country and hopefully will never do so. Frank Hawkins, San Francisco I don’t have anything against Arundhati Roy. She is a gifted writer and I’ve always admired people who have the time and patience to take up cudgels on behalf of others, for whatever reason. Her heart is in the right place and she is obviously committed. The trouble is, she gets so carried away in her zeal that she simply fails to take the complete picture into account. Her arguments are so utterly lacking in balance, and her words so intemperate, that she only manages to alienate even those who are relatively sympathetic to the causes she espouses. The tribals do have some very real grievances but by throwing their lot with the Maoist insurgency, they’re simply asking for more trouble. Shaili Thakur, Chandigarh The high priests of Left philosophy—Marx, Lenin and Mao—must be turning in their graves at the unique turnaround in the tactical equations between the ‘proletariat’ and the ‘bourgeois’. Instead of the ‘proletariat’ joining hands with the middle classes to throw away ‘bourgeois’ hegemony, now we have a situation where the ‘bourgeois’ intellectual elite represented by the likes of Arundhati Roy are joining hands with the ‘proletariat’ (read tribals in this case) to prevent the emergence of an Indian middle class in this globalised world. Upside down, inside out! Mihir Kumar Jha, Patna Arundhati, mercifully, did not blame the invention of the wheel, and fire, for all the rot in the current civilisation. We wonder why she came back at all from her haven of violence. She could have had all the fun walking and dancing with her comrades, exchanging ‘lal salaams’. Bharat Trivedi, on e-mail Instead of justifying the violence unleashed by the Maoists, she would have done well to question the central and state governments on the funds allocated year after year in their budgets for rural and tribal development. Where does the money go? T.R. Viswanathan, Mumbai I am not an admirer of Arundhati Roy but her poetic piece was superb, to put it mildly. Jawahar P. Sekhar, Dubai Arundhati Roy has obviously expended considerable energy in reporting from ground zero, but I dare say that the essay tends to romanticise the Maoist cause. She has conveniently glossed over all the needless murders and incidents of looting, arson and vandalisation these ‘comrades’ have been committing in the name of justice and alternate governance. It also seems from the essay that the whole movement is now itself victim to the adage, ‘the more things change, the more they remain the same’. What with different departments and an elaborate hierarchy, the janatana sarkars are beginning to resemble the same labyrinthine, faceless entities, without spontaneous popular support—much like the system the Naxalites are purportedly fighting against. Rahul Gaur, Gurgaon Arundhati Roy’s article was to my expectation: Hindus are to blame for all of India’s failings; the victims are about everyone else. More than just pretty writing, the most striking part was the picture on the cover: the dainty, city-slicker activist in socks and sandals, well-protected from the elements, in sharp contrast to the barefoot Maoist girl sitting next to her. Lokesh Raina, Mumbai Arundhati ought to realise at her age that there is no such thing as a perfect society. Man has always exploited man through the ages, and a Communist China or militarised Myanmar do nothing but exploit ideology. Common people like us have to just put up with whatever we have. By creating unrealisable hopes among adivasis, Maoists have only prolonged their misery, caught as they are between them and the state. We city-dwellers also feel the agony of the exploited. But aren’t we also exploited at every step? Santhanam, on e-mail Arundhati Roy’s article has opened my eyes. I got to know for the first time about the kind of life Naxalites lead, the hurdles they face in their day-to-day life, the reasons for their taking to arms, even the food they eat. Sandeep Shankar, Delhi PERMALINK
5 Apr 19, 2010	Another Thousand Words This is to congratulate both you and Ms Roy for the courageous and remarkably revelatory article on the tribal Maoists of Bastar. In the deeply distressing face of state violence and the caricature state and media present the tribal struggles as, it is literally Ms Roy’s pen and your magazine that give us hope, doing not just the history and humanity of tribal aspirations a service, but the conscience of us all. In this regard, I wanted to share with you a painting I just completed and that is currently being exhibited at the Reflection Art Gallery in Shahpur Jat in a group exhibition themed ‘Hope’. Titled The Truth Wins, it celebrates precisely what Ms Roy’s article and your magazine are in the process of achieving. The body in the painting is taken from a photograph of five innocent people piled in the back of a trailer, killed on April 15, 2009, by the police in an alleged anti-Naxalite operation. What struck me about the photo was the fact that surviving the terrible violence visited upon this body was a little ball-point pen clipped serenely to the dead man’s shirt pocket. That pen symbolises truth to me, whether through the media or courageous individuals standing up and speaking out. Stefan Prakash Eicher, on e-mail PERMALINK
3 Apr 26, 2010	What Now, Ms Roy? Are you happy now, Arundhati? Some 76 innocent lives lost, thanks to people like you who glorify Maoist criminals. Ashwin, Chennai Now that 75-odd Indians have been killed by their fellowmen in the jungles of Dandakaranya, perhaps the bleeding heart and tormented soul of Arundhati can be at peace. Balakrishnan Unny, Gurgaon Congrats, Arundhati. Your men struck well, claiming 76 lives. Why don’t you now go and live in your thousand-star hotel forever? Chetan Rathor, Delhi Will Arundhati now go to the homes of those brave men who were killed to write about them and their families? People like Arundhati should be made accountable for such killings as articles like hers create sympathy in the minds of most readers and portray the government, especially the forces, negatively. Nishant Chaudhary, Bokaro The problem with Sonia staffers like Manmohan Singh and Chidambaram is that they breathe the polluted air of dynastic politics. So it is that neither the families of the killed CRPF jawans nor the rest of the countrymen have any hope from this toothless government. There can be no politics or logic when it comes to dealing with the terrorists. Suraish Kumar, Chandigarh When the mecca of human rights, Amnesty International, can become a terror-supporting charity, why be surprised at Arundhati supporting violence against the government and her own countrymen? Narayan, Zurich Even if we do not agree with what she says, we have to concede that Arundhati writes from her heart and that her heart is in the right place. Angarag, Guwahati Arundhati’s might be embedded journalism alright. But none can deny that people like her arouse the conscience of the nation. The Maoists are indeed social fascists—mouthing socialism at one level but indulging in fascist methods of intolerance and cruelty on their opponents on the other. Their ideas may sound ideal but their understanding of the modern social reality and political-economic scenarios is outdated and archaic. Yet, one can’t, on this pretext, support state terrorism on tribal populations either. G. Niranjan Rao, Hyderabad All men and women have human faces, however dehumanised they may be. If one were able to meet the attackers of 26/11 while they were among their kith and kin, revealing their “hearts and homes, motives and motivations”, they would have probably come across as equally gentle and deserving of sympathy as the comrades Arundhati walked with. Also, had she spent as much time with security forces as she did with the Maoists, she would have known better than to say —“Nagas and Mizos are sent to fight in Chhattisgarh, Sikhs to Kashmir and Tamilians to Assam”. Indians of all regions and religions form the sword arm of the government either in mixed- or class-based security forces. Thus they can’t be influenced by local pressures, or their families be open to harm, being far. When misinformed half-truths poison and bias minds, they move beyond the pale of “freedom of speech”. They are sacrilege for those who have the thankless task of defending the nation. Geeta Katoch, Udhampur In her essay, Arundhati asks; “Is (the) armed struggle intrinsically undemocratic? Is the sandwich theory accurate? Are ‘Maoists’ and tribals two discrete categories?” My answer to all three questions is a resounding ‘yes’. Arundhati spreads the canard that the Indian police are being trained by the Mossad. She tries to distort the meaning of words to suit her discourse. She makes unsubstantiated allegations about judges and media. She calls B.K. Ponwar (who runs Kanker’s jungle warfare school) a dirty name. She uses sarcasm in place of facts. It doesn’t work. All I want to say is: if tribals wish to live a primitive life, so be it. No one should force them to change or convert. If they believe that industrialisation impinges upon their freedom, it should stop. Maoists have made a point; now, they should relent and eschew violence. Is that asking for too much? Madhu B. Thaker, Vallabh Vidyanagar It is really unfortunate that we still believe that a military operation can solve the Naxal problem. China, Vietnam and various other situations have proved time and again that when a movement has the people’s support, even mighty powers have to surrender. S.P. Deolalkar, Hyderabad The state can’t avoid answering the questions Arundhati raises. Mouthing platitudes about constitutional governance is all very fine, but what when it doesn’t reach people at all? A.V. Gurunath, Prathipadu PERMALINK
6 May 03, 2010	Cornered Folks I’m fully convinced now how good a writer of fiction Arundhati is (Walking with the Comrades, Mar 29). She should go to Dantewada independently—without the protection of the Maoists. She should try to talk to the adivasis when the Maoists aren’t around. Maybe she should learn what Maoism is herself and then test the adivasis on their knowledge of that ideology. Let her do her work through independent and free research and then write. Chandru Kalsi, Mumbai How I wish Arundhati understood Gandhi before calling the Maoists ‘Gandhians with Guns’. Doesn’t matter, though! After all, her tirades are meant for consumption by the West. If she finds nothing worth praising in the country she lives in, why doesn’t this mobile republic just migrate? Aditya Trivedi, Bangalore What Arundhati conveys in her essay is not very different from what Mahatma Gandhi and other enlightened people who worked for the uplift of the worst off in India have said—that there is something drastically wrong with the neo-liberal economic path we have taken and that we need an alternative development model. With disarming honesty, she says she doesn’t know what alternative to offer the adivasis who have taken to the path of violence. But I think something is amiss if someone like Arundhati sees no hope in what she calls Gandhi’s “pious humbug”. Coming to think of it, Arundhati, Gandhi had the answer. As a Jain, I believe violence in all forms—manasa, vacha, karmana—is wrong. Kritee Shah, Ahmedabad The reactions to Arundhati’s piece on the Maoists appear to me way off the mark. In a democratic set-up like ours, we have a large group of people who have been deprived of their rights and have therefore been forced to take up arms against their countrymen. The Maoist uprising in adivasi regions is an indication of the poverty, deprivation and frustration the inhabitants experience. Let the adivasis live peacefully in their lands and let them join the mainstream on their own. Let us not impose ourselves on them. Amar Heblekar, Goa Apropos of Arundhati’s piece on the Maoists and Muhajir’s analysis of the piece and its context, I think what Muhajir says is true: we need more essays like Arundhati’s, but by others. Your cover story on the Maoists (Feb 22) carried more credibility than Arundhati’s. Ironically, by promoting the self-righteous Arundhati’s shrill demonising and romanticising of issues, Outlook will keep the middle class inured to the issues she passionately champions. Recoiling from the horror of reading Arundhati’s piece, they will continue to dwell in blissful ignorance. R.S. Krishna, Bangalore Arundhati never supported the Maoists in any way in her writing. All she did is spend time with them and then pen down what she saw. It would be preposterous to expect the Barkha Dutts and Arnab Goswamis to open their eyes to reality. Firos, Thiruvananthapuram PERMALINK
7 May 10, 2010	The Fire Stokers The Maoists could not have found a better advocate than Arundhati Roy to justify their violence (Walking with the Comrades, Mar 29) . Instead of bringing peace and prosperity, Maoist acts have put development in reverse gear. P.C. Sockey, Hazaribag, Jharkhand Arundhati admits it is impossible to defend much of what the Maoists have done but in the very next breath adds that the Congress and bjp have more sordid achievements to their credit! Her ambivalence is also visible when she doubts the future behaviour of the “people’s army” but adds the face-saver that one should not immobilise oneself in fear of the future. Why forget that humanity advances through trial and error. One could preserve tribal culture, promote check dams instead of big dams, and work out a via media to take development to certain parts without “immobilising” adivasi society. V.A. Deshmukh, Ex-MLA, by fax Thank you, Arundhati! I put off reading your piece on the Maoists because I knew it would make me angry. Sure enough, it did! Keep writing. Shivani Dogra, New Delhi PERMALINK
4 Sep 20, 2010	Haunted Hows Is the murder of Azad in accord with the upa’s approach to India’s “greatest internal security threat”? Yes, if you recall Arundhati Roy’s words in Walking with the Comrades (Mar 29): “An article on the Internet says that Israel’s Mossad is training 30 high-ranking Indian police officers in the techniques of targeted assassinations to render the Maoist organisation ‘headless’.” Baldev Raj Dawar, New Delhi PERMALINK

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326/D-26 May 29, 2012 10:03 AM	I totally agree that 'Capitalism' without restrictions or intelligent checks is failing our country, and we really must rethink our strategies to include and accomodate every citizen. But include them in what? Have we ever thought about what these guys REALLY want? Basically they seem to be gun toting 'lotus-eaters'. The ultimate existential contradiction if you ever saw one. They want 'status quo' for their surroundings, and use the gun to keep things the way they are. Ms. Roy takes at face value their claim that the guns are reserved only for their enemies 'the state', but in her romantic dreams of revolutions, she completely overlooks the fact that the same gun has been entirely successful in expanding 'maoist territories' to the sizes they are today. Does she think think maoists are gaining ground through 'popularity' alone?? What a laugh. They are scaring every simple villager around them into succumbing without a hiccup or a whimper. They have, with their guns, taken over hundreds of thousands of acres belonging to other people, and are now eating at these peoples' expense. How difficult is it to 'convert' a poor man when you're waving a killing machine and saying it will get him what he wants? They are prepared to use their guns to get whatever 'benefits' they can get from the state for continuing to 'do nothing'. Their gun toting laziness is all they can offer. They've rejected offers of 'jobs' from the companies that might take over their lands and 'develop' it. They claim to be happy eating leaves and marketing them..but they are clearing their forests of all wildlife to make it entirely safe for themselves. What they seem to overlook entirely, is that the reason they are still living happily in their little lotus eating world is because India is still an impossibly soft state. If a real Maoist or Marxist regime takes over tomorrow, these guys will first be BOOTED, and put into airless factories, to WORK, while their pretty lands (stripped of wildlife as they already are) will be used for mines dams and factories. Status Quo, is not possible. For anyone. If you want 'development', you have to 'WORK', no one knew that better than Marx or Mao. But that is a series of life changing actions these people do not want to even consider. All they want to do is carry illegal killing weapons to hold everyone to ransom. Ramaswamy Bengaluru, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
325/D-85 Apr 25, 2012 06:54 PM	Arundathi is wrong in the following:- > She seems a castiest and therefore seems to dereive sadist happiniess by demeaning Hinduism and India subtly even where such insinuations have no connection to what she is writing. (Accepting the fact that neither hinduism nor India is perfect but so are all other religions and countries) > She forgets (or) seems to be oblivious to the fact that none of these villagers are tribals. If they can mingle with a complex charecter like arundathi roy, they are highly sociable. Also if all they want is more pay for tendu leaves or Bamboo, It would be better to settle and work in an area rather than being a nomad wandering without direction. > If every woman in this country who feels that domination of men can be solved by killing, then there is nothing left. (personally, i believe a life without woman is barren, including mother, sister, wife and daughter. I also firmly believe that only a house/country where woman are happy will alone prosper. But it takes 2 hands to clap) > Arundathi Roy's mind is filled with hate. It is one thing to love what you like which is a universal right, but it is not correct to hate what you dont like. She hates the govt. She hates companies that build cancer hospitals. She is cynical. She has lost the message of hope and love. Hate is not a activity worthy of human and that too a woman. > I wish to remind arundathi that your freedom ends where others freedom starts. If you want to enforce you rights with the sword then you will surely die by the sword. >Let me remind readers here that this is not a review about a new hill station for you to sit and dream and give comments. Imagine a cow. Now if this cow behaves itself, no one wants to harm it and people call it sacred. But the moment this cow starts harming people, will you and arundathi roy keep quiet. Arundathi Row is sowing seeds of hatered in the minds of ordinary people who are filled with love. She also spews venom by using here literary skill to make poeple thing that love has no hope. > DONT BELIEVE IN HATERS. LOVE YOUR COUNTRY AND ALSO THE TRIBALS. SUPPORT THE CAUSE OF TRIBALS IN LEGAL WAY. SALWA JUDUM WAS DEALT WITH BY SUPREME COURT SO ACTION HAS ALREADY BEEN TAKEN. IF YOU STILL WANT TO PROFESS THE RELIGION OF HATE AND SPREAD DARKNESS IN THE COUNTRY THEN YOU WILL SEE THAT WE WILL ALL START A ANTI ARUNDATHI SABHA (AAM) AND ALL THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN DISGUSTED BY YOU PROFESSING OF HATE WILL HAVE TO BECOME MAOIST TO STOP YOU AND YOUR LIKE FROM SPOILING THE FUTURE OF THIS COUNTRY. AND DID YOU KNOW THAT HATEMONGERS SUFFER A STRONG PRIMITIVE CURSE. ALL HATEMONGERS DIE A DEATH OF UNTOLD SUFFERING AND ARE MADE TO BURN IN THE HEAT OF THEIR OWN HATE. SEE WHAT HAPPENED TO US FOR SUPPORTING TALIBAN. BUT THERE IS STILL HOPE. ONCE TO START LOVING, YOU ARE FORGIVEN. QUICK, CHANGE , QUICK QUICK Kala Bairava Kashi, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
324/D-25 Apr 12, 2012 05:57 AM	Comment removed for violation of Website Policy ash giza, Egypt PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
323/D-141 Jun 02, 2011 11:00 PM	Woman .. What have u been smoking in the forests?!!!!! Insofar as to say that Big Dam Projects are a curse to humanity is Blasphemy... What do u suggest ?nWe all go back to the hunting gathering lifestyle? Well If you are really sucha martyr for saving Forests and wildlife why would you eat ' Ant Chutney'? And throughout this passage it loooks like most of ur impressions about the tribals came at the hands of the ' indoctrinated' Maoists... Woman Please give up writing.. U pollute the Internet..!!! seshagiri Munich, Germany PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
322/D-62 Jan 17, 2011 01:29 PM	Roy is wonderful indeed. Bravo for her courage and good intentions. I would humbly beg to differ in her approach. More maturity is required in tackling such occurrences. Individuals cannot fight with FDA or States refer naturalnewstv.com for mind boggling info. REALITY IS ENTIRELY DIFFERENT FROM WHAT WE PERCEIVE. Our perceptions are always wrong and conclusions and approaches are based wrongly on such beliefs that we have. Many people like us just read and sympathise or appreciate and go away to eat our food as a consumer of the earth to kill the earth. There is no democracy to voice our opinions or assert our rights. What they need is different for different people and for themselves. Democracy is failing and humanism is challenged thru out the world. Good people are just earning popularity and getting killed and we say Tsoo! tsoo! We have to organise ourselves in a different way acceptable to all, and promote changes in the Govt administrations legitimately instead of trying to achieve illogically. I may be wrong. I want roy to be strong and living long for the benefit of all of mankind. Whistleblowers starting from our own little humble homes are facing a tuff situation thru out the world. Today there are biggest threats from Medical MNCs, Politicials, Bureaucrats,etc., I humbly try to reach good messages for curing oneself from any disase without HARMFUL DRUGS thru my site sunflowerdancecom. Roy is great ! Praying for her Welfare and strength. D.PARAMESWARAN CHENNAI, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
321/D-95 Sep 23, 2010 02:27 PM	Hi All I think the stupidity of indian can see on these post Cause you are so leasibonds and you can't understand the need of freedom of people from around the world. Mme Roy have done a good job And she must continues on that way Alavantaan Paris, France PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
320/D-7 Sep 09, 2010 01:48 AM	this country needs a revolution.why our government is showing too much commitment for the development of tribels effected jungles after 60 years.while i think in delhi like cities have more poors and in more un human condition.millions of childrens are begging at the cities and collicting plasctic bags.thousends of womens died while giving birth at the streets.are they countless or not humans.but no one cares about them.is that developement.are they not want that kind of developement in those tribles areas.only a starving man can explain what starvation is.or that man who can feel the pain of others.we all have to fight against these kind of developements.but only revolution can be the best solution.this is for those who are slipping not for those who want to avoid this situations.but tomorrow will be very late. rohit delhi, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
319/D-174 Jul 14, 2010 11:53 PM	Great article. Truly informative. I have been watching all the great indian news channels on this issue for a long time. And with this single article I had to change all those flawed and misinformed perceptions indoctrinated by our national, corporate media. Ms Roy has done a truly commendable work in giving expression to the "other side".Rather than issuing personal attacks on her, her intentions and integrity we should at the least show some empathy to the most poor and downtrodden sections of the Indian society whose cause she bravely took up. Jeff Xavier Kottayam, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
318/D-54 Jul 05, 2010 03:08 PM	This article was something that i would cherish all my life.At one point of time i was so ashamed that i use to consider "P.Chidambram" and his supporter human beings.Nevertheless i wil change my perception right away.But just reading it and realising the known facts was followed by some feeling of helplessness and more of shame. Forget the comments of those who have even forgotten the pain of india's struggle for independence and show no shame working in their firms, their country even when they are being ill treated,kicked,raped,shoed,and killed. Some have even condemned the "FIGHT for RIGHT" on grounds of violence....they are the same people who trace their origin to the particular class who were against our "freedom fighters" when they revolted against the Britishers!!!! Forget them... Forget them.... Forget them...and lets salute to the great lady...atleast she has the courage to speak against the greedy and utmost concern for the needy!!!! Gaurav Kamal bangalore, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
317/D-50 Jul 05, 2010 02:31 PM	This is to inform PRASHANT from AUSTRALIA, MELBOURNE that its very easy to go back to a british oriented country and give comments. i guess your liking for Ausrtralia goes beyond the understanding of the fact that how many people lost their life trying to get independence from the whites.Guess you have forgotten what goes in india.atleast on moral grounds you should keep your mouth shut.Being a literate as one can make out from ur reach to technology and education, you should not say something ike that about a great idol of liberty freedom and equality.But i don't wonder it because you think its your right to be protected even in Australia by the indian government when you being kicked and shoed but the natives doesn't have the right to speak against the inhuman act of the government.Have you sold your morals to them at the cost of some job or you really don't know anything about India, the land of swami vivekanada, bhagat singh!!! Gaurav Kamal bangalore, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
316/D-15 Jun 29, 2010 02:42 AM	Reminds me of the notorious Gen Custer and the Sioux wars! sangos new delhi, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
315/D-170 Jun 12, 2010 11:46 PM	Arundhati Roy deserves our admiration for giving a voice to the Bastar tribals and bringing to light the horrible nature of the Indian richer and middle classes and of the Indian state which works at their behest. She is however totally misguided in referring to Kashmir as a territory under India's occupation and expressing support to the Islamic terrorists in that integral part of India. Exposing the ugly face of the current Indian state is one thing; attacking the territorial integrity of India and its sovereign existence is something else. The latter is totally unacceptable. This is a gross abuse of free speech. Arundhati, you are undermining your own credibility in the eyes of millions of Indian's like me. We believe that the tribals of India, and the Dalits, and all other oppressed classes, have a right to defend themselves against the violence which India's rich and middle classes, and the State which works at their behest, have been directing against them over many decades. If the Maoists are enabling them to organise for this purpose, they deserve our support. If the only way to organise this defence is to face violence with violence, so be it. The primary responsibility for this is with Chidambaram and the State that he represents. But for us, the sovereignty and territorial integrity of India is also sacrosanct. You are doing a great disservice to all sections of India's underprivileged by equating their struggle with that of Islamic terrorists in Kashmir. India's tribals are fighting to secure their right to life and to a better future. Islamic terrorists fight to kill the infidels and force women into burquas. Do not undermine the legitimacy of the struggles of India's underprivileged classes by supporting terrorism inspired by a religious ideology which does not recognise the right to life of those who do not accept that ideology. Suranjit Saha Swansea, United Kingdom PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
314/D-140 Jun 12, 2010 09:22 PM	I think Ms.Roy is so overwhelmed by the Maoists that she didn’t took care to observe or get other information related with culture of Bastarias. She had given a very vivid detail of “Bhumkal” celebrations in Maoist camp and also she like a historian tells the fight of tribals against british colonists. But what she omits to tell is that “Bhumkal” was an agitation of masses including ordinary tribal and landlords and mukhias altogether. There were two leaders of Bhumkal one was well know Gundadhur and other was Lal Kalendra Sing (Scion of Bastar Royal House). Bhumkal was against the policy of british colonist of interfering with culture and religion of people of Bastar. There is tinge of church’s interference also in life of tribals (who are still in bastar trying to civilise so called savage races) which was in part responsible for Bhumkal. Even the then british reports suggest secret support of Bastar palace in Bhumkal. Oops but how Ms. Roy can recognise martyrdom of landlords and chieftains as it will not benefit the PWG/Maoists. Ms.Roy referred to Lohadiguda many a time telling that tatas are constructing a steel plant there and tribals are against it. Did she know the importance of Lohadiguda to Bastarias? And root of such a resistance? Certainly not because writing about that will force her to praise last prince of Bastar (oh how hard it will be for her). In 1965, Lohadiguda was the place where first burst of anger against Indian Govt. after Independence happened and why? Because tribals gathered there refused to accept the new arrangement of Indian Govt of recognising the younger brother of Late. Maharaj Pravir Chandra Bhanjdeo of Bastar (last ruler with ruling rights) as Ruler of Bastar for the purpose of privy purse. Tribals rejected the arrangement against there beloved Maharaja and agitated it but police opened fire and first martyrs of Bastar after independence fell to the ground. Then came the year 1967 when Maharaja of Bastar was shot dead in his palace in cold blood in a police action, along with thousands of tribals on the ground that Maharaja was trying to wage war against Indian Govt with his tribal subjects. That was 1st tribal uprising after Bhumkal which was put down heavily by force. Madam Roy must visit again and see that tribals and even non-tribals pray Pravir Chandra as a god after his martyrdom. One can see his photograph along with that of Mai Danteswari in several places, in temples, in homes, in shops, every where. But why? Because he was a just ruler and more aptly a leader who understood the need of his people and fought vigorously for those problems affecting Bastar with government. Most primarily Pravir was against the ingress of non-tribals in his state. Infact death of Pravir in a police action made the land fertile for PWG to grow in Bastar as the tribal has gone disillusioned and there only voice to outer world gone, the discontent continued in hearts and minds and later on PWG harvested it and filled the void left by martyrdom of Pravir. So the death of a royal sowed the seeds of communist revolution, great. That means one thing tribal war is not for Maoist ideology it is for reclaiming of there rights. It is not Maoist war it is a war tribal is fighting for himself. Sad thing for Ms.Roy to know that, that Bastarias will not live as per Maoist ideology and they will not fly red banner, if they are successful. And, what’s that rant about women being bare chest in Baster. Is it a custom, come on do a little study about India madam? It is not a custom that after marriage one has to be bare chest. It is just what it is. It is Subsisting on frugal materials as a way of simple living. The law of equality between men and women in tribals is not taught by Maoist. Infact it is way of life for them. Bigamy is word first introduced by white british colonist who made it a criminal offence based on christian law. Thankfully law in India now recognises the customs of tribals of bigamy and for them it is not punishable. Dwij Gonds? heard that for first time in your essay. What I had known since my child hood that there are Rajgonds (Rulers and Landlords) and Dhurgonds (ordinary people). No other classification exist other then that and that also just denotes the status, other things being common between Rajgonds and Dhurgonds. There is no untouchability between the Rajgonds and Dhurgonds tribals and both the classes inter marry also. There you said conversion to Hinduism created rifts in tribal society. Conversion to Hinduism? it is a misnomer. Hinduism is way of life. Tribals except those who converted to christianity like Oraons, Nagas, Mizos, are infact Hindus only. Don’t we pray Mai Danteswari (chief goddess of Bastar) or PashupatiNath ( naam hi batata hai ki sabhi prajatiyo ke Devta hai) along with tribals. Basically Hinduism believes in nature praying, each god is associated with something on earth. When we had common deities how come we are different. just the way of performing puja is different. Then it is different in all over India. Way of prayer is different but god is same. So we all are hindus, tribals and non-tribals. But your christian mind can not understand Hindu way of life. Have you ever written any article that vatican is running a program of conversion. Oraon people who had converted to christianity are being spread like weeds to others parts of India among the Gonds, Kawars, Marias as far as upto Maharashtra from Jharkhand where they are natives. Just to spread Christianity. But hard work missionaries Gond is here in these lands since time immemorial not a migrant like Oraons, Gonds will not convert. Madam Roy Bastar is unique; it can not be equated with Bengal, Bihar or Orissa in the so called red corridor. Fight is for reclaiming there rights and solution is to throw all the outsiders out of Bastar (including Bengali refugees and Telagu Comrades), remove forest department, stop mining and then see how rapidly the peace prevails. Jai Mai Danteshwari , Jai Bastar , Jai Chhattisgarh. Rajnish Singh Baghel Bilaspur, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
313/D-136 Jun 12, 2010 08:45 PM	I think Ms.Roy is so overwhelmed by the Maoist that she didn’t took care to observe or get other information related with culture of bastarias. She had given a very vivid detail of “Bhumkal” celebrations in Maoist camp and also she like a historian tells the fight of tribals against british colonists. But what she leaves to tell is that “Bhumkal” was an agitation of masses including ordinary tribal and landlords and mukhias altogether. There were two leaders of Bhumkal one was well know Gundadhur and other was Lal Kalendra Sing (Scion of Bastar Royal House). Bhumkal was against the policy of british colonist of interfering with culture and religion of people of Bastar. There is tinge of evangelist interference also in life of tribals (who are still in bastar trying to civilise so called savage races) which was in part responsible for Bhumkal. Even the then british reports suggest secret support of Bastar palace in Bhumkal. Oops but how Ms. Roy can recognise martyrdom of landlords and chieftains it will not benefit the PWG. Ms.Roy referred to Lohadiguda many a time telling that tatas are constructing a steel plant there and tribals are against it. Did she know the importance of Lohadiguda to Bastarias? Certainly not because writing about that will force here to praise last prince of Bastar (oh how hard it will be for her). In 1965 Lohadiguda was the place first where burst of anger against Indian Govt. happened and why? Because tribals gathered there refused the new arrangement of Indian Govt of recognising the younger brother of Late. Maharaj Pravir Chandra Bhanjdeo of Bastar (last ruler with ruling rights) as Ruler of Bastar for the purpose of privy purse. Tribals refused the arrangement against there beloved Maharaja and police opened fire and first martyrs of Bastar after independence fell to the ground. Then came the year 1967 when Maharaja of Bastar was shot dead in his pace in cold blood in a police action, along with thousands of tribals on the ground that Maharaja was trying to wage war against Indian Govt with his tribal subjects. That was tribal uprising which was put down heavily by force. Madam Roy must visit again and see that tribals and even non-tribals pray Pravir Chandra as a god after his martyrdom. One can see his photograph along with that of Mai Danteswari in several places, in temples, in homes, in shops, every where. But why? Because he was a just ruler and more aptly a leader which understood the need of his people and fought vigorously for that with government. Most primarily Pravir was against the ingress of non-tribals in his state. Infact death of Pravir in a police action made the land fertile for PWG to grow in Bastar as the tribal has gone disillusioned and there only voice to outer world gone, the discontent continued in hearts and minds and later on PWG harvested it and filled the void left by martyrdom of Pravir. So the death of a royal sowed the seeds of communist revolution, great. That means one thing tribal war is not for Maoist ideology it is for reclaiming of there rights. It is not Maoist war it is a war tribal is fighting for himself. Sad thing for Ms.Roy to know that, that Bastarias will not Maoist who will not fly red banner if they are successful. And, what’s that rant about women being bare chest in Baster. Is it a custom, come on do a little study about India madam? It is not a custom that after marriage one has to be bare chest. It is just what it is. It is Subsisting on frugal materials as a way of simple living. The law of equality between men and women in tribals is not taught by Maoist. Infact it is way of life for them. Bigamy is word first introduced by white british colonist who made it a criminal offence based on christian law. Thankfully law in India now recognises the customs of tribals of bigamy and for them it is not punishable. Dwij Gonds? heard that for first time in your essay. What I had known since my child hood that there are Rajgonds (Rulers and Landlords) and Dhurgonds (ordinary people). No other classification exist other then that and that also just denotes the status other things being common between Rajgonds and Dhurgonds. There is no untouchability between the Rajgonds and Dhurgonds tribals and both the classes inter marry also. There you said conversion to Hinduism created rifts in tribal society. Conversion to Hinduism? it is a misnomer. Hinduism is way of life. Tribals except those who converted to christianity like Oraons, Nagas, Mizos, are infact Hindus only. Don’t we pray Mai Danteswari chief goddess of Bastar or PashupatiNath ( naam hi batata hai ki sabhi prajatiyo ke Devta hai) along with tribals. Basically Hinduism believes in nature praying, each god is associated with something on earth. When we had common deities how come we are different just the way of performing puja is different. Then it is different in all over India. Way of prayer is different but god is same. So we all are hindus tribals and non-tribals. But your christian mind can not understand Hindu way of life. Have you ever written any article that vatican is running a program of conversion. Oraon people who had converted to christianity are being spread like weeds to others parts of India among the Gonds, Kawars, Marias as far as upto Maharashtra from Jharkhand where they natives. Just to spread Christianity. But hard work missionaries Gond is here in these lands since time immemorial not a migrant like Oraons, Gonds will not convert. Madam Roy Bastar is unique; it can not be equated with Bengal, Bihar or Orissa in the so called red corridor. Fight is for reclaiming there rights and solution is to throw all the outsiders out of Bastar ( including Bengali refugees and Telagu Comrades) and then see how rapidly the peace prevails. Jai Mai Danteshwari , Jai Bastar , Jai Chhattisgarh. Rajnish Singh Baghel Bilaspur, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
312/D-33 Jun 12, 2010 02:57 AM	Arundhati Roy deserves our admiration for giving a voice to the Bastar tribals and bringing to light the horrible nature of the Indian richer and middle classes and of the Indian state hich works at their behest. She is however totally misguided in reerring to Kashmir as a territory under India's occupation and expressing support to the Islamic terrorists in that integral part of India. Exposing the ugly face of the current Indian state is one thing; attacking the territorial integrity of India and its sovereign existence is something else. The latter is totally unacceptable. This is a gross abuse of free speech. Arundhati, you are undermining your own credibility in the eyes of millions of Indian's like me. We believe that the tribals of India, and the Dalits, and all other oppressed classes, have a right to defend themselves against the violence which India's rich and middle classes, and the State which works at their behest, have been directing against them over many decades. If the Maoists are enabling them to organise for this purpose, they deserve our support. If the only way to organise this defence is to face violence with violence, so be it. The primary responsibility for this is with Chidambaram and the State that he represents. But for us, the sovereignty and territorial integrity of India is also sacrosanct. You are doing a great disservice to all sections of India's underprivileged by equating their struggle with that of Islamic terroristts in Kashmir. India's tribals are fighting to secure their right to life and to a better future. Islamic terrorists fight to kill the infidels and force women into burquas. Do not undermine the legitimacy of the struggles of India's underprivileged classes by supporting terrorism inspired by a religious ideology which does not recognise the right to life of those who do not accept that ideology. Suranjit Saha Swansea, United Kingdom PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
311/D-8 Jun 09, 2010 03:55 AM	Arundhati's gandhians feel sorry about their guilt http://ibnlive.in.co...16651-3.html?from=tn I thought it was done by state government to show them in bad light. Maha NJ, United States PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
310/D-78 Jun 06, 2010 05:26 PM	When are we arresting her? Time to throw her in Jail. Prasanth Melbourne, Australia PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
309/D-66 Jun 04, 2010 11:39 AM	After reading Arundhati Roy's latest speech in Mumbai, made after her direct contacts with Kishenji: A piece written early – as part of my novel being written -- modified on May 25. On the basis of the thought-provoking reports, let me bring in the related issues that may help our Arsha Bharata come out as a model for the world as the largest welfare-state democracy. Kobad Ghandy, alumnus of Doon school, classmate of Sanjay Gandhi, a highly educated and enlightened Parsee, member of a wealthy business family, was arrested last year for being concerned for poor people, for devoting his entire life time to uplift them, especially the Jungly Animals of Sindhu. Look! He was humiliated by businessmen ruling jungles -- the administrators acting as their infantry and cavalry. He decided to be a Maoist; became one of the topmost Maoists. He is in Tihar Jail. For how many years will he be there? Binayak Sen -- only a sympathiser of the jungly animals -- spent two years! On May 2, The Hindu reported the demonstrations of thousands of jungly animals demanding the Govt to stop Green Hunt. According to the NEWSWING, the Union Minister of State for Agriculture, on May 7, informed Rajya Sabha that NABARD had sanctioned 191 horticultural projects in Sindhu for the jungly animals. The outlay is Rs. 543.6 Crores, virtually grant to 1.56 lakh jungly families. Each family will get around Rs. 45,000. The project duration ranges from 5-7 years. Four projects cover 4,000 jungly families. About 500-1000 jungly families are covered with 1000 acres of orchard plantation in clusters. . . My view on the Minister's revelations: The amount not exceeding Rs. 45,000 granted to a family is small, I believe. Still, something is better than nothing. How many families are covered? Let me forget about jungles in my arithmetic; let those animals be 5-member families. Then the figure of the 1.56 lakh families thus covered in the Rajya Sabha works out: to be 0.78% of the 200 lakh (2 crore) families encompassing 10 crore jungly animals; and to be 0.02 % of the 70 crore of the entire animals of the projected 130 crore Sindhian humanoids. ---------- My request to Binayak Sen, Arundhati Roy and all intellectuals who are on their wavelengths: You are not Maoists, I know; you sympathize with Maoists. Dear Ma`am and Sirs, Call a meeting of yours. Request Kishenji to take part. Please try to bring about a change in his attitudes. Oh, dear Kishenji! Throw away your gun after the meeting. Be a PIED PIPER, an angelic player, not the history's Lucifer who lured 130 children to Waser River and got them drowned. You can play the pipe and lure the 130 crore Sindhians, including the 70 crore who are the poorest in the world. Go to JNU first and Play. Lure your supporters and plead to them, “March with me to New Heaven And New Earth, not to the BAY OF BENGAL, not even to Dandi.” They will follow you; those in other Us will follow them; Karat will follow; Mohanji will; Rahulji and all will. You will become the Planet's Gandhi of the twenty-first century. Only you from Sindhustan -- at this moment -- can be that Gandhi. If you pooh-pooh me, that clever school girl of USA will become the Planet's Gandhi, who asked her President, "Among the ones reincarnated, whom will you eat with?", for which she got the reply, "I shall eat with Gandhi only, even though he may discourage me from filling my stomach beyond capacity!" -- after which only the President proudly proclaimed to his white compatriots, "I'm a black man," though his mother was white! Kishenji! I am not pooh-poohing you. Even if you succeed with your gun, your fate will not be different from that of Mengistu Haile Mariam of Ethiopia -- that “Napoleon the Junior” of Orwell. Mengistu's supporters were innocent students including mine whom I was teaching after I taught in Kenya. I tell you, in Kenya I happened to meet and talk to Barack Hussein Obama Sr. It was when we were sitting on the opposite sides of a table in a Patel’s bar in Nairobi, drinking Russian Vodka, the favourite drink of both. It was then Mr. Patel informed us that my co-drinker's benefactor Tom Mboya was shot dead by Jomo Kenyatta’s man. The news in Hindi was then secretly revealed to me by Mr. Patel, with a warning, “Run back home. I’m going to close the bar. Somebody said a hired Patel has done the act, after which he has taken his flight to South Africa.” Obama was wondering at the nonsense going on between the two Sindhians. Poor Patel! Somebody had just rumoured to him! Kenyatta's man was a Kikuyu. Kishenji, Kenyatta’s act had a resemblance to the one of Napoleon of the ANIMAL FARM who had arranged the killing of Snowball who had fled to the New World, am I right? What happened to Napoleon’s Animal Farm? You want to be a Napoleon? Or a Snowball of Napoleon? Or a Gandhi of Godse? Be a Gandhi of Godse, Sir. I'm an ex-revolutionary, an oldie, Sir! 77 yrs old!. Kuruvilla M U Bangalore, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
308/D-36 May 29, 2010 05:07 AM	It takes a lot of money to run their campaign. I won't be surprised if the Chinese government is funding their activities in preparation of a future invasion of India. People like Comrades Karat and Roy behave as if they are the scouts of the Red Army. axm Calgary, Canada PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
307/D-45 May 28, 2010 09:44 AM	The Maoists are increasingly targeting Rail traffic and the passengers. What spin will Arundhati Roy will give to the these gruesome events and motivations? M. Singh Nashik, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
306/D-7 May 28, 2010 01:14 AM	I am verymuch worried about the iodex smelling comrade and the poor tribal women suffering from joint pain and anaemia respectively. A good and a regular dose of RhusTox 1m alternated with formic acid 200( which is richly present in material form in the sour ants the tribals eat) will do for the ailing knees and big joints. A few drops of haemamalis Q will help the women coming out of the poor haemoglobin count. Let not the doctor incharge forget that Homeopathy is not only effective but also a layman's remedy. Laxminarayana V.N mysore, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
305/D-99 May 20, 2010 11:03 PM	Arundhati Roy has an arresting smile but one may wonder, with so much to worry about, how one can indulge in the feudal past time of smiling. I presume laughing would place her self firmly with her deeply hated corporate and the devious Uncle Sam. That would be totally unacceptable and so neo-capitalist to core and perhaps swiftly demand a summary execution in a Maoist kangaroo court She has found her enviable groovy slot; appreciating Maoists, demonizing state, justifying Mumbai terror attack, bad mouthing market, blood sucking capitalism and greedy corporate. The cozy fat advance funded existence and indulgences, presumably from publishing corporate makes her life very easy along with forays to articulate poor angst and related terrorism. Understandably her pen spews acid and more acid whenever her fragile sensitive mind is disturbed by whatever is utterly wrong with every thing in this wretched, feudal, bad, neo-capitalist, Brahaminical, blood sucking exploitative world. Further my feudal-neo-capitalist curiosity about make or perhaps the brand of her acid filled pen is formidable; it can not be and should not have been produced in some blood sucking sweatshops of west. Her distasteful and careless expression of terming Maoists as “Gandhi with Guns” is outrageous. But exotica scourging media always curiously loves weird and outrageous stuff. I don’t have any grudge that she made tons of money through neo-capitalist-west originated and supported book launches and all the marketing strategies of a multinational publishing house. The sweet smell of money one nosy pen pusher felt during those heady initial “God of Small Things” days, in her barsati, made her free of so much money centered restrains, if they were any. Her fusion with capitalist publishing, fertile imagination and writing skills were preordained and justified. Most big bad capitalist owned media gives huge space to her acidic views for public consumptions. She has been extremely guarded in her criticism of the latest Maoist attack on a private bus killing about 50 people. It is said that the heavily armed brave warriors of the poor went on pumping bullets in to dead bodies of women and children, tells own gruesome tale of their depravity. But her terror sympatric faculties must be really busy trying hard to find and nail any state role and lapses, leading to the incident. There is no doubt that she will find some thing fast and absolve the innocent, armed poor trying hard to save their land from the greedy corporate by killing civilians. In a TV interview, she also opined that the Maoist ideologues are using these poor harassed tribal to further their own agenda and the poor are also wise enough to use these ideologues. Her deeply obsessive fascination to further the cause of romanticized gruesome Maoist terror, she perhaps does not care, that she is also being used by the clever remnants foot soldiers of one of the most brutal and oppressive ideologues and their defunct empire of deceit, world wide. Thankfully she has declined to mediate between government and ultras, being aware of her lack of skills as a facilitator. At the same time her belief in a fake democracy, all politicians dishonest, presiding over an exploitative system serving hated corporate looters is so strong and deep that it’s good she is away from any negotiations. Off course the system is defective and diseased, but it is evolving too, though slowly. It is needless to say that the state and its various arms and faculties have contributed to or ignored the buildup of problems to current pathetic stage. And she knows having been part of the same system for short. But to imagine that the dreaded Maoists are there for solving the real problems of poor is beyond any reason, logic and comprehension. It is also well known what their ultimate ideological and blood soaked class struggle afflicted objectives are. But a disease is never cured by other deadly disease; she is hell bent on suggesting and so haughtily justifying. M. Singh Nashik, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
304/D-2 May 19, 2010 12:22 AM	"The link does not give the details of what exactly happened – where it is an unintended mistake" Of course it will not, if you have tainted glasses. The documents says, "According to the complaint, all four are said to have built their cottages on Desh's land despite his objection.Having unsuccessfully pleaded to all four several times to vacate his land, Vijay Singh finally complained to Sub Divisional Magistrate Niaz Ahmad Khan in May this year.On investigating the matter, Niaz Ahmad found the complaint to be correct and forwarded the case to the court of Tehsildar ML Solanki." "what is the comment from the side of Ms. Roy (or her husband) etc" Since when this is required to validate the news ? Is magistrate's confirmation is not enuf for you ? I donot see you waiting for comments from Mutaliks, Thogadias, Thakres before criticizing acts of Ram sene, VHP and Shiv sena. Maha NJ, United States PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
303/D-119 May 18, 2010 09:37 PM	Maha, >> Yeah. right. She is the biggest hypocrite. Check her ways to provide justice to poor tribals The link does not give the details of what exactly happened – where it is an unintended mistake, what is the comment from the side of Ms. Roy (or her husband) etc. This link http://www.indianexpress.com/oldStory/29952/ for example says "The houses in the name of Pradeep Kishen (Roy's husband) and Aradhana Seth were completed in 1996 after all necessary revenue formalities". There might be a misunderstanding/mistake etc. The issue is not personally about Ms. Roy or her husband. If there is merit in the argument to consider the legitimate rights/justice/livelihood issues of poor tribals, it needs be looked into. If one of the writer who raises this issue (or her husband) had some illegal construction which is removed etc does not do anything to the legitimacy of the issue raised. Don't try an Ad Hominem attack. That's irrelevant to the larger point/issue. Kumar Bangalore, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
302/D-107 May 18, 2010 07:23 PM	"Ms. Roy is first and foremost advocating to consider the legitimate rights/justice/livelihood issues of poor tribals." Yeah. right. She is the biggest hypocrite. Check her ways to provide justice to poor tribals. http://timesofindia....icleshow/1681245.cms Maha NJ, United States PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
301/D-70 May 18, 2010 02:43 PM	Anoop, >> No one is denying the fact that there is a problem with the administration and tribals and suffering. That does not mean you can go ahead and justify violence. Ms. Roy is first and foremost advocating to consider the legitimate rights/justice/livelihood issues of poor tribals. The whole essay is sympathizing with the extremely poor and simple tribals who need or desire very little to live etc, but just strolling for livelihood which they think is trampled upon. She is not saying that it is right that they take up arms. She was pointing at the fact how even such poor/simple tribals with legitimate rights are in this - and to use ruthless force of Army/Air force etc means brutally eliminating such poor/simple people who are just struggling for a livelihood. Why cant the simple legitimate issues related to livelihood etc of these tribals be talked about and addressed, is the question she and many other intellectuals are asking. Kumar Bangalore, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
300/D-57 May 18, 2010 11:55 AM	Kumar, I dont think you got the point, buddy. No one is denying the fact that there is a problem with the administration and tribals and suffering. That does not mean you can go ahead and justify violence. I am not sure whether you have read through her other articles so far, but almost every one follows the same traits, the same angle. My question to you is- she justifies Maoists and Naxalites, she has justified terrorists and Hamas in the past.. Would you justify terrorism if one of your families were those who were killed in the massacres in Mumbai>?..or one of the families of the dantewada massacres? ..nor would one would be able to justify crime if you were on the tribal families, and you had to go through the atrocities of the mafias or the police force..Violence is not justified- terrorists , government or any other- dont pretend to hold a higher moral ground by empathizing. Good journalism ends when sympathy turns into empathy you end up romanticizing the crime. I dont even want to call this journalism, infact. And Maha, Its just the englishlanguage of hers that I was a fan of- not the usage. :) Anoop P banglore, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
299/D-148 May 17, 2010 11:54 PM	Anoop, >> I used to be a fan of hers. Now she is lost. she does not know what to condemn or what to uphold. So she takes a simple strategy- wherever it is and whatever it is, she takes the sides of the so called "oppressed" She is just pointing the legitimate grievances of Tribals to be addressed. Nothing wrong in that. She is not some police officer refusing to take action etc. The law enforcement will do its job too. She raises points about tribal problems which many would agree - like the 25 intellectuals and activists who appreciated the statement of Sonia Gandhi that the extreme neglect of the tribal areas is at the root of the present crisis in those regions. Arundhati Roy has not changed. It is you who have perhaps changed (or 'lost' as you have put it). Kumar Bangalore, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
298/D-141 May 17, 2010 11:16 PM	http://timesofindia....icleshow/5941102.cms Gandhian with a gun, Eh ? Arundhati ? Maha NJ, United States PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
297/D-140 May 17, 2010 11:12 PM	Anup, "I used to be a fan of hers. Now she is lost. she does not know what to condemn or what to uphold" Just curious to know what made you fan of Arundhati in the past ? Is it her literary work or anything else ? Anyway welcome to the club of Arundhati Haters. Maha NJ, United States PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
296/D-128 May 17, 2010 09:55 PM	I used to be a fan of hers. Now she is lost. she does not know what to condemn or what to uphold. So she takes a simple strategy- wherever it is and whatever it is, she takes the sides of the so called "oppressed" - terrorists, the hamas, maoists. And with pure elegance of her literary vomit, readers cringe and they think-what she really wants? what in the holy heavens and hell of a point is she trying to make here?? the higher moral ground?, the middle ground? or no ground at all?? -result- more readers,more money for her, more propaganda. This is rather cruel to say- but- if there were a community of rapists in a village-who are the outcasts- who have been totally deserted from any touch of the human female-and they were forced to rape to keep themselves sane...I am sure Arundhathi Roy would have been there writing about the plight of these "poor men" with glows in their eyes, the sparks in their hopes of a better tomorrow... Shame on you Arundhathi. Crime stems from reasons. The reason however valid, itself does not render the crime void. If you look at the reason for all crime and try to reason it, no crime should be penalized. Rapists -because of their child hood traumas? or poor parenting they received? Murderers -because they dont see a difference in killing a chicken and a small child?such innocence and spark in their eyes eh?-theives: beacuse they couldnt get education or the lively hood they wanted and so chose to steal and rob? -the list can go on. I literally puked 2 times half way through this article. I have a head ache now... Good luck to other readers if you make it to the end. Cheers- Anoop P Anoop P banglore, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
295/D-24 May 16, 2010 02:57 AM	I would like to get the e-mail of Arundati Roy. Is it possible? Thanks, Francesco Francesco Cecchini Montebelluna, Italy PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
294/D-112 May 11, 2010 09:53 PM	After 84Lakh rebirth one get human life. So one should cherish it. But instead if people seek emancipation from this. There must be something very wrong. From time immemorial , life is made despicable by the nazi-casti-sm . Now it is has got refined and more lethal. Corruption and mafia of common interest gangs has created many suffering . India should fear indian before pointing at others. Why the frustrated indian is helping aliens to hurt his owns. Think hard, Answer is every where. God if exist save us from ..... Rebat Pal Delhi, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
293/D-112 May 07, 2010 10:58 PM	Rather sad that those who live in a developed world and have the power of the mighty press behind them, use their words to romanticize poverty, lack of education, and a primitive way of life. The people of Dantewada have been deprived of the fruits of development.They are sitting on a pile of natural resources which are the wealth of the nation.If they are repositioned and given better agricultural land, better access to development, education and allowed to compete with all the other farmers of developed states, will it actually take anything away from them? Is settling down in a different place, away from where your forefathers were born, really a very sad thing to do? Then how come almost all those who are reading this, have moved away from their ancestral homes, and moved on to places more conducive for their better prospects or education or whatever? Why sit in armchair discussion and not allow all the people of our nation to reap the benefits of development? How are dams bad? Should the natural resources of the nation not be shared by all? If proper leadership is not provided, then the youth of every area finds a leader to follow. They may be misguided and taken away from what is better for them. Criticizing the building of schools, as being built like fortresses is stretching things too far. Govt has the resources to build better structures of a permanent nature. Therefore the use of steel, rather than thatched huts!! If teachers have run away, and infra structure is misused, then the administration needs to control the situation. Insurgents and other vested interests step in where ever there is a lack of proper leadership. The task in hand is to rebuild trust and get the people back in the mainstream.They must participate in nation building and as citizens of this nation, they need to be able to develop and prosper like everyone else. Varsha Uke Nagpal Nashua, United States PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
292/D-59 May 07, 2010 09:32 AM	"...Call me a nit-picker but when someone sings praises of the simple tribal lifestyle, how they should left alone to do their thing, how mining companies should be driven away from everywhere as their only gift to society is irreparable environmental damage, one should not talk about their I-Pod in the same article [See Page 8 of the article]. On one hand, the author rages on about the industry-administration mafia and about much damage they do in the name of modernization/development and on the other hand, she herself is so addicted to her I-Pod that she cannot leave it behind even when she is going off into an exciting trip through the forests with the people who know it best, the tribals. Maybe she verified with Apple where all that technology that led to an invention like the I-Pod was born from and the details of the mines where all the minerals that went into the electronics inside it came from. Maybe it was developed by an alien tribal who lived in a forest of some faraway planet where the I-Pods grew on trees and you could charge them by just dipping them into the free flowing water (No big dams on them you see) and where there was no need for any compromise between development and tradition, environment and technology - something which we have to deal with everyday on this, our far-from-perfect planet. Ahhh, utopia then is a planet where all the residents are tribals who prefer to live the simple forest lifestyle and yet are technologically advanced enough to have all the comforts of a modern age without building monsters like hydroelectric dams and steel plants whose only utility according to Ms. Roy lies in exploiting dis-empowered people. There's some good true Communism for you or then again is that Cameron-ism?"... http://virtual-inksa...k-with-comrades.html Anuranjan Roy Calcutta, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (1) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
291/D-75 May 06, 2010 11:38 PM	>>Ken (270) said: If you have some intelligence, dont romanticize development. Ken, we could say the same to you: don't romanticize poverty and ignorance. We have been through it for centuries and we know it is ugly. The past 60 years we have given enough chance to socio-communism that the author supports and we have gone nowhere. It is time for the Westerners to leave India alone with its destiny. balaji viswanthan madurai, india PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
290/D-1 May 06, 2010 12:21 AM	Hi. We want to publish this article in turkish. So we need to get permission from Arundhati Roy. We will be gratefull if anyone can help us to reach to Arundhati Roy. An e-mail will be enough. Thanks... Ali Haydar Y?ld?z ?STANBUL, Turkey PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
289/D-26 May 05, 2010 05:09 AM	What I find interesting, especially in some of the comments of this piece is the romanticization of the 'modern' and 'development'. For some reason (possibly social conditioning that we all suffer from) some people decide to only think of the apparent greatness of development and modernism, without remembering or facing up to the ugly, brutal and disguising reality of the 'modern' and 'development' - which involves the murder, rape and ecoside of adivasi and other indigenous people and their land in India, as well as in Latin America, Northern America (look up the Albertan Tar Sands) in Africa, as well as numerous other atrocities and abuses of power. Your development may be shiny and beautiful skyscrapers on the surface, but scratch underneath, as Arundhati Roy does, and you see that it is not something that we should aim for. If you have some intelligence, dont romanticize development. kel London, United Kingdom PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
288/D-142 May 01, 2010 10:14 PM	The plights of the tribals could be real. Indian politicians and police are pretty corrupt. But, Naxalitism is not the way to do it. Mahatma Gandhi brought the largest empire in human history on its knees by 1) property identifying the problem, b) holistically thinking the solution, 3) logically conveying to the opponent without the use of force 4) relentless in his pursuit and spectacularly organization. Even though the British were brutal at times (remember Jallianwala Bagh) he made deep inroads into their conscience. This is the only option for tribals. Formulate a solution to their problem and discuss with the Indian society and we would listen at some point (you need to be relentless and patient like Mahatma). If you are going to war, you can fight forever and Indian state will not stop - causing a lot of blood. Change is the only permanent thing and every species on earth undergoes change. Same for the adivasis. At some point they will be made to change, like it or not. No romantic writer might stop evolution. So, now might be a time to organize and guide the change in their own terms. balaji viswanthan madurai, india PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
287/D-107 May 01, 2010 06:57 PM	For a moment let us ignore Ms. Roy's insults of our Constitution and Father of the Nation. Let's ignore her call for people to convert pristine forests into cultivated land to be distributed to comrades. Let's ignore her non-objective and ultra positive portrayal of terrorists who kill innocents mercilessly. Let us just talk about her heroes motives and future. Naxalites might be gaining ground in India's remote villages & tribal lands, but India is far bigger than that. Even if Ms. Roy and her barbaric comrades can hoodwink innocent tribals they cannot fool us in the cities. In short they can never ever overthrow Delhi. So, what is the alternative - create a bunch of Bastaristans in the middle? However hard we sympathize with the tribals and their hardships, the best they can fight for is compensation. India population quadrupled since Independence and a lot of backward regions are seeing explosive people growth. Where are you going to accommodate people and their stomachs while clinging to practices that suited when the land supported a lot less people. The ugly truth is that the tribal style farming without technology is not going to support 1.1 billion people. Either we have to have a lot of hungry people or get a help a few people move on. A lot of us live and work in lands far away from our traditional land, and so could the tribals with proper compensation and training. It is like "who moved my cheese?" only it is not ain't funny. The Indian government should try hard to get mainstream media, mainstream religions, technology and education into the region and they will do the job. Instead of fighting with the tribals, the government should be surgical in their war and pull tribals to our way of life. Once they get used to it, they will never go back to loo with used refined oil packs. balaji viswanthan madurai, india PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
286/D-65 Apr 30, 2010 03:44 PM	Violence is weak anger.The maoists and the tribals are weak,weak in terms of self-restraint, weak in comparison with the enormous complacence of the middle class that nourishes this corrupt indian democracy,weak in the strategic locations defined in terms of mainstream-margin and weak in media-support that can be bought by you know what. They are angry because the rest of us are not.They are angry for reasons that are more than obvious.The state knows better why people are so angry with it.Unfortunately this anger is illegitimate in democracy. Have we ever felt anger when we learn that our bureaucrats and politicians have made billions from the money meant for your so-called development?have we ever demanded a hunt of people responsible for the millions who die of hunger and thirst?If we did we would harness an illegitimate anger and if we expressed our angers we would be called enemies of the state. I am personally angry for in the municipal town i live, drinking water is still a luxury,sixty plus years of independence. But i m not weak in self-restraint like the tribals-maoists because i am middle class with strong democratic values of cowardice and citizenship!! But i will still not want to lose my right to be angry which arundhati so beautifully exercises. Achyut Chetan Dumka, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
285/D-120 Apr 28, 2010 06:56 PM	Corporates and Politics make apt bed-mates. We’ve seen the same potent cocktail mix screw the IPL.( 2 NCP MPs, 2 Billion dollar corporate houses and Mr. Modi). Here the same orgasmic combination TATA + VEDANTA and’ n’ number of politicians in these Tribal belts. Isn’t it shocking that after 60 years of so-called independence no roads, street lights, schools and health care centres exist in underpriveleged and economically tracts of land. Kudos to Arundhati Roy for throwing light on the current ongoings. Maybe biased ‘facts’ but better than the ‘one-sided ‘official propaganda churned out in print, audio-visual and the online media. Cleverly or should I say cunningly, the State and Central machinery has turned Tribals (Salwa Judum) against Tribals (Maoists/Naxals). British “divide and rule” policy. Let them first kill amongst themselves. The local police (again Tribals) will nail the others. And any leftovers will be exterminated (as infested is widely used) by the Army.Which ever angle we see it is the Tribals who are suffering. Prejudice and Personal attacks are so so INDIAN and we have highly educated and learned readers indulge in the comments section in a free- for- all. Just ponder dear readers: If any of the naxals had a job, food, education, medical care and shelter would they get brainwashed away by the Naxal propaganda and join them in hordes as like today. There has to be a serious problem or problems so as to make them think that only armed struggle will alleviate them so as to suffer by hiding and trekking in jungles with bare essentials and necessities. Ravin Hyderabad, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
284/D-101 Apr 24, 2010 06:30 PM	simply thanks to the author for adding a much needed contribution to the discourse on the naxalites/ maoists. and thanks to the Outlook magazine for publishing this much against the tide of government/ corporate propaganda which has flooded most of the mainstream media. no thanks to all the comment writers who cant see beyond the propaganda to the greater malaise of our corrupt society. i hope the government doesnt have the audacity to silence such eloquent criticism of its corruption as "maoist sympathising". we need more journalists and media with the guts to delve behind the propaganda especially the people's war. naveen jankar delhi, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
282/D-53 Apr 22, 2010 03:59 PM	????? ?? ???? ??? ????? ? ???? ???? ???? ??, ???? ???-??? ?? ????? ?? ???? ???? ?? ??????? ???? ????????? ??????? ??????? ????? ???, ?????? ????, ????, ?????, ???????? ??????? ?? ??? ???, ?? ???? ???, ???? ??????? ?? \| Full Hindi Poetry Bastar Poem http://tinyurl.com/bastar Sanjiv Thakur Raipur, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
281/D-66 Apr 21, 2010 08:25 PM	India is a fake democracy,RIGHT? Let's do one thing,Roy. Why don't you actually do something about it? Oh that's right, you have conveniently washed of your hands by saying that you are not suited for it, It is easy being a cynic and criticize the politicians, but then you'd sit back and just criticize the state. You are a fiction writer, you DO NOT take into account the reality of the situation and start dreaming of a utopia, that correct, you are the one in the utopia, not P Chidambaram and certainly not the people who agree with you. Fake Democracy, you are the Fake socialist and a fake environmentalist, With your mansion built on illegal forest land. That's right psuedo-liberals, check it out on Wikipedia. Narendra Hyderabad, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (1) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
280/D-38 Apr 21, 2010 02:00 PM	Thank you Ms. Roy - THANK YOU ! I put off reading that piece because I knew it would make me angry - and it DID . 'What this country needs is indeed a revolution' like your mum said . Please continue writing - we need you . And also, as an aside, please ignore comments such as # 259, which are beyond any comprehension! shivani dogra New Delhi, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
279/D-81 Apr 18, 2010 11:13 PM	Everyone who writes appears to have a little of truth in what they say. Many different angles for looking at things. Many different realities. Many personal interests in people who govern, only self directed actions in people who have the power of making big changes, and sometimes no action at all from people who has the power of small changes. Most problems affecting humankind/planet earth will be overcomed once we ralize humanity is on an overdose of ego and greed. And act on it. It will work towards a solution to write/inquire about things like Mrs. Roy, or anyone who writes about crital issues, cause somehow pressure put on critical points or people at power or governments, can bring out the Truth. Just start acting with a little more compassion and out of pure uninterested Love. Things have to change for the better of all !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Francisco Malo Cuenca, Ecuador PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
278/D-29 Apr 18, 2010 06:19 AM	I think readers who criticizing Roy did not understand the premise of this article.Roy did not support Maoism. She talks how exploitation created unrest.She did not opposed capitalism. True capitalism do not destroy people.It only makes their lives better. Nations mineral resources can be used, but not indiscriminately. For example take USA. They have huge oil reserves in Alaska. But they are not drilling it to protect their environment. Roy point is also same. What would you say if government plan open cast mine beside your city if they found some new resources? Sridhar Telangana, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
277/D-51 Apr 17, 2010 03:18 PM	gentlemen and nitwits it seems apparent that the maoists, left supporters, roy and city intellectuals dislike and hate industry, and modernism. they are quite ready to romanticise the sordid and dismal lives of the tribals. these people survive on very little of good food. survival depends on dubious forrest products. their liveing conditions are awful- their children get no schooling or medical help. is this what these worthies would wish for themselves and their families. ofcource not. in a interview on tv vinod mehta said that he ofcource travelled business class, and stayed in a good hotel. his dog was fed emmenthaler cheese. he was constantly in social circles. the same for arundhati. as a pragmatist, a modernist i demand that these tribals be given the same chances of these fake socialists. who knows ,that these tribals will not produce great writers, painters, engineers or doctors. these people should get all the benefits from the modern culture of the 21 st century- solar,wind energy, brick homes with red tiled roofs,water ,kitchen gardens. they should get centres for tribal art, and opportunities to try their luck in the rest of india and beyond. all of this can only be obtained by useing the mineral wealth in the ground below their feet. it requires common sense, adherence to good environmental practices, and sensible and fair agreements of wealth shareing with companies like vedanta, arcellor. it will not be possible through sanctimonious postureing by people like roy and half baked intellectuals. i visited trankebar in south india a few weeks ago. it was an old danish colony anno 1620. the danes have left behind a magnificent legacy of homes, churches, schools. after the 2004 tsunami foreign agencies, the indian govt, asi, intach, and a danish well fare fund have changed the face of the town.it is today a centre of education. the danish govt has provided the fishermen with glass fibre boats with outboard engines. it was good to see them come on shore and unload their huge catches. all this is possible through financial backing and modern ideas. that is exactly what is required in the tribal areas ask the chinese govt and they will support this strategy. they will have nothing to do with fakes like roy and her supporters. gayatri devi delhi, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
276/D-41 Apr 17, 2010 01:16 PM	ADI-you silly fellow, you forgot the gold medalist, the Cambodian Khmer Rouge. You also forgot to mention how different the two Koreas are South Korea-The evil totalitarian state, where people are starving by the millions. AND North Korea-Where our comrades have created a paradise, Man, Narendra Hyderabad, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
275/D-5 Apr 17, 2010 12:44 AM	Please - this is not the forum for discussing comments policy. Take your messages to the relevant forum please -- Moderator Adi XXXXX, USA PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
274/D-95 Apr 16, 2010 11:45 PM	Moderator's Note: Please do not post the same message again and again. Ajay Delhi, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
273/D-86 Apr 16, 2010 09:24 PM	Moderator's note: If you desist from ad hominem attacks, and join issue with the subject matter of the article, no one will remove your comments. Users should note that only because some comments by others which are similar - or worse - remain undiluted is no excuse. If you find something abusive, instead of joining issue in this section, which is meant for feedback, please send us mail with the subject header marked: Complaint to edit AT outlookindia.com Adi XXXXX, USA PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
272/D-84 Apr 16, 2010 09:18 PM	To all of those whose cockles are warmed by the heroic fighting that the maoist guerillas are waging against the horrible farce of a democracy that India has, let us pause to question the achievements of the Maoists and sundry Communists elsewhere. For those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it. First, the great Communist paradise of USSR ... oops bankrupt. Let's move on to North Korea ... oops again, no need to dwell on it. Now let's come to the true Maoist paradise, China. Oh my, how well they treat their "minorities". Tibetans and Uighurs for instance are living in virtual paradise. Government corruption? no one's heard of it. Of course it goes without saying that if you raise your voice against the Goverenment, you'll lose your head without doubt. Human rights and free-speech anyone? How about exploiting the poor? Worker's paradise? As long as you are willing to work to death as a factory slave manufacturing cheap plastic trinkets to sell to Walmart, no problems, no exploitation there. Forcible land grabbing? you must be kidding me. Exploitation of natural resources? Arrogance? Violence against those who protest? No, none of this happens in Maoist paradise! Let us all now join the Maoist guerillas to build this paradise in India. History be damned, we will build a paradise now! Adi XXXXX, USA PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
271/D-60 Apr 16, 2010 05:51 PM	This article has a very theatrical ambiance, getting back to reality, Maoists are just another type of insurgents, i cannot think of any attribute which distinguishes naxalite problem from normal insurgency. At grass root level maoists are driven to fight against the industrialists and govt lobbies which is just a farce, even a moderately read person can know that maoists are mobilized by our friendly neighborhood countries like china and these people are well networked with terrorist groups for supply of arms, do you think that maoists are born with skills of combat and weapon training? India is a big rival to china and dampening the growth here is as good as mobilizing more investments there, what happened in Nepal can be tried and repeated here. What US did to Afghanistan in form of Mujahideens and what india did to Sri Lanka in form of LTTE is happening to india in form of Maoists, glorifying them as heroes can also have a clear political agenda, its amusing how many times Congress was mentioned in this article. :) Every country on this planet has casualties because of economic and industrial growth, china epitomizes this phenomenon, india is not even half way there. Mahesh Bangalore, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
270/D-46 Apr 16, 2010 11:51 AM	This is the first time I am reading article of Ms. Roy. I must say,my blood was boiling at the time I was reading the article. I didn't know about the greeds of so many big companies that are exterminating our tribal life from the region. Thanks for giving me so much knowledge. I salute you for this endeavor to fight for tribal people. The way you are living your life is very satisfying. At least you are doing what you can for these helpless tribal people. I would also like to join you in this fight ! HARSH LUCKNOW, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
268/D-22 Apr 16, 2010 03:16 AM	Raj from Chicago: "-- What happens if the Maoists try the same trick on the main culprits in the Indian govt? Indian tribals do not need Mossad's training. Hunting is in their blood. Of course, urban hunting in the concrete jungle is a different ball-game." Armchair maoist guerilla all the way from Chicago, U-S-A! Lol! Adi XXXXX, USA PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
267/D-83 Apr 15, 2010 09:22 PM	I came here to read A. Roy's article. A great writer tells a story that is particular, yet universal. I am much moved, as I learned much. Thank you. NYCartist NYC, United States PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
266/D-63 Apr 15, 2010 04:35 PM	In this whole war between the government and the Maoists, it is the unfortunate Adivasis and the poorly-equipped jawaans who are the sufferers. Aruna Bangalore, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
257/D-28 Apr 15, 2010 10:31 AM	The Indian State is an essentially upper-caste Hindu State (regardless of the party in power) which harbours a reflexive hostility towards the ‘other’. One that, in true colonial fashion, sends the Nagas and Mizos to fight in Chhattisgarh, Sikhs to Kashmir, Kashmiris to Orissa, Tamilians to Assam and so on. The so on includes - ... sends one lower caste to fight another lower caste, sends one group of tribals to fight and kill another... and this has been happening in India for the last 5000 years. Raj Chicago, United States PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
256/D-26 Apr 15, 2010 09:04 AM	well done arundhathi, well done outlook...a malayalam magazine-'MALAYALAM' has translated the article in its last week issue. Very many people whom i see and speak has got a new perspective on the issue. they know they have to fear the state-power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.. swathidev mavelikara, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
255/D-22 Apr 15, 2010 07:40 AM	To Arundhati Roy, I'd say just say two words. THANK YOU! Raj Chicago, United States PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
254/D-21 Apr 15, 2010 07:31 AM	He also has a video archive of burned villages, testimonies from eyewitnesses and relatives of the dead. There’s footage of a little boy whose fingers were chopped off to inaugurate the Bastar chapter of Operation Green Hunt. -- They should post the videos on youtube for the world to see Indian civilization. Raj Chicago, United States PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
253/D-102 Apr 14, 2010 10:20 PM	An article on the internet says that Israel’s Mossad is training 30 high-ranking Indian police officers in the techniques of targeted assassinations, to render the Maoist organisation “headless”. -- What happens if the Maoists try the same trick on the main culprits in the Indian govt? Indian tribals do not need Mossad's training. Hunting is in their blood. Of course, urban hunting in the concrete jungle is a different ball-game. Raj Chicago, United States PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
252/D-35 Apr 14, 2010 08:44 AM	Usually I don't complete reading Arundhiti Roy's writing. But this one proved to be too powerful to resist. It reminds of the hindi film Phoolan Devi. One of the most surreal and powerful movies I had even seen. I think the essence of this entire essay is this, when she says - "It’s hard not to see that the Indian State is an essentially upper-caste Hindu State (regardless of the party in power) which harbours a reflexive hostility towards the ‘other’." Rajesh Phoenix, United States PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
251/D-14 Apr 13, 2010 07:10 AM	To Peter Wignall (Brisbane, post #23), Ashok (Melbourne, post #26), Rajesh (Sydney, post #43), Rajaram Bojji (Hydreabad & USA, post #221) Mr Wignall, I quote your statement below >>>You start from the most miserable level of any Nation that has attempted it, with your "CASTE' system. >>>Most Indians are cursed with an instinct to 'look down' and speak that way to anyone whom they think is less qualified than them. >>>That is one reason why we do not welcome many into Australia. Your Ethics and Morals are different to any other people Worldwide. Mr Wignall, I agree with all your statements, despite being an Indian. I must also clarify for the benefit of all Indians here that I am an untouchable. If that helps people to rationalize fine! But I thought I must make that clear upfront. Let me also add that when Indians (Hindu) come into Australia (or go anywhere else in the world) they still cannot leave their caste behind. That is very evident in the Indian Associations around Australia. E.g. a High caste Hindu once said to me (not knowing that I am an untouchable) “the low caste women after coming to Australia start wearing trousers (and such modern dresses)…..”. This was a well educated gentleman in his Sixties with Australian born offspring!!!!!! Mr Ashok, you are obviously very angry at what Wignall has said. As a result you have tried to paint him and Aussies as “Rednecks”. But by proving him a redneck do you and your CASTE system -- and more particularly your Hinduism -- get absolved of all of Mr Wignall’s observations? Does that absolve the Hinduism of all evils that it has? Essentially you are saying to Aussies “So what if we are bad, you are worse”. Why even today no Hindu religious and political leaders (let alone Mahatma Gandhi and Bal Tilak of 65 years ago) are unwilling to make amends to the religion?? Aussies at least have said sorry to the Aborigines. But you still keep glorifying Chatur Varna. All that you have said about Aussies pales in insignificance when compared to Hinduism!!! Mr Rajesh, you have identified the cause of problems in India and the Indian society as CASTE CULTURE and ENDEMIC CORRUPTION. You are correct, but you still have not reached to the root of all issues plaguing the Indian nation. The root is the religion of Indian society – Hinduism. Religion is like a spiritual DNA of the Humans. When that DNA itself embodies the finger prints of inequality, oppression injustice, when the DNA does not promote fraternity and justice amongst the member of the religion then obviously the members are going to be become corrupt, selfish, evil……and the society is going to get riddled with horrible issues………… Indians like to talk of “Golden Age” in History. The “Golden Age” in history was during the Buddhist period, not Vedic period…….my observation will obviously incense many people here, but it would be hard to deny the history….despite having tried to keep it suppressed for centuries. Please think of it dispassionately rather than……….. Lastly, to Mr Rajaram Bojji. You have mentioned of you educational, professional background etc in the post. Thanks for that. Let me quote your below your statement >>>We think a clerk is too small and will remain exploited always. No, I and many others, do not think so. It is you who think that way. You think that way perhaps because you have not really seen – or not understood/realized - what real oppression and exploitation is. You have not understood what cunning and hideous forms it takes, and this despite your claim of having seen poverty in nooks and corners of the world. Mr Bojji you have started by quoting the following line from Roy’s article to which you have taken offence. >>>The Maoists are not the only ones who seek to depose the Indian State. It’s already been deposed several times by Hindu fundamentalism and economic totalitarianism." You obviously are offended by the finger pointed at (caste) Hindus who incidentally are also the proponents and wholesale beneficiaries of the “economic totalitarianism”. But is that statement not true? Has not the Indian state – that is the Masses of India (not state in the narrow sense of Institutions of Governance) –been ripped off for millennia together? Nandu Sydney, Australia PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
250/D-9 Apr 13, 2010 05:12 AM	A deeply satisfying read.i will like to add...Personally,my vague memory is revisited when i read d line-Nagaa:Born to kill-left in d walls of burned villages' house. Iam a Naga tribal myself but not of Nagaland State(Naga-inhabitated-area is divided into 4 states in India and Burma;A house in a village has international border passing through it)and ive heard stories of tortures which r mentioned in this article even by Nagaland police. They recieve hefty,more-than-usual compensation if they r killed. They have guilty conscience ultimately (although pressure make them act like animals) especially when their own brethen back home were/are tortured in the same way. I heard Ppl dont want to send;they dont want to fight such battle but Central govt press very hard knowing their warfare-capability and state govt is weak. Why not send Delhi police or Mumbai police where Tatas lived? I guess like Ireland,Northeast India or even here brother kill brother when struggle is prolonged and pressured...but for those who r with the truth-Salute. Iam glad 2 know 'greed' hasnt creep in yet with the Comrades... Nobody can bring a person down unless the person allows it... But what i feel most...A heartfelt sorry to the tribal villagers who have been an unfortunate victim of torture even when they've expreience centuries of exploitation...Sorry to the tribal comrades for waging a preverse war... Had it been that the fight is between two soldiers-maoist soldier vs nagaland police-with provision of POW,human rights,etc it would atleast have been more bearable to hear.. But like AR have pointed out,revolutionaries have bad examples(n even good) as administrators...Be careful...like the beheading of a policeman is deplorable... And lastly,thank you AR...i believe u r with the 'truth' even though unsophisticatedly not adding a good line or two bout India... I trust u r only with the truth. reisang delhi, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
249/D-2 Apr 13, 2010 12:51 AM	I am now fully convinced that AR is a very good fiction writer. Have a powerful imagery and capacity to contemplate and imagine. She should go to Dantewada independently without the protection and invitation of Maoist. Talk with the Adivasis when Maoist are not around. Test their knowledge of Maoism.( AR has to first learn what maoism is). It is true that Adivasis are against Govt. But how much ther are with maoist has to be verified thoroughly with free and independent search. Adivasis are also there in Salawa Judum. Evins leading the Salwa Judum. AR should ask them why they are with such an organisation. She will come out with another fine story. Might get her another booker prize. chandru Kalsi Mumbai, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
248/D-61 Apr 12, 2010 08:03 PM	What irks me about people who blindly revere Ms Roy's article is the complete lack of comprehension of whats as clear as daylight? How much of this article talks of about the plight of adivasis. I can only read page after page of myopic reverence towards the maoists and their supposedly great way of adminstration . How much of this article talks about the 1500 Cr and still growing empire being built by the maoists.... of course using the tribals as a front? 1500 Crs.... heck how much of it is actually spent on medicines and increasing the quality of life for the tribals eh??Probably the maoists spend just enough to make the tribals look up to the Maoists but not enough to get them out of their self loathing and definitely not enough to quench their anger towards the administration.. If the disease is cured, then of what use is the doctor ?? The Maoists know this very well and are using the tribals as a tool and I must admit they are getting success out of this method. The Maoists are playing a wily game here . But the people who would lose out the most -both Life and property- are the tribals. And I just get the feeling that the pretenders like Ms Roy and her band of myopic admirers are just hastening the decline of the tribals, by blindly revering the maoists and trying to sway public opinion by highlighting the supposedly the GREAT WORK that the maoists are doing ............ Rohan Bangalore, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
247/D-49 Apr 12, 2010 04:10 PM	Ms. Roy doesn't seem to find anything worth praising in the country that she lives in, India is the very idea where the likes of her can express themselves, for all the satire and sarcasm ask yourself if you could write and express freely were you in Pakistan, Burma, Sri lanka or anywhere else. For all the creativity seems to be aiming at choosing the photos that evoke pity and sarcasm at the India in which the rest of us "unliberated souls live". How about posting photos that show the dastardly acts and crimes of these very maoists, how about exposing the empire that runs this Maoist machinery of extortion, looting, smuggling arms to fight this war and please don't be so naive to explain that all this is rubbish and propaganda if it is so prove it. (of course you are only a writer for western audiences who are ever ready to heap awards on you and which you accept with so much deference ever to gain more of course) Your entire article (you quote so righteously the statistics of torture by Indian officialdom of all hue, color and department you blame everyone from Forest, revenue, police, politician and everyone who is an Indian) but so easily become poetic about the criminality of Maoist followers and almost put them on pedestal about their escapades of extortion, arms smuggling and everything else equally illegal. And to top it all you call them Gandhians with guns !! How I wish you even understood Gandhi.. but it doesn't matter after all, your voluminous tirades are meant for the western consumption for more and more awards. If you find so much that is not right with India, why don't you go and stay somewhere else and become more eligible for the awards you are so hungry for. Aditya Trivedi Bangalore, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
246/D-42 Apr 12, 2010 02:46 PM	Read: 1. http://canarytrap.in...t-on-illegal-mining/ 2. http://canarytrap.in...s-natural-resources/ 3. http://canarytrap.in...ies-of-bribe-givers/ Tejas Patel Brisbane, Australia PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
245/D-15 Apr 11, 2010 03:01 AM	Lol, now we know why ms.roy keeps writing one essay of absurdity after another..that so many ppl respond to her non sense. btw looks like pretty well off gandhians these maoists are! http://outlookindia.com/article.aspx?264950 jayant delhi, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
244/D-74 Apr 10, 2010 07:52 PM	hats off to Ms. Roy to bring out the truth and exposing the unspeakable and unconscionable atrocities perpetrated by the Indian government ,in the name of urbanization. And shame on the losers who deplore her, without investigating the truth prakash chennai, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
243/D-62 Apr 10, 2010 06:14 PM	oh oh oh! such and such number of innocent lives have been lost because of Roy's one piece! You people's ignorance and stupidity is mind boggling. These people have been oppressed and tortured for millennia but your apartheidistic eyes were blind to that because you are the upper caste and what are the downtrodden but acyuts, right? Now that they have taken matters in their own hands to realize their rights and human dignity, and Roy has written about it, she is the traitor and deserves to be hanged? She is right, India deserves a revolution. The sooner the better. Alfred Abdul New York, United States PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
242/D-59 Apr 10, 2010 05:41 PM	What a brave and marvelous article! It seems there is ' Israel and Palestine ' right in the heartlands of India. Ms Roy has done her job. Now it is up to us... s george kozhencheri, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
241/D-124 Apr 07, 2010 10:53 PM	"Reminds me of the beggar lady carrying the child in traffic. Supposedly the child should not be fed lest it stops crying and the more pathetic the baby becomes the more the money that comes in." Perfect analogy. Maha NJ, United States PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
240/D-119 Apr 07, 2010 10:34 PM	The adivasis/Tribals of Dandakaranya, would have been a happy self fulfilling group blissfully happy in their own small world if not for the exploitation all around. They have been exploited by the huge corporations and the Governments first. Then come the Maoists who have their own agenda and have got a new tool (the adivasis) in their fight against the adminstration to purport their ideologies. Especially so after their slow decomposition in AndhraPradesh. The poor tribals are being used as mindless troops that would charge to their deaths. And the worst exploitation comes from the hands of self proclaimed messiahs like Ms Roy. I admit that she has quite a good writing style. But she uses this forum to abhor everything that she detests (Hinduism et al) and earn accolades for another piece of great journalism . Reminds me of the beggar lady carrying the child in traffic. Supposedly the child should not be fed lest it stops crying and the more pathetic the baby becomes the more the money that comes in. Well the tribals could do without all these. The corporations, the administration , The Maoists, and The pretenders like Ms Roy. Just leave them alone in peace. Rohan Bangalore, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
239/D-92 Apr 07, 2010 04:21 PM	Why tribals fight? Do they want bank balance? Do they want a grinder ,a fridge or a car ? What for are they fighting? Are they fanatics? brainwashed by some lunatic rogue? None of these profile a tribal Adivasi. They are not dependant on govt.employement,industry etc., they live with nature. A very serious exploitation is going on of the tribals and their lands. There has also been terrible humiliation like rapes, forceful evictions,looting of their little assets and eating their goats and hen by police. The police were deployed there to terrorise the tribals so that they listen , so that they toe the line of mining contractors,land lords and big corporations. Tribals do not know their rights and even if they know , they can do very little. If middle class people were pulled out of their homes at night and forced to live in an enclosure of barbed wire , the whole nation would rise against it. But when this is going on in Bastar district or elewhere with tribals nobody questions. Jawahar lal Nehru wrote that even during war , the schools should be kept open and the educating of children should not stop. In all most all tribale villages of Dandakaranya, schools were turned in to CRPF camps. Is there any incident worse than this in Indian history (modern India)?? Tribals usually do not stop fighting once they start it. Emperor Jahangir was fed up and tired so he made negotitations with them. Nizam of Hyderabad deputed the best anthropologist , a Britisher to study and understand why tribals instead of paying a few rupees of tax choose to fight for whole generations? He later on abolished all taxes for tribals. Why tribals do not have an inferiority complex? like the modern city bred people? Chidambaram thinks in terms of Operation Green Hunt!! the foolishness is mindboggling. Why naxalites are getting massive support from people and why police ,even the best officers,including women officers do not get any support from people? One of my classmates was in the Grey Hounds , so one day he told me that Naxalites were not separate from ordinary people, at least many of them were not. Generally when they(naxals) blast a mine , they again comeback , to stand among the mob watching the whole tragedy. All Maoists who carry arms do not carry them everytime. The arms are given to them by householdrers or supporters at a given time and place. How do you fight with such a force ? You can not sepearate them from mainstream public and that is where they differ from terrorists. Anti-terrorism methods, those were adopted in Punjab or Kashmir would not be succeful against Maoists. The problem is very diffrent and the solutuons must be different. The lame excuse that Maosts do not allow , developement activities is simple non-sense. Let Govt.surround the villages with its police forces, and take up the development work, which includes basic necessities like potable water,PDS,Primary health care, and schools for little children. Let them do it step by step village by village. Those who run Govt. have double heads. Sincerety is now very rare. Even educated masses feel that Govt.machinary is simply the big humbug. bowenpalle venuraja gopal rao. warangal, india PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
238/D-123 Apr 06, 2010 10:03 PM	Are you happy now, Arundathi? 75 innocent lives have been lost, thanks to traitors like you who glorify maoist criminals. You should be tried and hanged for treason and waging war against India, you are an enemy of India. Ashwin chennai, india PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
237/D-122 Apr 06, 2010 10:03 PM	Are you happy now, Arundathi? 75 innocent lives have been lost, thanks to traitors like you who glorify maoist criminals. You should be tried and hanged for treason and waging war against India, you are an enemy of India. Ashwin chennai, india PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
236/D-89 Apr 06, 2010 05:20 PM	congrates arundhati ur men struck well engulfing 83 lives. why dont u live in ur thousand star hotel forever? chetan rathor delhi, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
235/D-4 Apr 03, 2010 12:32 AM	> "...(Arundhati Roy) talked in details about India's modern history starting with India's opening of two locks- a physical lock of Babri Masjid and a symbolic opening of lock on India's market. Both have led to disastrous consequences for India. One has led to a party with fascist ideology becoming a force in India's political scene and second is responsible for the whole sale loot of India's natural resources. "She talked about how Muslims have been killed in post-Babri riots and in Gujarat genocide of 2002. Arundhati Roy also talked about how draconian laws like POTA have been used to keep Muslim youths under detention and without bail. She also mentioned encounters which are summary executions have been used by Indian police to kill thousands including Muslims." http://www.twocircle...ndian+Muslim+News%29 Anwaar Dallas, United States PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
234/D-171 Mar 31, 2010 10:37 PM	Most everyone agree that Govt's perverse indifference, criminal neglect and oppressive treatment of the historically marginalized Tribal and Dalits is the root cause of this insurgency problem. However, what this Commie Roy has refused to admit is that the Maoists are using these Tribals and Dalits as a pretext for over-throwing India's democratic (Western) govt by force of violence and imposing of their own Pol Pot-styled totalitarian Communist(Maoist) regime (an ideology which this Commie writer empathizes with). And by now, everyone knows her most vicious and virulent frothing-at-the mouth hatred is reserved exclusively for those perpetuating Hindu culture- she never misses a single opportunity to demonize Hindus, its institutions and its defenders. Case in point: last year, while giving a talk in Turkey, to curry-favor with her Muslim audience, she went into a prolonged rant against Hindus, their culture and institutions- railing especially against RSS, for their terrible habit of building schools, clinics, temples etc. Now, once again she's on the war-path against Hindus- and boy, is the 'secular' media, intelligentsia and arm-chair revolutionaries lapping it up like manna from heaven. Bodh Springfield, United States PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
233/D-84 Mar 29, 2010 04:43 PM	rajaram bojji the main reason for pverty in india is the increase in population from 300 million in 1947 to 1,2 billion today. pakistan is worse off. 30 million to 176 million. there is not enough land, water,energy or liveing space in cities. surpriseing no one talks about this. the hard working middle classes can not solve this problem, even if they gave up most of their incomes and wealth. gayatri devi delhi, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
232/D-83 Mar 29, 2010 04:43 PM	rajaram bojji the main reason for pverty in india is the increase in population from 300 million in 1947 to 1,2 billion today. pakistan is worse off. 30 million to 176 million. there is not enough land, water,energy or liveing space in cities. surpriseing no one talks about this. the hard working middle classes can not solve this problem, even if they gave up most of their incomes and wealth. gayatri devi delhi, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
227/D-63 Mar 29, 2010 12:18 PM	before anything else it is important for us to understand the objectives that the essay wants to achieve. why was it written? Definitley not to report the troublesor the killings or the now over 50 years old tussle betweeen the govt. and a highly motivatedgroup of ideologues. That might be one of the many auxillary objectives but definitely not the primary. I feel the primary reason why Ms. roy chose to spend a number of days and nights with the maoists and then write this gripping piece was to wake us all up to a very obvious but long forgotten fact-"Maoists are tribals but before that they are a people" Like all of us with their own joys and sorrows and celebrations and events and countries and maps and roads. THey are not blood thirsty mongrels driven by some satanic vengeance. They are struggling for a way out and they prefer to die trying than die anyways. They have been robbed of their countries, their livlihoods, their gods and nowthey are only left with themselves. It reminded me of the colomnial pre independence era. Their attack on the police armoury, their small decisive victories and defeats seemed like a repeat telecast of the revolutionaries from those times. Difference was there but just that this time the revolutionaries do not know where to drive the colonisers out to:colonisers who are much more advanced and lethal and cruel. Their weapons range from the insas to the aks to the free market, free media and 21st century capitalism. They have manipulated all and isolated these people so skillfully that perhaps once they are "wiped out", we would not miss them. Ms. roy unlike many others who have chosen to write on this issuehas been obviously passionate and boased but perhaps it is high time we take sides. Dispassionate reporting ,bereft of emotions and opinion has confused the masses. Its time we feel socially threatened and react intensely and emotionally if we wish to contain the spree of self colonialism our government has initiated. Media needs to realize its place and respnsibility in the society and prehaps this wonderful essay is the scratch we need to start from. I deeply thank Ms roy for her committment to our causes and congratulate the "outlook" to present it to the masses. Anant Dehra Dun, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
226/D-54 Mar 29, 2010 09:51 AM	"Tomorrow if some gold deposits are discovered under the place I live in, will much more powerful people than me use their power to displace me? and if I protest shoot me?" --The crux, I must say. And yeah, you are expected to sacrifice for the collective good! And yet, they will not sacrifice the advantages that come of exploiting these sub-humans. Why? Because, after all, they have been exploited throughout history. There is nothing new! Harish Mumbai, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
225/D-29 Mar 29, 2010 02:18 AM	Arundhati Roy in Outlook Magazine: I was reading the entire article very carefully. The jarring note was Arundhati's prejudice exposed in saying" The Maoists are not the only ones who seek to depose the Indian State. It’s already been deposed several times by Hindu fundamentalism and economic totalitarianism." She writes well and she has the gift of communication. But she also seems to suffer from some strange hallucinations of antipathy towards nations' own ancient cultural history. natural being brainwashed by western education and conditioned to believe that all old and Indian was fundamentalist. Fact is her statement indicates deep ignorance and also arrogance of her own greatness to say what she likes. Very un- journalistic , considering that she set out to to find out the truth. Human history shows there has always been clash of civilisations and one group exploiting another. There has never been a time when full ideal free living without getting exploited by some one or the other. Fact remains adivasis, aboriginals, Bhumiputras of Malaysia, Red Indians of US, africans, not well to do immigrants to any country, poor villagers who reach urban areas for a living, slum dwellers... the list goes on... all are exploited. Strange it seems we liberate a group from clutches of one group only to exploit the weak in another form! The gun runners and merchants make money with these conflicts. Arundhati truly covered the matter she set out to cover well. She made me travel the jungle. That reminded me of my time I spent in sub-sahara with poorly clad africans dust covered and practically dried up looking like sub-humans, scared of us and scurrying away from us. Very pathetic indeed! Drops of water and shade- a modicum of it-- are sought. But they live... yes, they continue to live. Here in our forests the tribals were fighting over centuries even during Moghul periods and the dacoits were a reality, or even today a reality. The kings made peace with them, the Britishers too in their own way, and even GOI tries to leave them alone if they can. Looking back further Dandakaranaya seems to have hosted rebel and unruly elements even during Rama's time(?) not may may like this mention but, Rama as per record of Valmiki( a tribal), happens to have killed thousands of " rakshas" even female ones, like Tataki. Well may be current writers can say Maoist/Naxal movement of those ancient times was also put down by the rulers? Three to four hundred years ago most of the Europeans who created colonies had to kill the "barbarians" spreading almost over the entire world. All the natives had to be subjugated. Then the land lords of Telengana too unleashed a reign of terror during Nizam period, and almost all land lords of agricultural lands in India during British rule, enjoyed unfettered rights to control thousands of acres and pay revenue to the British rulers. The wek and poor were exploited and a few who fought and escaped to jungles like Seetha Ramaraju, were killed as again some kind of state security threat! Congress did very well to introduce land reforms and giving rights to small and weak. But the forces of exploitation thrived in the form of money lenders, practically exercising life and death power over them even after independence. Even after 50 years farmers across India kill themselves helplessly unable to fight the system Vidarbha, Andhra pradesh come to my mind. Even today at least a double digit deaths would have taken place. Tyranny prevails and humans have specialised. It is the case even in urban areas. Take for instance services-- highly educated lot but how many of us have not experienced the tyranny of the system to force a conformity to the rulers' wishes? We invariably surrender to survive. Why did we not run away to forest? Yes a few do! An odd IAS officer who went on hunger drive, then resigned and started own educational institutions! A brilliant son of one of my colleagues who excelled doing MBA etc, then vanished in to the poor villages of MP to serve the weak and down trodden. This boy refused to accept the cash attached to the prestigious Magsaysay award.. because it is the money from financial looters of western countries , he felt! Then for every contract awarded in Mumbai, the man who gets the work must pay his respects to three political parties, then two mafia gangs along with a percentage of his contract to be able to finish the work and take his profit. Else he can never even start the work. Same in forest areas. For every road work to progress, the local mafia, and Mao group has to be taken care of. So more projects, more funds for the extremist groups.Urban or forest areas do not matter. The forces of exploitation collaborate too very well. The only losers are the weak and down trodden. Olden days too, the paid henchmen lose lives as they do even today in mafia or gang wars or activities of Mao groups. The discipline is enforced by goondas with carrot and stick policy, and same thing happens in any extremist group. Talk of vlues and principles too is only a way of giving what it takes to keep your footmen in good shape to fight for your interest. Ploce footmen lose lives as well as Comrade Kamla likes! Both are innocent! Humans are difficult to analyse. We think a clerk is too small and will remain exploited always. But the tyranny exercised by a clerk on a hapless guy who wants to move his file, has to be seen to be believed. Simple booking clerk to issue ticket at Kharagpur station, treats you with such a contempt when as a IIT student I used to present my concession form. Since I picked a fight, the clerk remembered my face. So when I presented the Green pass as first appointee in IRSE, one day in 1970, the same clerk, looked at the pass, then at my face, eyes widened, stood up from his chair, walked out and took me inside!!! I felt an odd sense of satisfaction still that mans gauky face comes to my mind with widened eyes, as much as the bulging eyes of the sub-sahran children-- they trouble my conscience. There is inherent cruelty in humans. Most of the time those who are meek, who are said to inherit the earth end up doing so only to till for others. Even after decades of education we help the rulers to exploit better using improved means of camouflage. Globalised economy has only increased the depth and extent of exploitation on a very grand scale and the ruler is always the victor who writes not only history but news too. Arundhati too is falling victim to her own need to nurse her ego. Genaralised condemnation is not the way a sensitive person like her should see the world. My heart goes out to all the poor, downtrodden and weak whether in urban or village or forest areas who are merely used by those who are greedy and hungry for more power and pelf. I can only pray for these hapless victims to whom crumbs are thrown in the name of reservations or some settlements or self-employment schemes ,all of which get operated again to fill pockets of the ruling class only; that wisdom will soon dawn in rulers who ever they are. Honesty and commitment are conspicuous by their absence. - ????? ???? ????? ??. ??????? Rajaram Bojji M.Tech. IRSE (Retd.), FIE, FNAE, AMASCE Fmr. MD Konkan Railway /Min. of Railways India www.atrilab.com 834 Spring Knoll Drive Herndon 20170 VA USA Tel: +1 703 796 0225 Hyderabad India (40) 27400365 & +17037452680 B. Rajaram Hyderabad, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
224/D-193 Mar 28, 2010 03:10 PM	It’s not their problem, it’s not her problem, it’s OUR problem, its INDIA’s problem. The naxalite issue brings forth an age old challenge this country faces in its civil, social, economic existence. The country with its prosperity, is getting divided into 2 socio economic strata, one which benefits from growth, increase in salaries, access to luxury, ever increasing standard of living, new products to buy every year, never satisfying wants, new jobs & stock options etc etc & a strata where people still aspire to have clean water, electricity, jobs, staple food, social security, protection from exploitation, opportunity to improve their lives, education for the children and medicine. As India adds on GDP growth & Foreign Exchange Reserves, our political & social system is getting more insensitive to people who need help in this fight for survival. 60% of our population still survives on good monsoon as they depend on farming, these are the same people who need attention, who need help to survive in their lives and been counted as a citizen who deserves his rights to basic life, as you, me, the people who write, watch movies, drive cars, invest in stocks, use internet, have. As a citizen of India, we need to think not what Arundhati Roy is doing as a person, where she goes or whom she talks or what she talk about, the question is, there is a factual real problem out there in our country, where poor people are being killed, they are being driven out of their homes, forced to take up arms, forced to violently retaliate on some issues which are dearer to them as human beings. Our poor citizens are being abused & children along with women are killed, doesn’t matter if they are villagers or policemen or politicians. Everyone is entitled in this democratic country to be heard, accepted, given his right for justice, punished for his crimes, judged by the court of law. Today we face these social problems, because as a nation we are becoming, indifferent to others, we ignore each other, we don’t accept the existence of others, we are selfish, money minded, We don’t want to hear what other want to say, we want to express our opinions judgments without understanding the facts. This is reflected not only in naxal problems but issues such as religious ideologies Hindus, Muslims or in city like Mumbai where there is eternal fight against people who are from North or South or West or East who have the right to live or work etc etc etc. The only way to solve this issues is to accept that there is a problem, somebody someone has a complaint, needs to be heard, needs to be listened to. The acceptance that somebody else also has the right to be as much an Indian, as we who are fortunate to enjoy the bliss of this country. We need to change our mindset that they are communist or Marxist or democrats of religious hardliners or whatever and highlight address discuss the point that something has lead this people or somebody has made this people react in a way they are reacting. If naxals believes they idealize China as the utopian true socialist state, is to do more to what has happened with them in a democratic state like India, with their families, children, lives, which has lead them to the last resort of picking arms to protect their existence. We need to ask the question if something like this happened to us, wouldn’t we also be forced to think the way they are thinking. They are fighting for survival, their minds can easily be washed with any political or ideological propaganda, by anybody who does not want India to prosper. Specially our neighbors who would take this internal social struggle as an advantage, which is the truth. India still has 60% of its population who live in villages towns, who don’t have access to things you me we take it for granted, clean water, electricity, food, shelter, education, standard of living, access to information, role model, exposure & experience. This is the same 60% of the population that VOTES. You me we who live in cities have a pathetic dismal records for VOTING. Political parties WIN & LOOSE because of VOTES. If this 60% of the population believes what is happening to them is not right, that rich people are getting richer & poor becoming poorer, INDIA will see a VOTING tilt, which will see the paradigm shift from democracy to more hardline governance, communism will top the lists. If we think it will happen in 5 billion years from now, we are into a big shock, a shift might take place in one generation, ie in the next 25 / 30 years, that’s 2030 or 2040, wherein India will also have the youngest population (18 years to 35 years) in the world, a mind which can be easily influenced. Today as a citizen of this country everyone of us needs the assurance, that we can count on our justice system, our leaders, that to be a true democratic state we need to trust that when we are in dire need, others will raise their voices to help us, we need to trust that we will get a chance to speak, to be heard & judged fairly. That we will not be exploited because of our caste or religion. This is not difficult, it will just need few examples across the country to set the ball rolling. What we need is a start. Arundhati Roy as a citizen has done her bit, are we doing ours ? nitesh mumbai, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
223/D-142 Mar 27, 2010 10:07 PM	u bldy high caste hindus always conspired the slavery of this nation..categorized the adivasis as subhumans... u licking the as... of britishers.. who starved to death half the population of assam bengal & bihar in first 50 yrs of their rule..which religion u are talking..the religion which annihilated the buddhists,decimated jainese,enslaved the locas...have a history of selling the nation to highest bidders for petty gains..hatred is in ur hearts & mind..and will never cease until the administration of our country is in the hands of few high caste brahmins and their stooges.. Shyamal Barua kolkata, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
222/D-123 Mar 27, 2010 07:13 PM	Good work Ms.Roy to bring us the story of these people - our people. I'm not a communist and have not read Maoist philosophy - but I just know that the story connected with me. I'm an Indian, and it is a wound on my conscience to think that there are people in my country who have no choice but to take up a gun simply to 'live'. Can we bring them into the 'mainstream' by force? Tomorrow if some gold deposits are discovered under the place I live in, will much more powerful people than me use their power to displace me? and if I protest shoot me? The tribals are our people; we need to talk to them - listen to what they have to say; and address their concerns and needs. The govt of India cannot shoot so many millions - it is not capable of - and if does succeed - then there will be no India left - we would have destroyed the idea of India. All of us middle class will have blood on our hands. As it stands the tribals are not asking for the state to support them - they are self sufficient. They are less of a burden on our pockets than even the ministers and administrators who decide policy on our behalf. Tomorrow if we displace them, then they will not know how to survive in our cities and towns. They won't qualify for jobs, and will be forced to resort to desparate means for survival. the consequences are unthinkable. They must be engaged, the govt can't unilaterally decide what is good for the country. We need a public debate on this issue. PC - are you listening? Rajesh Chary Mumbai, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
221/D-113 Mar 27, 2010 04:59 PM	It is interesting to mention that the same exploitation of minerals, water and displacement of natives is happening all over the world and specifically in my country Panama. The main news yesterday was this: http://mensual.prens...negocios/2136358.asp Martinelli offers investors minerals (Google translation) MARY TRINY ZEA TRINY MARY ZEA mzea@prensa.com Addressing more than 200 entrepreneurs from around the world, meeting in Panama, President Ricardo Martinelli pledged Wednesday to change the mining legislation to attract capital and exploit resources in the country. The Panamanian president said that Korea, as a country, has expressed interest in investing in the mining industry and if this requires changing the Mining Code, it will. "We will gladly change it [the law]. I want the Korean Government, along with shareholders Canadians, Americans and the stock exchange, to develop the mine [copper deposit at Cerro Colorado in Indian reservation of the Ngabe Bugle], " Martinelli said. In Panama, there are opportunities for mining, and Cerro Colorado has proven reserves larger than in Chile Teniente mine, said the president. The Korean LS-Nikko Cooper and the state Natural Resources Corporation (Kores) want to exploit the copper mines of Cerro Colorado, ahead of that country's embassy in Panama. “ This is capitalist globalization at its worst, and is happening in Colombia, Peru and all over the region. Repeating the North American and Spanish genocide against almost the same tribal and native peoples of the conquest all over again. NGOBE BUGLE PANAMA, Panama PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
220/D-81 Mar 27, 2010 12:19 PM	Marx formulated the theory of the exploitation of workers on the strength of the surplus value they created. If workers created no value at all and yet received payment, then who exploited whom? This is what is happening in PSUs and other govt run industries/ services. An unabashed parasitism came into prominence thus, which benefited favoured organised workers and, above all, the army of office clerks. The politicisation process at the root of this parasitism left no institution untouched, particularly harming institutions in the sectors of health and education.So, if we have unclean hospitals,dirty trains, shoddy health care system and poor educational institutions blame it on the ideology which has paved for exploitation in the reverse. sandilya Chennai, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
219/D-74 Mar 27, 2010 11:51 AM	Frank, there are enough people in the world who believe and many of whom have experienced that no-holds-barred capitalism is not the panacea to the problems of countries like India, which still have a lot of respect for their culture, tradition, and values of the multiplicity of their various people. I think you are not getting the point we are discussing here - tribals do not want to live their life the way we want them to live. Now, is anything wrong in that? Afterall they are not coming into our homes and forcing us to live like them. And surely you agree that every Indian has a right to live the way he/she chooses, as done they have for centuries and as guaranteed by the Indian constitution. The problem arises when we start moving into their homes, forcing them off their lands and imposing our plan of development on them without their consent. I am sure you too will find this unacceptable. For more than 60 years we did not find any reason to help them, so why are we so enthusiastic to uplift them now after we have signed 100 MoUs with mining corporations? The game plan is all too apparent for all to see. Reader Man Kolkata, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
218/D-70 Mar 27, 2010 10:58 AM	I am thrilled to see postings from Murtuza for his point of view is so close to mine that I no longer feel all that lonely as a Muslim posting here. For that matter I have two brothers who have similar points of view. Now my two-bit regarding Miss Arundhati. It never ceases to amaze me how naive the extreme left is at times. She goes to meet these Maoists and that is courageous. She gives them a voice and that is her right. But there is a tone in her writing that rubs me the wrong way i.e. "look at the emancipated courageous men and women who have taken up arms against the jackbooted government criminals who are always lying and these Maoists are the ones telling the truth." Hogwash. Without a doubt there are/were atrocities committed against the tribals but the solution is not too take up arms but to organize and particpate in the democratic process. The other path leads to anarchy which is where Ms. Roy's sympathies lie. Nonetheless I will still speak up for Ms. Roy's right as a citizen of our mighty country to speak her mind and for us to listen peacefully even if we do not agree with her. One additional thing did anyone notice how Arundhati criticizes the government for not doing enough for the tribals and then she calls the companies that are trying to develop the area mere colonialists! How does one develop a place in a capitalist system? By using the resources of production in the area to produce value added products and paying decent wages to labor that is progressively more decent than at the very first. In this process countervailing forces such as unions can have a role to play but are not always necessary. But these neophytes who produce nothing of value themselves always want someone else to pay the checks that their bleeding hearts keep writing. In my opinion she and people like Kuldip Nayar etc are decent people who we are lucky don't run our countries and hopefully shall never be in a position to do so. They are gadflies but they do speak for the downtrodden and therefore we should listen but pay little attention to their solutions. Frank Hawkins San Francisco, United States PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
216/D-64 Mar 27, 2010 10:31 AM	“I’ve been thinking,... what this country needs is revolution.” -Arundhati's mother, the women's rights activist Mary Roy. And.. along with Comrade Kamla, Arundhati is 'marching, not just for herself, but to keep hope alive for us all.' When such is the case, it is stupid to pat her shoulder, saying 'Bapka Beti' (like father like daughter). I have a reason to say that. It's now time to say 'like mother like daughter.' Notice, the Comrades she met and described in details are mostly women. She had a keen interest in depicting the picture of Female Comrades. Her account of the movement has an underlying current of woman liberation. This is a message to India. The upraising of woman in that area can be an inspiration to all. Comrade Niti is coming... AHMED SHAMIM New York, United States PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
215/D-63 Mar 27, 2010 10:27 AM	Red salute to Ms Roy and the editor of Outlook to stand against the tide of state directed media. We want more and more exposure of state brutality and the story of resistance of toiling masses. State is for the sake of people, not the opposite one. People have the right to decide how they like to live, which system is better for their survival. A true democratic environment is necessary for that.This can be achieved only active participation of masses,not by multinational's grace.Multinationals know only profit.Not only the adivasis but the whole planet is in danger for their way of making profit. Heartiest hatred to those urban fellows who are angry with this story. Their devil brains are worried seeing the depth and expansion of Maoist movement and feeling the loss of residue they are getting from their master state. But no reason to be delighted for Indian State as these fellows will ever participate in the war for their beloved State. We must watchful as they can not join in the victory march of the toiling masses. They must have to face in front of people’s court. Ranabir Roy Agartala, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
214/D-59 Mar 27, 2010 09:52 AM	thanks for the post Nandini. There are corruptions among the ranks of maoists. we understand that. it is a shame we had to take up guns to silence dissenters on both sides. i hope both parties come to table to talk sabu kolkata, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
213/D-58 Mar 27, 2010 09:33 AM	"Progress Can Kill" Report http://www.survivali....org/progresscankill Reader Man Kolkata, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
212/D-57 Mar 27, 2010 09:11 AM	"This is the right way to develop the rich resources, provide employment and achieve industrial progress, while benefiting the greatest number of people. And we will stand by our way." Varun, that is the line spoken by all mining companies. That is not the line spoken by the tribals. The tribals have had a history of being cheated and exploited with such lines from ancient times - from rajas of yore, to the British, to the present Indian government and corporations. They know by experience that they will be the "bottom-feeders" in this development scheme offered by the giant corporations. It is natural that no tribal will rise up higher than a manual labourer in this "harnessing of natural resources". Yes, the corporations will strike a double whammy, they get to lay their hands on the rich natural resource and they get dirt-cheap labour from the tribals. There are numerous other ways of development in this tribal belt without exploiting its resources, its ecology and its people. But why is the government adamant on only one way - that of mining? The answer is not very difficult to find. Reader Man Kolkata, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
211/D-36 Mar 27, 2010 05:01 AM	You must hand it to Arundhati Roy.She is one of the most talented spin doctors this country has ever produced. Narendra Vasireddi Boston, United States PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
210/D-9 Mar 27, 2010 01:47 AM	I don’t see this essay as a fantastic piece of journalism. I see it as the work of a writer/activist who has already made her position very clear through her earlier writings and actions. She stands for the poor, the dispossessed, and the ones whose voices are not heard no matter how hard they shout. I do however, for the first time, have some serious difficulties accepting what Arundhati Roy tells us here and how she does it. The romantic picture of comrades in the jungles does not speak for all of what is going on in and around Dandakaranya forest. At the end of 2008, I was in Gadchiroli to do some research. For two weeks, I traveled and stayed in different villages Throughout my stay, the term Naxalite or ‘mama’ (maternal uncle) was used broadly to define the gun toting men and women of the Dandakaranya and they had cadres in every village. The stories I heard were quite different from those in this essay. I heard about the murder of a local leader trying to organize his community. More than one person told me that a politician, afraid of the man’s rising popularity paid the Naxalites to kill him. A man, who was in the jeep the leader had been hauled out of when it stopped because a felled tree blocked the forest road, pointed out the spot to me where he had been told to return the same evening. The body of his boss was hung on a tree once they had shot him. I heard that Ballarpur Paper Mills pays the Naxlas to cut the bamboo from the forest and that the Naxals in exchange allow the mill owner to develop the road leading to those forests just enough to let him carry the bamboo out. Once that is over, the rains wash away the badly constructed road. The village residential schools at the top of the bamboo rich hills that receive government subsidy to feed tribal children, have to tank up on food supplies before the road disappears for the whole of the monsoon season. I heard that there are two job opportunities for people in these villages – the state or the Naxalites. That people from the same families are either in the police force or Naxal force – killing each other with guns. All poor. All desperate. All with little other choice. Unless of course they can manage to feed their families with one rice crop a year. That is, if it rains. I heard the Naxalites will not allow ‘development’, yet traders from Bengal have been allowed to set up businesses – for a price. I heard that nurses and doctors sent to posts in these areas don’t just see is as ‘a’ punishment posting but a punishment posting to the power of a hundred. They vent their hatred on the tribals they are supposed to treat. Same goes for the teachers. I heard that a non-violent Gandhian doctor providing desperately needed medical help was threatened so badly by the Naxalites that he had to escape at night from the area never to return. I heard that gun toting Naxals had walked into the compound of the devoted doctors Prakash and Mandakini Amte, who have been the only hope to injured and diseased people, including the Naxals themselves, for 40 years. They had shot somebody who was recuperating on the premises of the hospital. These premises are also where I stayed for a few days with my husband and two seven year old boys. Very close to the gate with the unarmed chowkidaar. Unlike Arundhati Roy, I didn’t fall into deep sleep at night in the Dandakaranya forest. There was little chance to enjoy the forest, stars and the beauty of the villages with their ‘simplicity’ for me. Because one ‘necessity’ was missing. I didn’t have a friend or a comrade with a gun. I lived in terror and I didn’t sleep much. Could this be true of others like me, without guns and/or comrades with AK 47s to protect or surround themselves with? Unlike Arundhati Roy, I wouldn’t dare to post the images of the people I made photos of with quotes of what they told me. They don’t have guns slinging from their shoulders so I can’t possibly give them a ‘name’ and a ‘face’ on my blog or any other magazine that would want to hear their story. But I do remember the face of one such man very clearly. He told me he was caught between the guns of the state machinery and the guns of the Naxalites. Then he went on to work on the renovation of his hut. The tools he was using could have belonged to the Stone Age. I am no fan of the machinery deployed by various official, corporate and media forces that work overtime to push the poor and dispossessed who are increasingly ‘falling into the hole’ as Arundhati so eloquently puts it. However, I have heard with my own ears in Gadchiroli the voices of ordinary villagers –the poor, dispossessed and unarmed say in no uncertain terms, that the Naxalites are the one stop shop for the violent settling of scores. Any scores. Unfortunately no one told me of water harvesting schemes and the like that Roy got to witness in the part of Dandakaranya that she was in. And unfortunately after the first few days of hearing the stories I heard, I didn’t ask because I never made the connection between murders and water harvesting. My fault. In the TV interview in the program ‘The devil’s advocate’, Karan Thapar asks Arundhati Roy if she would be willing to talk to the Maoists if the state would stop Operation Greenhunt. She smiles and replies that she is ‘just an individual’ who can do little to influence them. I think Roy doesn’t project herself as ‘just an individual’. She writes and expresses herself in any forum she is in like she knows she has clout and she can and will use it. And in ‘Walking with the Comrades’, she claims she bonds in friendship with the highest in the Maoist echelons. So I feel I also have to ask her if she would be willing, for the sake of the dispossessed for whom she stands, to walk and talk with the comrades, if Operation Greenhunt is indeed lifted. nandini bedi Amsterdam, Netherlands PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
209/D-1 Mar 27, 2010 12:00 AM	Jobs, development and progress trump the tribal way of life, and the romanticisation thereof, that some people are expressing. At the same time, the development should be inclusive and as equitable as possible, without turning to communism. But if the advocates of the Naxals and the "tribals" have some viable alternative model of development, then to repeat, it would be wonderful to hear it. It's not enough to assert that development is bad, the Indian state is bad or even the anti-naxal operation is bad. What we should be seeing is the Naxals and/or tribals saying "This is the right way to develop the rich resources, provide employment and achieve industrial progress, while benefiting the greatest number of people. And we will stand by our way". Is that hoping for too much? Varun Shekhar Toronto, CANADA PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
208/D-128 Mar 26, 2010 04:16 PM	Policies followed by our governments have been killing million of people directly or indirectly, annually. Economic deprivation, then, is putting millions in queue for coming years. A consolation for anyone is that there is no scarcity for people here to become martyrs on the altar of anti-people policies followed by our great leaders! Now, compare the number of people dies out of terrorist activities and that of selfishly pursued policies of these saviours of democracy and realise who are the real terrorists and who are abetting terrorism!And you spend a lot of money to make bombshelters for a dozen of them. Tusi great ho! Pradeep delhi, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
206/D-126 Mar 26, 2010 04:01 PM	Narendra I had give n it there. "If the nurses, hospitals, schools were there, there wouldn't have been any need for policemen to such an extent. Because then the Maoists wouldn't have had any leverage among tribals." Harish Mumbai, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
205/D-125 Mar 26, 2010 03:53 PM	Harish, You say the sequence is wrong, OK, so what is the right sequence? Narendra Hyderabad, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
204/D-124 Mar 26, 2010 03:53 PM	The counterbalance in the essay lies buried in a paragraph in the 21st page. Arundhati Roy echoes our misgivings about communist revolutions worldwide when she writes about the “party” being a genuine people’s party when it is the suitor, but doubts if it will remain so after the revolution. History tells us that it has never remained the same hence here too it cannot. Russia, Hungary, East Germany, Cambodia, China, Nepal and at home, the people’s government in West Bengal are enough as examples. Are comrades Chandu, Kamla, Maase and scores of others in the jungle aware? These innocents indoctrinated by a philosophy as heady as their mahua are caught up in the illusion of the perfect classless world. The need to believe in something better than their miserable existence has placed them betwixt the devil and the deep sea. A generation of young will die in the forest to live the delusions of others. And the country will move on. What the essay tells us about the mining companies and politicians sounds plausible. The poor will remain removed from the dream. The dream will be lived by the others. God deliver us from this indecency of living. Or send us an Avatar. samrat chatterjee Raipur, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
203/D-121 Mar 26, 2010 03:29 PM	It takes guts for anyone to travel to Maoist country, believed to be a part of India. Arundhati Roy deserves praise for going where none of our armchair journalists go. Dinesh Kumar Chandigarh, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
202/D-120 Mar 26, 2010 03:24 PM	A mature democracy is meant to serve the interest of not just the majority and the privileged but most importantly the most under privileged and disadvantaged. Adivasis/Tribals are not a second class citizen of India to be hunted like animal by the Government sponsored terror outfits like 'salwa jamud' and ongoing police/security operation brutalising innocent women and traumatising the children. It is high time for India to behave like a real Democracy. Failure of the Government speaks volume about this crisis placing the reputation of India at a risk of international condemnation. Rajesh Sydney, Australia PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
201/D-119 Mar 26, 2010 03:16 PM	@Narendra You have got the sequence wrong. If the nurses, hospitals, schools were there, there wouldn't have been any need for policemen to such an extent. Because then the Maoists wouldn't have had any leverage among tribals. Harish Mumbai, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
200/D-116 Mar 26, 2010 02:44 PM	Good points Sabu and Harish, The right way to go about it is through civil infrastructure, the tribals need doctors and teachers, but you also need a policemen to protect them from the Maoists. Roy dehumanizes these very policemen and glorifies those who send them back, Tell me if I'm wrong when I say we have a highly polarized political spectrum. Narendra Hyderabad, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
199/D-109 Mar 26, 2010 01:29 PM	I find Arundhati Roy better than the Maoists themselves, the likes of Advani and Modi, the Sajjan Kumars and Rajesh Pilots and the Thackerays, the Islamic extremists. She does not commit any crime. She does not break the law. She does not use the garb of a presentable image and the protection of a political party and official machinery to perpetrate genocide. All she has been asking is a better deal for the downtrodden and suppressed. Harish Mumbai, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
198/D-105 Mar 26, 2010 01:17 PM	Narendra, We are a secular socialist republic accordin to the preamble of our consitution. what is wrong if she calls herself a walking republic? are we going to censor free speechnow? as for being patriotic, short of wartime the ultimate act of patriotism is to criticise your country so that it becomes better even if that means you are putting yourself at risk which is exactly what Ms. roy is doing. As for pseudo patriots who wear Tirangas and swear by the country, I quote Dr. Samuel Johnson, " Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel" sabu kolkata, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
197/D-104 Mar 26, 2010 01:17 PM	I don't see any reason why one should discriminate between the messenger who thinks the message is important and the one who thinks he is bigger than the message. As far as I am concerned, it is the message that matters and am thankful to anyone who brings it to me, irrespective of his/her own mental make up. As for the "walking republic" term, I think we are all walking republics -- with individual thoughts, views, and personalities. I don't see why that -- along with my urge to question everything -- would make me "unpatriotic"! In a country where the dominant paradigm is "gimme more", particularly in the post liberalisation era, it is extrmely important to have the likes of Roy (even with their shrill rhetoric) as checks and balances. Harish Mumbai, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
196/D-102 Mar 26, 2010 12:57 PM	Harish, I applaud the author who shows us the reality in India, like the one about farmer suicides, who calls himself a proud Indian unlike Roy, who calls herself a walking republic. Narendra Hyderabad, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
195/D-93 Mar 26, 2010 11:58 AM	@Reader I completely agree with your last post. We are obsessed with comparing people using our own narrow yardsticks. We seldom think out of our lulled existence and conditioned mindsets. And when someone tries to get us out of that comfortable stupor, we bark back a them! Harish Mumbai, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
194/D-92 Mar 26, 2010 11:53 AM	"Its only self-loathing idiots like you who believe these pseudo human rights activists." --Prashant (Melbourne? Really?) It is very evident from your language that your haloed and cozy middle-class sentiments have been deeply hurt by Roy's tirade. I sympathise. But going by your foul mouth, I don;t think there is any reason why you are worth a civilised discussion. @Gayatri Devi Your very premise is wrong (I am assuming that Harish you have addressed your post to is me). Amartya Sen did not win a Nobel because he accused the rich of being the root of all evil. It was Sen's work, which showed that it is not the lack of resources but the lack of a distributive mechanism that causes famines and shortages, which led him to a Nobel. And remember Sen was the first developmental economist in years to have won a Nobel. Usually, I was told, the award goes to stock market wizards and free market fanatics. As for the anti-Bong accusation against you, well, let me clarify, I do not share that view about you. Why are we so agitated when someone points out the serious flaws in our system? Why should an anti-establishment person be termed "unpatriotic"? Why should Roy be pilloried for setting forth a point of view that is opposed to the mainstream? All this only shows our deeply embedded hypocrisy. Harish Mumbai, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
193/D-87 Mar 26, 2010 11:03 AM	He was a candid man, the SP: “See Ma’am, frankly speaking this problem can’t be solved by us police or military. The problem with these tribals is they don’t understand greed. Unless they become greedy, there’s no hope for us. I have told my boss, remove the force and instead put a TV in every home. Everything will be automatically sorted out.” Hahahahaha - Greed and Development. Well said indeed!! Girish delhi, india PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
192/D-82 Mar 26, 2010 10:36 AM	we will see. at least people like us should try to form a consensus. civil society is a powerful instrument if mobilized perfectly. we will see. one thing is for sure, the poor will not take anything that is thrown to them lying down anymore. we are still a young democracy. considering the american or british experience, we still have to be proud of what we have achieved most notably managing to stay as a union after 62 years. sabu kolkata, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
191/D-80 Mar 26, 2010 10:11 AM	Someone wrote about jobs, employment and industry. That is the difference between us middle-class people and the tribals. The tribals have never worried about employment or industries for centuries. Theirs is a living with nature and her resources. Ours is a living dependent on the corporate/industrial world. The tribals can survive any recession or lack of industrial development; we cannot. The problem arises when we decide to take over the lands of the tribals to increase our industrial growth and our employment. This cuts off the tribals from their resources - rivers, forests, etc. That is when their survival is pushed to the limit as has happened in the Indian hinterland. We cannot impose our way of living on the tribals without their wanting to. Another hindrance the tribals face is their inability to tackle the corrupt Indian system. The Indian system is less of a burden on the rising middle-class, unlike a decade ago, because we now have the money to pay through the mazes of this system. We can pay the police, the courts, the railways, the land revenue, the posts, the income tax, etc. but the tribals cannot. If a forest officer catches us hunting wild animals (recall a famous incident), we can pay up and escape, but a tribal has nothing to offer to these officials and lose whatever they have if they are caught up with the law. To us the corruption of the Indian system makes little difference because we now have the money to pay. But if our money flow is blocked and if we start losing our valuables paying up the corrupt Indian system, will we be so tolerant of the system? Perhaps that is why jobs, employment and industrial growth are so important for us. Reader Man Kolkata, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
190/D-77 Mar 26, 2010 10:03 AM	Reader Man, The System IS rotten to the core, hopefully the Maoists will prove to be the much needed kick in the Pants, but they seem to be worse than the problem. The middle class is outmatched by the uneducated,easy to manipulate poor in the same manner as the Rich in terms of wealth. There is no alternative other than educated, empowered populace. Narendra Hyderabad, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
189/D-75 Mar 26, 2010 09:43 AM	I am accused of being non-secular raising partisan issues when I talk about aggrievances of Hindus, but when Roy glorifies people who burn villages, she is progressive, This is exactly what fuels Hard-right Hindu Nationalism. I agree with you that we were not taught about tribals in our schools,forget tribals I don't remember a single lesson on The Prophet Mohammed, but the thing is, if these plight of these Hindus is not addressed by these parties, their sympathisers will follow a rather bloody path. Remember, in Germany, It was the Far left that fueled the Far Right. Narendra Hyderabad, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
188/D-71 Mar 26, 2010 09:27 AM	Before I make this comment let me make this clear - I love my country India as much as anyone else. This is to make sure that I am not labelled anti-India as is done to anyone who speaks on its weaknesses these days. The Indian parliamentary democracy is rotten to the core. The election process is a sham, an eyewash in the name of democracy. Yes, the people do vote - more than the Americans do - but it is like selecting the least rotten potatoes from a sackful of rotten potatoes. It serves no purpose - the looters reach the parliament and start the loot of this nation. They pass every bill except the ones the citizens want them to pass - foremost being a strict anti-corruption bill. Now, some will say it is rotten but it is the best option for us. How on earth can a rotten item be the best option? Some say it will take time to improve the system but with the same breath they say India is a mature democracy. So, if a mature democracy has an immature system, isn't something wrong somewhere? "Chalta hai" is not just a cliched expression - it is a cancer that we all are affected with, which we all falsely believe to be our symbol of nationalism. Helpless at the functioning of the system, we say "chalta hai, hamara desh phir bhi achha hai". Yes, we can ask the tribals to fight elections but do we know that fighting elections is a multicrore business transaction? A few IIT people decided enough was enough and formed a party and decided to fight the elections. As was inevitable, they lost their deposits in the election and the party is no more heard of! If educated folks can't "fight the fight" of elections do we believe that uneducated innocent tribals stand a chance? The system has effectively driven this point into the minds of the masses - especially the middle-class - that to speak against the system is to speak against the nation, which is NOT. The nation is much more important than the system. The system can be changed several times to improve the nation. If one really loves the country, one must be willing to analyse every aspect of the system. Reader Man Kolkata, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
187/D-68 Mar 26, 2010 09:18 AM	I mean come on, we gave the License Raj a chance, so why not Social democracies. Narendra Hyderabad, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
186/D-67 Mar 26, 2010 09:15 AM	Sabu,I never said Social democracy is easy to achieve, But it's not impossible, the thing is it HAS to be acieved. I genuinely request you to suggest a suitable "possible" alternative to Social democracies. Look, The Chief minister of India's most populous state has filed a case against bees, her predecessor just made perverted comments on women. Humane development has to be achieved ,however herculean it may be. Narendra Hyderabad, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
185/D-65 Mar 26, 2010 09:00 AM	DO they feel their political power is scattered across 4 - 6 states and they need a contiguous area of influence ? let them initiate a struggle for their own state where they can influence every decision - they need to find a leader within themselves who can drive the change. pradeep thats the tragedy of tribals in central india in comparison with northeast.it can be crushed in andhra as the ruling reddys and naidus rejoice on it while its not possible in nagaland or mizoram. whats the difference between a muivah saying we will never accept indian constitution and the maoist leaders in jharkhand/andhra/chatttisgarh. one flies from amsterdam,maintains his own army which shakes hands with indian forces evry day for rum bottles and are enjoying cease fire since 1997 while the central indian tribals r treated like dirt.its basically because of the zamindari like land owning reddys/kayasths and bhumihars. not even a handful of tribals will know who was mao and since moaists r the only ones who are ready to fight with them (they may have ulterior motives)they have no choice than siding with them.mizoram is ruled by ex terrorists and their next generation and the govt is bending on its knees to have a similar solution with the nagas/meiteis/kukis unlike the central indian states where the upper castes want extermination of the tribals. ganapathi chennai, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
184/D-60 Mar 26, 2010 06:06 AM	Very well put Mr. Gadde. I believe the Government wants to create a state of exception in our country whereby the pattern of discourse is changed. this movement is extraordinary in the sense that they do not want to seceede. they want to articulate their political demands that is incompatible with our established notion of parliamentary discourse. in a sense this is a challenge to the legitimacy of parliamentary democracy itself but unlike other movements this offers a purported model of radical direct democracy envisaged by Marx not our present Representative democracy. Hence he need for State of Exception. Certain for of discourse is being propagated through the media namely, they are against Developement etc etc. while certain other forms e.g. indigenous demands are being suppressed. What we do not realize today is that our evry foundation of understading of political knowledge is being shaken to the core. This is a crisis of legitimacy that the Indian state has never faced before sabu kolkata, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
183/D-44 Mar 26, 2010 04:41 AM	There is an article by Aditya nigam in 'kafila' without actually mentioning Arundhati Roy (several other posts which respond to her) http://kafila.org/20...m-seminar/#more-3989 I think that this artcle takes some of the rhetoric and poetry out of Roy's article and presents similar points. Some quotes: ""....it would appear that it is rather the frenzied drive towards development that is breeding Maoist politics. ....... It is important to understand that, at one level, it is not Maoism that is really at issue here, as both the state and the Maoist-aligned intellectuals would have us believe. It is really Indian democracy that is at issue. I have argued elsewhere that a deep split structures the Indian polity – a split between ’sovereignty’ and the rule of the extraordinary and the impulse of democracy. The rule of the extraordinary, as evidenced in the rule through laws like AFSPA or UAPA/POTA/TADA on the one hand, and the indiscriminate manner in which violence becomes the primary mode of dealing with social struggles and dissent on the other, now structures our politics. Thus, even while Indian democracy can become the vehicle for the political rise of the dalits and lower castes, the seduction of violence at its peripheries always remains powerful for that is precisely where democracy gives way to a complete lawlessness of the Law." Anandaswarup Gadde Melbourne, Australia PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
182/D-34 Mar 26, 2010 03:02 AM	I agree we need to discuss the state with respect to its duty towards the people , the tribals in this case ( not in terms of state being sympathetic to the "misguided Maoist boys" ) The people in our country are not as powerless as you make out to be . Can you tell me how much area do these tribals live and in how many Assembly constituencies they are a decisive factor to influence the results . How many Parliamentary constituencies they can win . Iam sure it is significant. Iam sure even with 10 MPs they can drive a hard bargain and achieve whatever they want . They donot want a specific project in a specific area they have the power to put on hold. they want more royalty they do have the power to discuss . Was Mamta Bannerjee not able to push Nano away from Bengal ? DO they feel their political power is scattered across 4 - 6 states and they need a contiguous area of influence ? let them initiate a struggle for their own state where they can influence every decision - they need to find a leader within themselves who can drive the change. The state doesnt give way anything - there is a lot a competition to what little is available . It has to be taken by the groups by organizing themselves and achieving them political engagement - It might take long , it will be hard - but that is what democracy and compromise is all about . I have seen what political struggles can achieve - Do you know the Language struggle by Tamils in the 60s - they achieved a political solution . Today we see Meenas fighting for what they think is their due right , Telengana and Ghorkaland struggles are on .. Let the tribals decide on what will be the best political solution for their struggle is and engage in a political struggle . And I do hope they see thru the Maoists and drive them away from their homeland . Afterall we all want to live in peace and achieve a secure , humane and prosperous nation. pradeep chennai, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
181/D-33 Mar 26, 2010 02:57 AM	ask them to hear that. not me. or do some googling. you can find that out. sabu kolkata, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
180/D-29 Mar 26, 2010 02:36 AM	Sabu, what about jobs, employment, development, progress? Have the Maoists/Naxals given even a passing thought to those issues? Or are they simply picking a cause, that of the so called 'tribals' just to increase their support base,heighten their profile, and carry out their own agenda, which is to grab power by any means. Do they have an alternative plan of development? If so, let's hear it. Varun Shekhar Toronto, CANADA PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
179/D-23 Mar 26, 2010 02:18 AM	If they do not have a place, they will not have a place. i am not interested in what a ragtag militia has to say. i am more interetsed in the land grab issues and how to stop oppression of tribals that is driving them into the arms of maoists. and you are wrong to say the maoists and tribals are different. they are not. at least some of the tribals have been radicalized which is conviniently suppressed by media. http://southasiarev....he-lalgarh-movement/ He is the Chair of Hisory at Jadavpur Univeversity Kolkata. This is the part which is worrying. we cannot allow such a significant section of the population to think our democracy is a sham that some radicals want them to believe. However maoists have signalled their willingness to talk. and ihope the govt does talk to them. we cannot geta solution overnight but we can start and avert a genocide. the attempt to kill naidu came at the same the time when greyhounds were perpetrating massive human rights violations in rural andhra. why do you keep focussing on maoists alone? why cant we talk about the state too in a meaningful way? this thread is becomng meaningless now. i'm off it. sabu kolkata, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
178/D-14 Mar 26, 2010 01:55 AM	Sabu , I for one donot believe in the trickery that Tribals and Maoists are struggling for the same cause . Iam sure Maoists using the Tribal plight is helping their cause , but Iam not so sure Tribals ganging up with Maoists are going to help them in any way . In Andhra the Maoists tried to assassinate the duly elected chief minister - they were decimated as a response. And people of Andhra showed 6 months from then how they want to remove the same Chief Minister from chair as they didnt like what they got . Indian Democracy may be imperfect but that is the only hope . Fine , current situation doesnt permit Maoists to participate in elections - but there should be an ideal situation that would permit .. can you throw some light on what that Ideal situation is ? Iam not interested in what you think would be acceptable to Maoists, I want to see what the Maoists say they need to participate in inclusive democracy . Believe me , I have tried hard but yet to find a single instance where Maoists have said they will take part in democracy or allow room for dissent . No sir , they have no place . pradeep chennai, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
177/D-11 Mar 26, 2010 01:36 AM	Pradeep, Fine go ahead. send the army in. lets see if you can kill them all. past 60 years have shown we have not been able to do it. one fundamental difference between these people and nagaland etc are thatthey are not calling for secession. they are caling for social justice. they believe the indian state has lost its legitimacy after its shabby treatment of minorites for 62+ years. i for one do no think that. but sending army is not the way. let the NHRC hold a fairprobe. let the justice system prevail to punish both sides. engaging in meaningless war tal wont help. the Hamas have also said they don't want Israel to exist. Does that Israel is going out of Business. NO. Iknow Maoists in Nepal have lost their way. I hope we can learn from them and engage them in amore meaningful manner. In the present circumstances they wil not and cannot participate in elections. Do you know what happened in Andhra after the PWG leadership decided to resurface for talks? They were brutally eliminated. If this is the way the state operates why fault them for continuing violence. As the majority we have an obligation to make them feel secure and listen to them instead of trying every dirty trick to kill anyone who opposes land grab. why dont you go there and see what is happening? sabu kolkata, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
176/D-9 Mar 26, 2010 01:26 AM	Narendra, Social development does not take place in isolation. Sweden could do it becasue they are a small homogenous society sharing same kind of values and also conducive to forming consensus. In our country of 1.2 billion people we have a much more complex and difficul scenario. Various histories, various cultures make public action much more difficult. I would love to see social democracy myself with progressive taxation but I know that is utopic in a corrupt society like India. Her article exhibits nothing like Anti Hindu paranoia. What we read starting in schools is a sanskritized history. academics like kancha Ilaiah have written about it. As I asked earlier why aren't we taught the history of indigenous people? Does that not create grievance? if you were is saudi Arabia and were taught Islamic history while you were a original resident of that country won you feel aggrieved? Put yourslf in theri shoes and think. As for not writing about people in Bangladesh, I can ask you why dont you write about Tutsis in Rwanada? or Aceh people in Indonesia? One cannot write about everything and should write what inspires him/her. she never tries to foment anti Hindu sentiment in her articles. shemerely draws a mention to our hegemonic mindset. if we are so secular why are you raising thses partisan issues? no one says what has happened to Pandits is good. But the fact remains even secular CHampions like COngress or Hindu nationalists like BJP have failed to address these. Ms. Roy does not run the country. she acs as our conscience keeper. if you want to do soemthign for them why dont you urge the aprties and media who are so busy tomtoming the Maoists? why don;t they ever cover the Pandits? sabu kolkata, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
175/D-7 Mar 26, 2010 01:17 AM	Sabu , You are still not answering my question . What do Maoists want ? Declare Tribal areas in these 4 states aas No-go areas for police and Army and open hospitals and schools in all villages and theyand they will lay down their arms and participate in Panchayat elections? Are you sure They are willing to participate in elections as they did in Nepal ? Can you let me know where you read that so ? I can point to a hundred articles where they have stated Maoists in Nepal have last their way . Just because you think they cant over throw the state does not make them any less a threat . Dont you think Muslims have no serious grievances in India , they do . Does that mean we should make peace with IM ? Dont you think Kashmiri Pandits have serious grievances in India ? There are many many millions of marginalized people in India with many many grievances. I know what ULFA wants . I know what LeT wants . I know what Khalistanis want and what Naga for Christ gang wants . I know what every other terrorist group in India wants and all their cause is directly related to their supposed grievance. I donot know yet what will make Maoist declare victory , which is related to their alleged grievance and lay down arms . Do you ? And Iam not going to engage in hypothetical did your mother get raped and were you kicked out of your house argument . You need not be a victim in every grievance to question the logic of the response . Maoists are a terror threat with ambitions much bigger that solution to sum of all the grievances of the land put-together . Their presence in the land is a threat to the nation and the government has an obligation to protect the nation from Terrorist groups . pradeep chennai, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
174/D-162 Mar 25, 2010 11:59 PM	But funny that Roy should call it a Hindu state, when she has done absolutely NOTHING to cover the Kashmiri Hindus,the Exodus of Hindus caused by Muslim fundamentalists in Bangladesh, the way the Hindus are treated in the Northeast by the Christians. What about the fact that all of India's non-Muslim minorities are actually doing better than the Hindu Majority. I may sound to paranoid to suggest this, but her articles smack of Anti-Hindu bias Narendra Hyderabad, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
173/D-160 Mar 25, 2010 11:47 PM	If not scandinavia then what? US-Huge economic disparity 5% control 90% of the wealth France-Huge budget deficits Maoist China-Simply not an option Sweden has high HDI, with proper economic equality. And what has the population got to do with it. Narendra Hyderabad, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
172/D-158 Mar 25, 2010 11:38 PM	@ Prashant & Pradeep: Yes you have the right to call her names. But that does not contribute to anything to this issue. It does not have anything to do with what she is or stands for. Secondly, No one is seriously wanting India to become Liberia. It is ludicrous and you know it. But i becoming USA means we have to justify land grab by sending paramilitary, I refuse to sanction that. Pradeep will you give upp your house if tomorrw the police comes and tel you to do so? Whta the Maosists have repeatedly said is that POlice repression must stop and doctors and teachers must be allowed to come in. Now here they have a lot to blame themselves for too. But overall they resist land grab and give leadership to tribals who want to resist that. If you want India to be a neo colonial state, go ahead. But I warn you, it is not going to be so easy. It is very easy to talk about Scandinevia where you are dealing with 30 million people with same culture, religion etc. India is vastly different and much arger complex than that. We can start now. Ask our govt to stop the offenisve. If Maoists can join the govt and talk to govt in Nepal, I am sure we can do so too. Don't create this Bogeyman that they want to overthrow the state. We can make the judiciary more accountable and allow the NHRC to function with more autonomy to investigate crimes on both sides. Is the govt willing to do that? what has been our record for last 60 years? Its itching you people because you cannot really be drunk on IPL neither can you admit that these people have some serious issues that have resulted partly from our lack of consciousness about them. Arundhati says it is a Hindu State. Let me ask you, How many of us who went to govt schools were taugh the history of Adivasis or geography to show their demographics? But they are "Adivasis". LOl. so much for our pretense sabu kolkata, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
171/D-152 Mar 25, 2010 11:28 PM	Though the Author of the previous comment makes some valid points(Green Hunt, N-liability bill), upliftment of minorities, he makes even Roy sound like a right-winger, see, this is what we have a problem with. He is what is wrong with the countrty, he is the Far-left counterpart to Mohan Bhagwat. Narendra Hyderabad, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
170/D-134 Mar 25, 2010 09:23 PM	My dear Friends, I must thank you that Outlook is dealing the Plight of Excludeded Land Sacpe as well as human Scape with so much so honesty as the Entire Intelligentsia,Civil society, NGO World bank Sposered world on Fire, Brahaminical Zionsit Media do justify the Economic ethnic Cleansing and Chidamabarm` Corporate war, it Exposes the EXTREME Violation of democratic norms, Civil and Human rights. Arundhati Ray is NO Alice in Woderland.The Unprecedented Violence is the mainstay symptom of US Sponsered Free Market democracy and the Economic Disaster named Economic Reforms. Budget Allocation of 1,73,000 for Infrastructure sector, 1,37, 000 for Government Expanditure on the name of So called social sector flagship Proggrammes do not relate anywhere to these EXCLUDED Communities. It means Blind Land Acquisition and Exploitation of Natural Resources. The Neolibral LPG Mafia is Nothing New as it had emerged at the very moment of so called Freedom at Mid night with Power transfer to Brahmin Bania raj empowered with Pune pact and Co Opted Creamy layer Politics. While the Taxation and Resource Management were loaded against the majority Eighty Five Percent Indigenous aborigina Minority Communities, the Black Untouchables as the zmaindars and Princes turned capitalists overnight and Nehru adopted Mixed Economy with a Socialist face with Complete Control of Indigenious as well as Foreign capital and Monoply Houses. Fiscal policies were absent from the beginning and Monetary Policies were Targeted to cash Lequidity based on Borrowing and Governemnt Expanditure which created Deficit Budget system which could neither Mobilise the Revenue or Resource nor Genrate Employment while Indigenous Livelihood Crashed. Urbanisation rate was Never less than THIRTY percent and it consisted the Slumdog Communities mainly belonging to the Aboriginal Landsacpe , the Centarl India who were DISPLACED enmasses on the name of development without Compensation or Rehabilitation. SC, ST Reservation or Quota would Never help them as the most of the Aboriginal Villages were Never Registered as revenue Villages. The Tamil and Bengali Refugees rehabilitated in the dandakaranya Project and else where Never had the OWNERSHIP of Land except in 36 coloonies in Dinesh pur Area of Uttarakhand. Now, Unique Identity Number project followed by Citizenship amendment Act is Targeted to KILL whatever Resisatnce Possibel as the CITIZENSHIP being denied the landlosers remain in No status of defence. The Majority Masses stand DEFENCELESS stranded in the Corporate War of Mr Chidambaram. Kapil Sibal has opened up all doors and windows of Knowledge Economy. Disinvestment and Privatisation make the Reservation and quota Irrelevant. SEZreated Hundreds of FOREIGN Territorries within the Country. Scheduled area Emergency FUND NEVER Used. Scheduled Areas under Sixth Schedule always remained deprived of AUTONOMY. Scheduled Areas are Delimited to accomodate Land Acquisition. Agriculture kiled with Green Revolution and Gentcally Modified SEED, Fertiliser, medicine, Pesticide and chemcal Package. IPL generates Political capital with the involvement of shahsi tharur phenomenon amounting 1.42 Billion dollar which could feed all the School children countrywide for all the year round and which could fetch daily Rs 1,32 Crore from a MIS account in Post Office, if deposited.Political circus and cricket do not help our peole in an UNILATERAL Civil war and Partion within partition Condition sustained as All Out Monetary manusmriti Rule to feed the Killer Money Machine with ourBlood, Bones and Flesh for SIX Decades Full. Our people stand Defence less as they find shelter in an Ideology of Violence in a country of Naon violence as all the Ideologies Gandhi, Ambedkar, Marx, Lohia, Socialist failed to Express their Concerna dncommitment to the EXCLUDED Communities. No land reform and No social Justice! Thanks ARUNDHATI who is emerging the leader of all Environmental Social Activists dislodging MAHASHWETA Devi who is rather Silent against the Economic reforms depending so much so on the Human Face of Mass Destruction. Provided N- Liability Act Passed, it would not need any Military Option as Bhopal gas Tragedy, Chernobyl and Hiroshima and nagasaki would be replicated without any Punishment, Execution or Compenastion. Arundhati is doing the Most Important social service. I have visited many places as known as RED Corridor in Central India. I have no diffrence with opinion with Ms ray Palash Biswas Kolkata, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
169/D-131 Mar 25, 2010 09:14 PM	To all those bleeding hearts that justify Maoist terror , do you really know what exactly will satisfy them . I am yet to see any Maoist demand that might remotely help the tribals . Point out to all us ( those who pass snide remarks from our comfortable couches) What is that they want , after achieving which they will lay down their arms . Dont just say what you think they might want - point out their objective as stated by Maoist leaders . If it has anything to do with Tribal plight I will agree I was wrong Everybody has a grievance in India - does that mean you start killing everyone and plan to gang with every secessionist group in the land with a documented goal to breakup India - and Sabu can conveniently skip explain this by trying to mask Ganapathy behind a strawman - if he is a strawman who is not ? pradeep chennai, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
168/D-130 Mar 25, 2010 09:07 PM	Sabu, we have every right to call Arundhati Roy names...she is an anti-India b#$@! .She and her comrades will not relax till India is reduced to the level of Somalia and Rwanda, with no economy , no industry, no jobs, widespread anarchy, no laws , no police, no army.... that is the sort of India these leftists want. Prashant Bangalore, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
167/D-121 Mar 25, 2010 07:25 PM	I think the ket argument Ms. Roy makes is this "The Indian Constitution, the moral underpinning of Indian democracy, was adopted by Parliament in 1950. It was a tragic day for tribal people. The Constitution ratified colonial policy and made the State custodian of tribal homelands. Overnight, it turned the entire tribal population into squatters on their own land. It denied them their traditional rights to forest produce, it criminalised a whole way of life. In exchange for the right to vote, it snatched away their right to livelihood and dignity." How can the Indian state sell of land as its own and ignore the millions that have lived on it for centuries. Its the corporate land grab in connivance with Manmohan, Chidambaram and Sonia that is the key issue. Girish delhi, india PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
166/D-111 Mar 25, 2010 05:38 PM	The Maoists are a solution worse than the problen,people. Good governance is the only way out of this, we as middle class must make the government get the people out of poverty. I don't want India to do the same thing to the tribals, what the "Australians"(Peter, Author of comment #23) did to the Aborigines or what Americans did to the American Indians. But we must also make sure that we don't become like the Chinese civil war. Why can't we take the Scandinavian route, Becoming a developed country with Inclusive growth. Social Democracies like Sweden are the Solution, Not China and certainly not the license Raj. Narendra Hyderabad, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
165/D-108 Mar 25, 2010 05:10 PM	http://bratgaba.sule...uicide-or-murder.htm In the context of the existing situation in our villages and tribal areas, I don’t think Kanu Sanyal could have had any other end. Remember the film Rang De Basanti? I have had many an argument with friends (who incidentally call me ‘jholawala’) about the end being too pessimistic – all the boys die – it was largely opined that the writer and director erred in ending the story thus. My opinion differed – there could have been NO other rational ending to that story. The boys (in the film) were up against the full might of a determinedly corrupt govt which had skeletons to hide – they had to be killed, there was no other way out; there was no way they could have won the grossly unequal battle and suicide would have been a copout. Kanu Sanyal, likewise, had to be either killed, or he had to end it himself. There was no way he could win, and I guess, knowing that to be the only truth, knowing that the ‘system’ was too strong for mere mortals, he chose to end it himself. Maybe we’d have paid more attention to Kanu Sanyal and his cause if he was named Che Guevara – just a thought. It is fashionable to have Che’s posters on the walls even though he had nothing to do with India, but a poster of Kanu Sanyal or any of his ilk would invite immediate arrest. Get this - there are more than 400 Facebook pages on Che Guevara – just one of those pages has a ‘fan’ list of 350,000 (many Indians) – Kanu Sanyal has just ONE page – with a rich picking of NINE fans. Bharatram Gaba Bombay, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
164/D-105 Mar 25, 2010 04:27 PM	It is great effort, great journalism. The pain can be understood only by those who loose their land to deaf & dumb government which still implement 1894 Land acquisition Act enacted by Britishers to acquire Indian land as per their convenience. Indian Government is doing what Britishers did to us through it's politicians and bureaucrats. These politicians and bureaucrats forget that they are part of us. It is always easy to criticize by writing mails sitting in AC rooms and with fingers dancing on your laptop. Atleast somebody has tried to go to roots and analyze and address the problem which most of us are unaware of. Pankaj Yadav Gurgaon, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
163/D-99 Mar 25, 2010 03:03 PM	I read a lot of middle class becoming 5 to 25 and the poor getting reduced from 70 to 30 sort of comedies.25 yrs back the city of delhi/mumbai/chennai were all affordable to all classes.the rental rates were within their limits and if they save properly they can get their own small house/apartment.it was the same in most towns/large villages who do cultivation thrice a yr the govt hospitals and schools were the only one for the rich and poor,politician and businessman and since the crowd was from top to bottom it helped the poor too(the standard of aiims is far better to the govt hospitals in lucknow or bangalore as the politicians and rich too get treated in aiims unlike the others).the govt schools produced many stalwarts which included many from the poor as they were the only source of schooling for all whether rich or poor/brahmin or dalit. by reforms the cost of land/rent has shoot up and now 95% of the population cannot afford to rent/own a house in cities/towns. the govt hospitals and schools have been mis managed as it is only the poor who visit them and noone who matters bothers about their state the lower middle class aspires to be rich and get into the trap of putting their children in pvt schools and getting treated in pvt hospitals making them descend to poor very fast.the number of homeless have increased post reforms as in old india there were places for refugees like tibetans/roaming communities like gypsies,vangujjars and any skilled worker/group and coming and camping in villagetown was not resisted now even biharis/north indians who work as labours/masons/drivers r not tolerated and reforms defenitely have a role in it.shivsena in 70s were against southindians who dominated the white collar govt jobs but now post reforms they are threatened even by unskilled labour.upper/middle/lower/poor class r all myths used by economists to cheat one and all.the cost of living has gone up several hundred times in the past 20 yrs and hence the suffereing of the poor and lower middle class has multiplied. the tribals have been living like these for 1000s of yrs and any modernisation should be on their terms and not forced by some with ulterior motives.they will defenitely not be against dams and development if they r a part of it but unfortunately its not so.punjabis running from pakistan during partition were given land in delhi/chandigarh etc which were quiet precious at that time too and now value in crores but the poor tribals r given pittance. why can they be given land in all main cities which r under the govt if they really want to help them. why cant they be trained and employed in railways/army/paramilitary forces etc which they r more than willing to join. why naxalite problem aroses in areas where there r mixed populations and reddys/kayasths/bhumihars own the lands and not in nagaland or mizoram (the govt goes for cease fire with those tribals as it has realised that the entire population is tribal and they dont have any caste/group over there to play to their tunes. ganapathi chennai, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
162/D-97 Mar 25, 2010 02:41 PM	We waited for 60 years to even hear the voices of these tribals. It will take a long time to come up with a comprehensive solution to their problems because we have not really understood their problems that well in the first place. It cannot be decided overnight on the deadline/ultimatum set up by some MNC/corporate body/government-in-a-hurry. The Indian government needs to understand that we are not China that can implement "projects" overnight without a care of human rights. The human cost of a military campaign will be too high for us to handle in the future unless we become the next military China. Reader Man Kolkata, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
161/D-95 Mar 25, 2010 02:37 PM	We don't want a large, massive offensive(the one that is going on). But at the same time the suggested compromise is not possible. But we could try moving in feet instead of running in miles. Instead of a bloodbath we can do this, Build more schools, hospitals and roads, feed the people. We take a slow and steady approach while dealing with these people, We bring in social infrastructure slowly,village by village,district by district. Instead of an all out offensive(Which will only sow seeds for future generations of maoists) we do it over a period of time, at the same time making sure that the Naxals don't get any stronger. If the Naxal kick in the pants gets the government to do just what they should have done decades ago,they are heroes not just for the tribals, but for the entire nation. The problem with Roy is that she does not have a single good thing to say about India. Is this really so? Narendra Hyderabad, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
160/D-93 Mar 25, 2010 02:31 PM	'Alfred Abdul' says: >> Lal Salam to Roy! Your courage is an inspiration to all. Revolution is inevitable. Nepal today, India tomorrow! Inquilab Jindabad! I have this feeling that the FBI would be interested to get to know you. You know, that thing we have about Revolutionary Commie nutters? To a 'lal' hell with the likes of you. Murtuza Polen NYC, United States PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
159/D-89 Mar 25, 2010 02:03 PM	A quick read of the narrow-minded, vicious comments published here as a response to Roy's article convinces me of the need for a revolution in India. Roy is the only voice of conscience of an India that is blinded by corporate greed, political corruption, imperial hubris, and utter injustice to its common people. She may be a small person but her towering courage and boundless love for the downtrodden makes her a giant among Indians and the world. Lal Salam to Roy! Your courage is an inspiration to all. Revolution is inevitable. Nepal today, India tomorrow! Inquilab Jindabad! Alfred Abdul New York, United States PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
158/D-86 Mar 25, 2010 01:53 PM	the reality is complicated. we know such a deal is unlikely. although desirable. i would still have reservations about environment as bauxite iron ore mines are highly polluting. but that is still far away from this discussion. the real problem is how to make these people feel they too have a voice. which right now i believe is coming through maoists. there is probably a tribal non tribal divide in representation of the maoist leadership that this article doesnot bring up. if that be the case, then they are not the true representatives of tribal interests. but right now they are the only voice we are hearing. so i think the state should stop such jingoism and try to talk. 60 years of injustice cannot be mitigated in a year. but at least we can start without always blaming each other. can we assure certain human rights and dignity to the tribals who we hae ignored for so long. convincing them they will be redressed is the biggest challenge facing us now. but given the track record of the state, i am not too hopeful. this will probably turn into another bloodbath while we keep arguing on the web. as for ms. roy, i commend her reporting but i do not agree with her views. having said that, in a democracy all views are acceptable and should be debated as long as they are explicitly hate speech. sabu kolkata, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
157/D-83 Mar 25, 2010 01:29 PM	Proper liberalism is where each and every citizen is taught democratic values, this is not the case in India, this is why the Caste system still exists. Majority of the populace does not get proper education, this is the cause of poverty. Praying for the poor who were driven out of their homes by the pollicemen is fine, but what of the poor people whose village was burnt because they refused to join the Maoists? If the politics of development are to be condemned, then so are the tactics of the Maoists. Consider the following scenario, Chidambaram meets with Kishenji, they come up with an agreement that the Majority of the revenue from the mining will be used for development of the area and building civil infrastructure(Hospitals,schools) and that the Maoists Abjure violence and contest elections. If this is how things work out, Then Great. I'd even consider Kishenji a hero, but there are reasons to believe this is not what the Maoists want. You are absolutely right in saying that the civil society groups should resolve this situation, but I genuinely ask you what kind of a truce would you suggest, that will cause them to lay down their arms . I never said that the security forces are heroes bringing in order and prosperity. And trust me, her sponsorship do more harm than good to their cause. If any other journalist comes up with an article which actually highligts their plight, and does not romanticise and glorify the people who blow up a bus carrying civilians, then it's fine. I'm merely suggesting that the Tribals are caught between a rock and a hard place. Narendra Hyderabad, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
156/D-72 Mar 25, 2010 12:35 PM	Meaningless! The first word that came to my mind about my own work! And I do what is we call "Peace Building". After reading Arundhati Roy's conversation with Maoist while walking with them and giving light to the hidden truth that no democratic government will ever allow to be seen! grateful for the insights for which she risked her life... And now it is important to remind myself that every bit, including my work is useful, yet it is important to realize that we are living in the midst of violence,and wee need to do every litle bit without giving up, In Peace. Agyatmitra Pune, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
155/D-62 Mar 25, 2010 11:54 AM	Narendra, what is liberalism then. if expressing sympathy for the poor is called pseudo liberalism, what is then proper liberalism. This is a piece of subjecive journalism. a point of view which we do not ususally hear. you have to thank her for that. i do not think she is saying bombing of schools is right. question is what are those buildings used for. not for education but for housing paramilitary. this is a guerilla war and they are fighting it the way it is meant to be fought. we might not agree with their tactics but we are not in their position. Calling Ms. ROy a far left commentator does not take us anywhere. we should try to mobilize the civil society to act as a mediator between both sides. i believe such attempts have been tried. The maoists in lalgarh have said hey are willing to talk provided certain members of intellegentsia act as mediators. and what does chidambaram do. says everyone who does not toe govt line is a maooist sympathiser. are we living in Bushland or what. Its still Us Vs Them going on. we are all part of the same country, damm it. this piece just gives a glimpse into the history and oppression of these people. i do not think Ms. Roy is a far left rabble rouser or she would not have the credibility to write in this publication. we should stop and reflect quietly what is going on in our names. with our tax money. finishing off our own people. sabu kolkata, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
154/D-61 Mar 25, 2010 11:49 AM	A pitiful propagandist you are Narendra. Have you read the Roy's article at all? Do you know in what fashion schools are built and for what they are used? You wouldn't let people live other way than yours, no? Everyone need to live according to your stupid model, for example: sipping Coke and watching stupid TV, going around with your pitiful Tata car. Or maybe you've grabbed enough to buy a Honda? Infrastructure and mainstream model of development brings only harm to these people, don't you understand. It brings stupidity you very mind is promoting. janez jalen Ljubljana, Slovenia PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
153/D-59 Mar 25, 2010 11:24 AM	Okay maybe the personal attacks are a bit too far. But you have to admit, this is psuedo-liberalism at its worst, The relevant point is that this far-left maniac is siding with those who have burned down a village, just because the villagers refused to join them, what friend of the poor would do that? What of their rights? I'd like to make my stand clear, I DO NOT SUPPORT OPERATION GREENHUNT, The problems of the poor have to be addressed by bringing in the soft power of the democratically elected government, But you have to make sure that those building the Hospitals are not attacked. The State might be a terrorist, And I emphasize might, but that does make the Maoists freedom fighters. Narendra Hyderabad, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
152/D-58 Mar 25, 2010 11:22 AM	Arundhaty. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for the heart touching report. It made me cry so many times. How ignorant is Indian middle class about what is going on in the forests? How careless it is? Is this called development? Certainly not of the humanity of the mind. And what it came to me the most often when reading is the face and figure of the home minister, that swine. That pig is still working for monstrous corporations like Vedanta, not for the good of Indian people for sure...Is this India's great democracy? Shame, shame, shame...It's ruled by brahmins and the two blocks of Cong and BJP are just a farce to fool the people. Both are pressing for the same agenda, both are equally criminal... I can't tell how grateful I'm to Roy for the masterpiece she made and congratulation to Outlook as well. You have almost broke a taboo by publishing this story. janez jalen Ljubljana, Slovenia PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
151/D-55 Mar 25, 2010 11:00 AM	Thanks Ashwat. It could be 1000 or just 100 MoUs but the first step the government can take is make all these MoUs public. Let the citizens of this nation know what the government plans to do in this tribal belt. And then let there be an independent hearing of each of these MoUs with experts from all fields (including tribal rights bodies) and the tribals themselves. Only then we can hear the true voices of the tribals without interference from either the government or the Maoists. Reader Man Kolkata, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
150/D-54 Mar 25, 2010 10:26 AM	This is Journalism at its ultimate best. I'd urge most of the people who have commented to look at the story from the sorry-state of the tribals point of view rather than Arundhati-a-maoist-romanticist. While most of us continue to brand Naxals as the biggest internal threat, the government has already signed 1000 MoU's with multi-national companies to take over the Dandakaranya forests for which villages will be burnt, women will be raped, men and children be-headed. Thank you Arundhati for this and continue the good work. You are an inspiration. Ashwat Hyderabad, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
149/D-53 Mar 25, 2010 09:51 AM	Narendra, that is exactly what is wrong with most of us. what is point of stooping to ad hominem attacksÉ If you think you can write better than her, I am sure Oulook will be happy to publish you. Till then, it is for the sake of decency one should keep quiet if one does not have any relevant point to offer. this is a forum to discuss ideas not launch personal attacks sabu kolkata, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
147/D-51 Mar 25, 2010 09:30 AM	Do the tribals have a right to fight injustice?, HELL YES Do Maoists have a right to destroy the little civil infrastructure that's left in that country?, HELL NO You're right, Reader Man and Sabu, Guns and bullets are not the are not the right way to go about it. It is through building schools,hospitals and solid social infrastructure which will lift them out of poverty. Our point is that the Maoists are not letting that happen. Even when the government does build a hospital, this far-left retard screams corruption. The Tribals being Indian citizens, have a right as much as any of us to lead a better life, but how is that possible when your schools are demolished. Protest against land acquisition, but also protest against the fact that they are not letting any doctors into those areas. In fact, this woman may have done more harm than good to the tribal's cause because of her sponsorship. Narendra Hyderabad, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
146/D-48 Mar 25, 2010 08:59 AM	Sabu puts forth a valid argument. A crude analogy here - if I were cornered by an opponent closing in on me with a menacing sword, I would grab the next item (stone, stick, soil, whatever) lying besides me and try to counter the opponent. The tribals are in the same cornered situation. After having suffered neglect for more than 60 years, the government, instead of helping them, comes and says that they must vacate the land because mining will take place on their land or a dam will be built there. I am no fan of Maoism or Maoists but the tribals have no one to go to with their problems. In comes the Maoists. We cannot win this war by blasting out the Maoist-Tribals with military force. As long as our policies do not take into account the genuine benefit of the tribals, there will always be another round of uprising. Reader Man Kolkata, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
145/D-36 Mar 25, 2010 07:34 AM	Pradeep, If you think ideology operates in a vaccum sadly you are mistaken. then it is a belief not an ideology. russian revolution did not take place because Lenin was dreaming about proletarian uprising. there are certain socio cultural conditions in which they operate and find acceptance. for 60 years these people have been neglected an shunned by those same democratic institutions that serve you and me well but turned them away. as i asked you who do they go to. you ask them to shun the maoists. i ask the same too. question is what is replacement in present scenario. have you ever been to bastar, manipur or kashmir to see what the state does there. why would they give up their land when it is their constitutionally protected right and the state refuses to rehablitate them if they do. look a what is ahppening in orissa. why SEZs. would you work in a place where you have no labor rights. i am sure you would not but you would want these people to work there because it suits and profits keep coming although they are being screwed. for too long people like you have asked them to shut up and listen to you becasue you think you know what is best for them. go work in SEZs in appaling conditions. dont you feel ashamed subjecting your fellow ciizens to such misery hat you would never wish for your own family. what is development. for whom. how much is the compensation paid to them. i would ask you to check this link www.otherindia.org and check the report the butterfly and the mahua flower. it is by swedish aid organization not some hack job. even these people know they cannot win against the state. but you cannot stop them because they have nothing more to loose after all these years. i asked you how much of manipur is focussed in national media, was it featured that NHRC said Lalmohan Tudu o PCPA was killed point blank at Lalgarh bysecurity forces. thhis is only of many such kilings. but one police officer gets killed and our middle class sentiments get titillated becasue he is one of us, rom middle class maybe knows english, looks like us. But they are tribals so we have a birth right to think we know what is right for them. what they should do. as i said violence on both sides is reprehensible. as the dominant party is the inidan state willing o engage them. no. look at the this forum, anyone who chooses to disagree with he majority is branded a sympathiser. human rights activists are decried as eltists even as enemies of the state. while some such activiss are rabble rouser a majority are freethinkers. why cant we be critical of both sides and listen to what the ribals have to say. how many tribal leaders themselves have been covered by he media. i have no time educated maoist leaders or their intellectual crap as i know what is feasible and what is not. dont create strawman by citing ganapathy and then assailing him. do we have anything democratic to offer to the tribals and listen to them or do we want to settle scores on our terms. his is a political battle than our police cannot solve. why did the state banish Himangshu Kumar. why did it imprison Binayak Sen. Why are we decrying Arundhai now. becasue we cannot handle what they have to say. we want our SEZs, minings and real estate. while the rest can go to hell. make no mistake this mindset is a recipe for disaster when we refuse o listen what the other side has to say or just cherypick words to suit our purpose. how can you believe that with a 1.3 million strong army and many more paramilitary they will overthrow the state. they cannot but they will make us feel uncomfortable just as Kashmiris have done. which is why we are so eager o exterminate them before they can talk sabu kolkata, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
144/D-34 Mar 25, 2010 07:26 AM	Pradeep, the interview I wrote about is the Riz Khan one (in Part 1). It is on the YouTube on the Internet. Reader Man Kolkata, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
143/D-33 Mar 25, 2010 07:25 AM	Hats off to Ms Arundhathi Roy. She is one of the rare Indian celebrity writers with conviction. Ms Arundhati Roy,thanks a lot for brining out in vivid details the lives Maoist's lead in Dandakaranya. Poor people's problems are real. State terrorism is also real. However, I am not convinced about the methods used and shallow rhetoric deployed by the Maoists to bring revolution. They still swear by Maoism, when China is violating all canons of justice vis-a-vis the rural poor in their country, in encouraging the corporates and SEZs. Ideologically Indian Maoists they are on a weak wicket. They cannot show one single country in the world where Maoism is sccessfully practised to alleviate people's problems. They are sacrificing their lives for a lost cause. G. Niranjan Rao Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
142/D-30 Mar 25, 2010 06:43 AM	Sabu - It doesnt matter if a banned Organization has the capability to overthrow the state or if we believe in such a prospect . What matters is what their ideology is and what they stand for . Just read what Ganapathy has to say about what his vision for the future below http://news.rediff.c...might.htm#contentTop Sample extract below " There is a new hope that national liberation struggles will hasten if the Maoist revolution advances. In this context, in accordance with MLM (Marxism Leninism and Maoism), the party always maintained the position of the right to self-determination, including secession of all oppressed nationalities. This has to be utilised to unite with them and form a united front." And you want me to believe they are struggling for tribal rights and we should not take their central threat seriously. Their primary objective is to undermine Indian union and they will take up whatever grievance that they find on their way , be it tribals , telengana , labor unrest , land acquisition for SEZ . Please dont justify Maoist terror tactics by shielding them behind Tribal plight . The day tribals stand for themselves and shun the Maoists is the day their struggle will gain legitimacy . pradeep chennai, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
141/D-27 Mar 25, 2010 05:31 AM	An awesome article... More often than not the mainstream media chooses to ignore some of the worst cases of State atrocities... not because they are not aware of it... but because "We - the middle class" do not care what is happening to everyone else as long as our dinner and breakfasts are not affected... I am proud that we have people like Arundhati who take the trouble to get to the truth, instead of just skimming the surface and writing the State fed story. If only our so called "democratic" government worked towards fulfilling the promise of our independence - SWARAJ(self-rule) and the vision of Bapuji - Swanirvar samaj (self sufficient societies)... we would not be so easily swayed by the wills, wishes and fancies of some MNCs. I only hope and pray that we stop this destructive path to so called "development"... before it is too late... http://www.darjeelin...-and-The-Damned.html Jai Gorkhaland Upendra Winnipeg, Canada PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
140/D-26 Mar 25, 2010 05:27 AM	pradeep, do you seriously believe the Maoists can take over India? Do you think most Indians would support that? No, and it is not going to happen. They happen to believe in something does not mean it is feasible. The real concern is not their ideology. the concern is how to wean the poor people away from them. the reign of terror unleashed by the state isn't helping it. when DGPs like Vishwaranjan talk about hunting them down like Mice you have to wonder where our discourse has descended. these are our own people we are talking abou. If the govt can talk to NSCN, AASU, do you want me to believe they cannot talk to the Maoists? When Chidambaram said sop violence for 72 hours, the Chattisgarh police was sill picking up villagers there. Why are academics like nandini Sunda of DSE stopped from going to Bastar if the gov has nothing to hide? How much coverage of Brualities of the Police and COBRA do you see on TImes Now while Arnab Goswami waxes eloquently about Maoist beheadings. Make no mistake what happned ti Francis Induwar was reprehensible. But how many Dalit beheadings by ranvir sena or Salwa Juddum has been so eloquently reported by our media. the real issue is not development. the real issue is that these tribals have been made aware by Maoists that they are also political subjects and they can articulate their demands instead of being pushed around by the state. for us it is uncomfortable because we have always been elitist in presumption, egalitarian in assumptions. now when they refuse o vacate the land which rightflly belongs to them under the consituion, we see them against dvelopment. why? becasue for so long we have thought what is good for them never presuming they can think for themselves other than casting a vote for every 5 years. so when a journalist like Ms. Roy paints a picture of their lives that does not fit with our narrative, we call her names. i do not like her glorification of Charu Mazumder et al. But the stories we get is true and it hits us hard because we are obssessed with GDP but not inequalities. what is the option for these people to seek recourse? go to a judge who wont listen to them? go to a leader like Madhu Koda? or to the Police? If the govt is serious about this issue it has to allow academics and development experts to engage them and focus on rural empowerment through accountable representatives from these people instead of raising more paramilitiaries with our tax money sabu kolkata, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
139/D-24 Mar 25, 2010 04:53 AM	Sabu - do I hear since some forest officials raped lets assume every woman and lady in the tribal areas across 4 states they want to take over the country ? However I try I couldnt find a logical connection between the alleged grief and the stated objective of the movement . would be glad if you can explain why .. If my understanding is wrong , and If the Maoist objective is not to take over the state , then there will be room for other solutions instead of vilifying the mobile republic pradeep chennai, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
138/D-22 Mar 25, 2010 04:20 AM	a question to you all who have been vilifying her? what solution do you propose instead of sending the army and police? how many of you had your mothers and sisters raped ? how many of you have been kicked out of your home? how many of you have bothered to visit Bastar? very easy to castigate her. what are we doing except sit on couches and passing snide remarks? you may disagree with her sympathies but there is no place for namecalling in this forum. sabu kolkata, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
137/D-7 Mar 25, 2010 01:49 AM	Mazhar: >> What an eye-opener! This is arguably the most well-researched piece ever written on the Naxal movement. Are you joking? This is nothing but cheap propaganda, with the explicit goal of humanizing the Maoists. Well, you know what, I can go embedded with the Taliban for a few days, too, and get some "Boy, what a smile!" type pictures and a few moving tales of Talib courage. But it would be stupid and pointless. The Taliban are defined by their ideology. As should the Maoists be. Maoism killed more than 20 million people in Mao's China. Is that not more important than some Jungle Book-type picnics with Maoists? >>It's really difficult to distinguish between the Naxals and the Navis in James Cameroon's Avatar. Speak for yourself, brother. Did I tell you how I have trouble telling the difference between al-Qaeda and The Flintstones? Murtuza Polen NYC, United States PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
136/D-6 Mar 25, 2010 01:09 AM	Author found a hundred reasons like a seasoned lawyer ( with half baked findings ) why Afzal Guru should not be hanged and made it know in every forum , but surprisingly finds it is a viable alternate Justice system where 2 people were executed on spot where the crowd thought they cant be trusted anymore ? Ever heard about Coliseum and Gladiators ? pradeep chennai, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
135/D-4 Mar 25, 2010 12:17 AM	Mazhar , One is not surprised that someone in Dubai is thinks this is the best piece ever - but can you explain which part of this 20000 word travelogue is "research" ? pradeep chennai, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
134/D-2 Mar 25, 2010 12:05 AM	What an eye-opener! This is arguably the most well-researched piece ever written on the Naxal movement. It's really difficult to distinguish between the Naxals and the Navis in James Cameroon's Avatar. Mazhar Dubai, United Arab Emirates PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
133/D-184 Mar 24, 2010 11:15 PM	Reader Man, I'm not against the tribals, The Indian political establishment has neglected the development of the poor,asserting their legitimacy by merely having voted in. In fact ,If this movement gives them a kick in the pants and gets them to work, then they may even be regarded as heroes. But how can you call them pro-poor when they destroy Railway tracks,roads, the little civil Administration that's left. The Maoists aren't pro-poor, they are like Roy herself pro-poverty, Instead of addressing their condition, they are using it for their support for power in order to overthrow the Indian state. They have popular support, but so did the Chinese communist party when they were fighting the Kuomintang. Narendra Hyderabad, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
132/D-174 Mar 24, 2010 10:08 PM	Reader Man - Proof of Arundhati's "approval" of Indian constitution as valid is too important to give benefit of doubt it might exist somewhere .. you claimed she did - the onus is on you to prove ( If at all there was such an interview , I would be looking for the ifs and buts ) Yes Maoists are predominantly in the Tribal areas , that doesnt prove anything .. Why would the tribals want to take over India - they are harassed they want to throw away security forces , declare independence - that sounds coherant . Why a protracted war to claim the red-fort ? what do the tribals want to achive in New Delhi far away from DK ? Plant Trees ? pradeep chennai, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
131/D-172 Mar 24, 2010 09:51 PM	Does Ms. Roy know that there was a non-violent movement in Chattisgad by Shankar Guha Niyogi. Strangely all the players in Chattisgad seem to have conveniently forgotten Niyogi. Selective memory or ignorance? An article on Niyogi http://otherindia.or...s/niyogihis_work.pdf abcde1101us bidar, india PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
130/D-170 Mar 24, 2010 09:48 PM	Pradeep, it was an interview she gave to a foreign journalist. You may find it on YouTube. But who are the Maoists and why are they only on tribal land? The Maoists were supposed to be decimated several times in the past 60 years. But why do they always spring back every time? It is because we provide the "fodder" in the shape of these "harassed" tribals. And every time we try to wipe them out of the face of this nation by military force, we are sowing the seeds for the next round of maoist revolution. A classic example is the Vedanta mining in the Dongria Kondh tribal area of Orissa - as hinted by Arundhati in this article. Reader Man Kolkata, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
129/D-167 Mar 24, 2010 09:25 PM	Reader Man - Can you point out to the article where Arundhati says being true to Indian Constitution is the solution - I would be surprised if she considers Indian constitution worth the paper it is written . If you read carefully the comments below you will notice none has fallen for the line what we seeing here is tribal revolution - this is protracted war by Maoists with the sole objective of wresting absolute power . nothing less. So we can have a separate discussion on the people on the sidelines but not in this context . Maoist terror is unacceptable and has no place . Fair and simple. pradeep chennai, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
128/D-158 Mar 24, 2010 08:31 PM	Do you think the tribals have no other work but to raise a war against the state where they stand to lose everything for nothing in return? They are fighting because they are pushed to the edge of their survival. It is we who have pushed them to that war. And it is we who need to step back to give them some room to return to their normal life. If we keep pressurizing them with our supposedly developmental policies, it is we who are the real perpretators of war, not them. Reader Man Kolkata, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
127/D-156 Mar 24, 2010 08:25 PM	Arundhati has spoken of a solution to these problems in one of her interviews: The solution is to do things the right way as scripted in our constitution. The problem has arisen because we have deviated from our constitution and the only logical solution is to go back to the constitution. For every man deprived of his rights, the law must restore his rights; to every woman raped by a policeman or any one else, the rapist must be punished; to every corporate body that manipulates the law and brings untold miseries to the innocent masses, the law must catch and regulate them; to every politician who uses his power to suppress and exploit people, the law must punish him/her; and so on. The solution is to restore the constitution as envisioned when it was incorporated in free India and not let it become a farce as it has become today. Reader Man Kolkata, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
126/D-124 Mar 24, 2010 05:33 PM	And to comment #23 Pete,You Aussies have done a great job with the Aborigines and the White Australia policy. Narendra Hyderabad, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
125/D-122 Mar 24, 2010 05:29 PM	And Anurag, please point out where she is right, when was the last time she actually suggested a solution to a problem Narendra Hyderabad, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
124/D-120 Mar 24, 2010 05:26 PM	Hey Anurag, You want us to point out where she is wrong? All right, let's start with her Anti-Development stand. 1.She continues her tirade against the middle class and neo-"liberal policies", when it is a fact that we didn't have a 25% middle class before these reforms, the 25% BPL population is disturbing, but it is utopia compared to the License Raj 70%. 2.The Psuedo-liberalism, Roy and her kind sound like a broken record, Rapes by soldiers in Kashmir,Iraq, FACT:Those Guilty are punished, unlike the Maoists who despite burnuing villages are more worthy of her sympathy, and what of the Kashmiri Pandits, the Tibetans, the ones who are really oppressed, If this woman was alive in 1943, she'd say that the worst war crime in the second world war was the bombing of Dresden, and not the Mass murder of jews. 3.Her Hypocritical stand on the environment, while building Mansions on illegal forest land. And Mr Vinod Mehta, You think this piece of trash is worthy of a cover story? If so, also write about the grievances in Pakistan and China. Narendra Hyderabad, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
123/D-117 Mar 24, 2010 04:14 PM	Arundhati Roy is India's biggest security threat! Arnav Das Sharma Nagpur, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
122/D-114 Mar 24, 2010 04:01 PM	Arundhati Roy doesn't surprise me. Her pretentious, self-righteous, highly hypocritical articles are the staple of the so-called 'intelligentsia', an intellectual cabal determined to send the Indian state back to the stone age. The target of Operation green Hunt is misplaced; it instead should have been directed towards these pseudo-intellectuals than the Maoists. P.S. I'm rather rather glad that the Mossad is assisting the Indian personnel to weed out these terrorists from the Indian soil. Arnav Das Sharma Nagpur, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
121/D-112 Mar 24, 2010 03:57 PM	those ppl who can not counter the points raised by arundhati roy target her.if she is fake,her detractors should point out where she is instead of labeling her as communist,catholic and what not.its better to analyze her article than to analyse or abuse her angarag guwahatai, india PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
120/D-111 Mar 24, 2010 03:45 PM	THIS IS ONLY EMOTIONS OF ROY... NOTHING. WHEN MAOVADI KILLED POLICEMEN OR INNOCENT THAT TIME WHY ROY NOT CRITICIZED THAT ATTACK.. SHE IS NOT A WRITER OR JOURNALIST... ONLY AGAINST FOR COUNTRY.. SOME TIME SHE TALK AGAINST SARDARSAROVAR. NOW SHE FAVOURS MAOIST.. DIPAK D. CHUDASAMA HYDERABAD, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
119/D-110 Mar 24, 2010 03:36 PM	You find smile of certain 'mangtu' seductive and you don't find him security threat even though he can handle all kinds of weapon except LMG. You find police personal who are being trained to fight the Maoists are Mad dogs, rapists and oppressors, but you don't find anything wrong when Mangtu and his ilks burn and kill those willagers who don't want follow their dictates. A poor policemen who was beheaded by your comrades was most probably there because he had a family to feed back at home. Small kids who needed education. Your comrades took away that precious support from his family, made his wife widow and his children's future uncertain and yet they are revolutionary for you? And yet you have guts to talk of 'corrupt MINDS' of government. It's you and your comrades who are MAD DOGS. and they will be treated like a MAD DOGS. SHOOT TO KILL. Ravi Kant Asthana Portsmouth, United Kingdom PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
118/D-109 Mar 24, 2010 03:27 PM	So you saw 'Vedanta Cancer Hospital' board and realised that there must be mineral or ore's mountain close by which this corrupt corporate want's to exploit. Is exploiting natural resources of the country for betterment of country infrastructure is corruption? You took journey by train, bus and motorbike to meet your comrades. Were these assets and whatever infrastructure you used were created my maigic wand of a tribal witch? Ravi Kant Asthana Portsmouth, United Kingdom PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
117/D-107 Mar 24, 2010 03:14 PM	A.Roy, your 'GREED' for publicity and spotlight always get better of you. You are incorrigible, aren't you? You got a slap on your wrist from Supreme Court for putting your foot in your mouth, but you still can't stop doing that. You are shameless, aren't you? Ravi Kant Asthana Portsmouth, United Kingdom PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
116/D-105 Mar 24, 2010 02:51 PM	A.Roy is a 'gifted lady' of India and an Angel for millions of deprived people who have been subjected to horrendous discrimination and human rights abuses for centuries by fellow country men. Her adventure to expose the level of injustice and deprivation of these unfortunate people will be remembered for ever. She is a shining gem in a billion. Rajesh Sydney, Australia PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
115/D-100 Mar 24, 2010 01:54 PM	The attire of A.Roy seems familiar. Isn't that similar to what the Palestinian guerrillas don? May be she is revealing her inner unfulfilled commitments. This pest has found a matching company in those mindless terrorists with an ideological facade. Doubts having been raised about her source of funds to write all that thrash she has been writing, and if ever such source is identified and she is tried for treason and sentenced to death by hanging, I am too willing to be her hangman, my professional obligation notwithstanding. Such is my revulsion for this unforgivable idiot. sandilya Chennai, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
114/D-96 Mar 24, 2010 01:09 PM	kumar they have other choices- missionaries could convert them. build churches,and get them to ba another force against modi. faruki,s mullahs could get them to be muslims. however this could be risky. it would be tough for the women stumbling in the dark wearing black burqas, gayatri devi delhi, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
113/D-89 Mar 24, 2010 12:05 PM	Anandaswarup Gadde, >> It seems to me that tribals have real problems. I wonder whether they are using Maoists since they could not get much support from elsewhere. Something has to be done to address the problems/concerns of tribals, not letting them turn to/into Maoists. To that extent, Ms Roy or anyone taking up to tell their story is not bad (it is even required) - without jumping from this point towards a support for communist/maoist regime, overthrowing inclusive constitutional democracy etc. Kumar Bangalore, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
112/D-80 Mar 24, 2010 10:54 AM	This is the only article by Arundhati Roy that I have read and some of the facts she mentioned ring true to me. For example, I have seen strategic hamleting in Mizoram around 1977 when I was working in the NEHU. A highway was built from one end of the state to another, villages were shifted near the highway,( and I was told) fenced off and needed identity cards to leave the fenced area to farm. And there is much similar material in Raul Banerjee's "Recovering the Lost Tongue: The Saga of Environmental Struggles in Central India", Rahul Banerjee worked for about 25 years with tribals in Central India. It seems to me that tribals have real problems. I wonder whether they are using Maoists since they could not get much support from elsewhere. Anandaswarup Gadde Melbourne, Australia PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
111/D-74 Mar 24, 2010 10:05 AM	OUTLOOK henceforth must at least publish Arundhthi articles in fiction section. Tell her to add some of her mothers sexual escapades and may be she will get another "BOOKKER" Akil Bangalore, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
110/D-72 Mar 24, 2010 09:57 AM	A well written piece from Ms. Roy. The last time I read something like this was about Robin Hood and his Merry Band! Ms. Roy has, as is her wont, demonstrated brilliantly how a combination of erudition and verbosity can camouflage the travesty of truth! I am sure this article will appeal to all those people who still think it is fashionable (is it coming back?) to be anti-establishment, non-conformist, anarchic an so on .. A M Diwakar Bangalore, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
109/D-69 Mar 24, 2010 09:09 AM	Why does Outlook continue to publish her nonsense week after week ? Do they have too much money now to waste on garbage like hers or they do not find any better writers / articles ? So much for the intelligent english media in India. I am yet to read one article by Arundhati Roy where she has praised India or anything Indian. She won a Booker's price, so she thinks she is the smartie pant. Who cares about Booker except flag waving, west obsessed hypocrites like her. For a change, she needs to find something good in India or else move to Italy or somewhere else. By the wa, where does she get the money to travel and have such luxuries to roam and " write " at will ? Wake up India, see the real story. Arundhati Roy is no journalist or writer, she is a puppet in those invisible hands who are eating up India like a rat from inside. Only in India can people do this kind of backstabbing like Arundhati keeps doing to India and get away with name and money for it. Vipul Jani toronto, Canada PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
108/D-61 Mar 24, 2010 08:31 AM	Gayatri Devi writes - "amaratya sen got a nobel prize in economics. the western industrialised world gave it to him because it is concerned about the poor. it was a gesture of solidarity. all most all of these poor live in countries like india, pakistan, nepal, burma, ethiopia." - I know that "Gayatri Devi" lives in one of the Scandinavian countries. But, it is good to know now that our "Gayatri Devi" is also a member of the Nobel Committee which sits in Sweden to be able to make such an outburst - or is that due to some "anti-Bongo" instinct ? But that will be surprising since the original "Gayatri Devi" was a Bongo herself ! Pinaki S Ray Adelaide, Australia PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
107/D-41 Mar 24, 2010 04:32 AM	Just as Stalin was the only guy tough enough to crush Hitler, maybe Maoism is the only force to save India from Islam. Iqram Jahaz Jaipur, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
106/D-40 Mar 24, 2010 04:29 AM	There is a lot to be said for Maoism - as a means of dealing with jehadis. Iqram Jahaz Jaipur, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
105/D-38 Mar 24, 2010 04:26 AM	One aspect of the Maoists being virtuallty in power in Nepal is that this Hindu country is now safe from Muslim expansionism. The Maoists have armed the Hindu and Buddhist peasants of Nepal, who will crush ruthlessly any Muslim attempt at takeover. Iqram Jahaz Jaipur, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
104/D-35 Mar 24, 2010 04:17 AM	Take a good look at these Maoists. They're tough guys. They can deal with jihadis, once in power. Their hands will not tremble. Iqram Jahaz Jaipur, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
103/D-34 Mar 24, 2010 04:15 AM	The Muslims, in the LONG run, will pay a very heavy price for helping Maoism to power in India. History has shown that the bloody-Left-Islamist alliance only operates UNTIL the Bloody-Left are in power. It happened thus in Russia and China. Once the savage despots of vthe "Left" are in power, their attitude to Islam changes radically. They need to destroy every element in the society that might possibly be outside their totalitarian ideology. And the mosque is precisely such an institution. So they wage extremely brutal wars against Muslim clergy and believers to force them to submit to totalitarian "leftist" ideology. (I don't believe there is anything leftist in any real sense in this ideology, hence the quotation marks.) In India, my guess is that eventually, with arms in the hands of masses of Hindu peasants as a result of Maoism, Islam will take a terrific hit. Iqram Jahaz Jaipur, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
102/D-26 Mar 24, 2010 03:36 AM	Yes, Murtuza, Maha, that is the pity of it. It is similar to the result of the methods of opposition adopted by Laloo and Mulayam Yadav to oppose the Women's reservation. The genuine arguments get drowned out because of people's revulsion. Ajit Tendulkar Seattle, United States PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
101/D-22 Mar 24, 2010 03:02 AM	"Take all the "causes" Arundhati has espoused: nuclear weapons, Narmada, Afzal Guru, Kashmir... and in all of them, public opinion, even those who supported those causes, turned against only because of A. Roy's shrill, megalomaniacal and neverending rants." Interesting observation. Maha NJ, United States PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
100/D-15 Mar 24, 2010 02:08 AM	What Arundhati really needs is a good, strong, hardball interview with a sensible, disinterested journalist and good interviewer. Her interview with Karan Thapar was an ultra-softball joke. Even Vir Sanghvi said so. Come to think of it, why not Vir? He could challenge her hypocrisy and black-and-white views very effectively. She'd be squirming. Murtuza Polen NYC, United States PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
99/D-14 Mar 24, 2010 02:07 AM	I think compliments are due to Arundhati Roy and Outlook for achieving what P. Chidambaram could not have managed: turning public opinion against the Maoists. Take all the "causes" Arundhati has espoused: nuclear weapons, Narmada, Afzal Guru, Kashmir... and in all of them, public opinion, even those who supported those causes, turned against only because of A. Roy's shrill, megalomaniacal and neverending rants. I just hope that Kanu Sanyal did not decide to take his life because Arundhati Roy decided to support the movement he founded so many years ago. He meant well for the tribals and the underprivileged. Ms Roy is concerned only with her own ego. Ajit Tendulkar Seattle, United States PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
98/D-10 Mar 24, 2010 01:58 AM	'Dev Raya'/'James': >> However, I'm still just not quite sure yet what it is about the aggressive tone, insulting language and eccentric typesetting that marks Martuza Polen out as the only troll in the village ... Back again? Still seething over the fact that the moderator deleted all your posts in that thread, but kept everyone else's? Don't think you can ever -- ever -- get away with your racist statements. And try to attack me and I'll see that your posts are all deleted once again. Savvy? Murtuza Polen NYC, United States PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
97/D-9 Mar 24, 2010 01:51 AM	Who's ready to take bets that "James" the troll is none other than the banished Dev Raya, Reddy, Old Mac...? Ajit Tendulkar Seattle, United States PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
96/D-8 Mar 24, 2010 01:50 AM	I doubt who is funding all this nonsense of hers. A true journalist is one who is unbiased. But, here right the word go, she starts praising the naxals and screwing our brave soldiers and police. I dont know whats her problem with the middle class. Look at the following link. She has heavily criticized even our Nuclear tests. Doe she really mean this nonsense or is she taking sides just for gaining publicity. http://www.ratical.c...es/endOfImagine.html Lakshmikanth Bangalore, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
95/D-5 Mar 24, 2010 12:57 AM	>>>it is amazeing that she can get her rubbish published. only in india. she would be laughed away as a nitwit in any informed company in the west Unfortunately this is not true. She is like our very own Noam Chomsky, Naomi Klein and Michael Moore, rolled into one. People like this are a curse on the productive and patriotic. SreekanthBoston Boston, United States PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
94/D-4 Mar 24, 2010 12:57 AM	Fascinating reportage. And an excellent, thoughtful discussion. However, I'm still just not quite sure yet what it is about the aggressive tone, insulting language and eccentric typesetting that marks Martuza Polen out as the only troll in the village ... James London, United Kingdom PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
93/D-147 Mar 23, 2010 11:44 PM	And this is really funny, When a far-left maniac takes a jab at Hinduism, she is termed progressive, but talk about the Kashmiri pandits, you're a Hindu Bigot. Mr Mehta, It's a good thing you covered the tribals, now the Kashmiri Pandits,How about the Pandits? Narendra Hyderabad, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
92/D-145 Mar 23, 2010 11:37 PM	harish amaratya sen got a nobel prize in economics. the western industrialised world gave it to him because it is concerned about the poor. it was a gesture of solidarity. all most all of these poor live in countries like india, pakistan, nepal, burma, ethiopia. its simple. roy blames the rich for all the misery.dont blame the poor, for haveing 5 to 6 children per family. dont blame mother india and nature because there is insufficient water, land and other resources for its increaing flock of children. dont blame corrupt politicians like lalloo,mayawati ,shibu soren, koda for stealing from their compatriots.these are children of the poor. whilst travelling through india i observed how every town and city had so many people. sitting, walking, lieing down. people,people and more.children without clothes. young people without jobs, and old helpless people without food. a friend of mine a doctor pointed out something to me. " it seems that the density of population in india is about 10 times greater than in danmark" prince phillips who is known for dropping bricks has said. " the population of the world has gone up from 2 billion to 6.7 billion in 60 years. this is the single greatest cause for environmental damage to our planet" imagine if india had not built damns ,irrigation canals, developed new rice and wheat seeds, and built fertiliser factories. roy is a nut- the only dispute is what kind of nut. it is amazeing that she can get her rubbish published. only in india. she would be laughed away as a nitwit in any informed company in the west.this happened once when a journalist from the economist dismissed all her opinions as being totally wrong. at her age its pathetic that she goes around playing the teenage girl with flowers in her hair, and pretending she is the indian evita peron. poverty in india is a sin,like everywhere else. it has to fought intelligently useing all the sciences and resources available to us. its contemptible to use it to win points with frivolous populism . gayatri devi delhi, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
91/D-143 Mar 23, 2010 11:31 PM	Mr Chidambaram, Don't listen to what these "Human Right Activists" say, The people have elected you, do your job. Mr Garde, these "friends" of the poor are destroying schools, They don't serve meat in vegetarian restaurants, and they don't call you pro-poor when you destroy the very Institutions that lift people out of poverty, now would you be called pro-povery or not, that's a different matter. Roy hates the economic reforms because the population Below poverty line is 25%, but for a different reason than you might think,she hates these reforms because they have reduced it to 25% from 70% in 1991. I'd like to know what she has been smoking when she comes to the assesment that the system caters to only the upper caste Hindus, when you find that the non-muslim minorities such as Zoroastrians(Ratan Tata),Sikhs(the PM) and Christians are actually doing better than the Hindus. And don't even get me started on the Reservations. The government has made mistakes, but the Maoists are a solution worse than the problem. Still I'd have no problem if they create a separate state,provided Roy Migrates to this country and does not torture readers with such articles. Narendra Hyderabad, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
90/D-136 Mar 23, 2010 09:08 PM	Varun Garde, you are an idiot. 25 years back the middle class in India accounted for just 5% of the population. Today it accounts for 25-30%. Where did this extra 25% come from ? They came from the poor, you nitwit. Poor need not remain poor. A country is not static. The reason there are so many poor people in India is because of Nehruvian socialism. Take that away, free the economy, and there will be more numbers added to the middle class. Few years of economic reforms have seen a phenomenal growth in the number of middle class. Imagine what can happen if India becomes a free market capitalist country... But then this is precisely what A. Roy's leftist comrades do not want. They want to keep India perpetually poor. They do not want the poor to lose their poverty and become rich. Because then, they would lose all their support. Prashant Bangalore, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
89/D-135 Mar 23, 2010 08:58 PM	I think many of us are missing few important points. 1> Roy is a brilliant story teller so when her pen starts she can take a fact and weave it brilliantly with imagination, color and empathy - present it to a mass audience. 2> She has the capacity influence and convince mainstream Indians (and many others) to justify Maoist violence. I admire that capacity 3> The issue has never been Indian govt, Maoist, lands or mountains. The fundamental issue has been the justice system in India. Remember that historically Indian people always sided or connected with someone whom they feel is just. They never cared about the ideology, politics or anything else. Since justice system is not delivering properly, all other avenues like corruption, nepotism, insurgents, Maoist, PWG etc come out. Other countries like China destroy these forces through brutality. Instead of focusing your energy to blast Ms Roy can you not ask : >> Justice system be revived, with time bound resolution Our people is our strength. Sarat kumar Banbarada, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
88/D-134 Mar 23, 2010 08:57 PM	Those of us endowed with a voice who would rush to claim that we have made ourselves out of hard work, fought and won against our ailments and are rightfully middle class, forget to recognize that we were plainly reaping the harvest of caste superiority, of a system rigged to work towards our advantage, and towards the disadvantage of the poor. That the water that we drink was snatched from their basins, that the power that we consume was generated in a dam that displaced a thousand villages. That the Probably these are not petty crimes, but the worst crime which we did commit and continue to commit without remorse, without a thought is to deny a face, a voice and a hope to these tribals, deprived of money, opportunities and rights. By a "democratically elected" representative government, which we allowed to do our dirty work. Her essay makes me wonder if our democratically elected, representative government is more patriotic or those that are its children, and who resist its murderous agenda. Varun Garde Bengaluru, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE
87/D-133 Mar 23, 2010 08:57 PM	The greatest enemies of India are not Maoists or Muslim terrorists. They are just mad dogs that have to be shot dead and our Army and our Police are well capable of doing that job. The greatest threat to India comes from the passive supporters of Maoism and Islamic terrorism who call themselves human rights activists, intellectuals and what not. Their objective is to humiliate, demoralise and demonise the Indian Army and Police so that they are not able to fight with all their strength. Their goal is same as Maoists and Muslim terrorists - disintegration, annihilation, destruction of India. Because thats what they hate most -India. Arundhati Roy, Outlook editor and journalists are valued members of this club. Prashant Bangalore, India PERMALINK \| LIKE (0) \| DISLIKE (0) \| REPORT ABUSE