The Shape of the Beast: Conversations with Arundhati Roy

by Arundhati Roy

The Shape of the Beast is our world laid bare, with great courage, passion and eloquence, by a mind that has engaged unhesitatingly with its changing realities, often anticipating the way things have moved in the last decade.

In the 14 interviews collected here, conducted between January 2001 and March 2008, Arundhati Roy examines the nature of state and corporate power as it has emerged during this period, and the shape that resistance movements are taking. As she speaks, among other things, about people displaced by dams and industry, the genocide in Gujarat, Maoist rebels, the war in Kashmir and the global War on Terror, she raises fundamental questions about democracy, justice and non-violent protest.

Unabashedly political, this is also a deeply personal collection. Through the conversations, Arundhati talks about the necessity of taking a stand, as also the dilemma of guarding the private space necessary for writing in a world that demands urgent, unequivocal intervention. And in the final interview, she discusses with uncommon candour her ambiguous feelings about success and both the pressures and the freedom that come with it.

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, India, History, Indian Literature, Essays

271 pages, Hardcover

First published January 4, 2008

About the author

Arundhati Roy is an Indian writer who is also an activist who focuses on issues related to social justice and economic inequality. She won the Booker Prize in 1997 for her novel, The God of Small Things, and has also written two screenplays and several collections of essays.

For her work as an activist she received the Cultural Freedom Prize awarded by the Lannan Foundation in 2002.

Reviews

[Shadin Pranto · Rating 4 out of 5]

'...it’s ironic that hunger strikes are used as a political weapon in a land where most people go hungry anyway.’ -Arundhati Roy

'কার পয়সা? কে মজা লুটে?' নামের এক ছাঁকনিতে ইয়াকিন রাখেন অরুন্ধতী রায়। এই তত্ত্বের সারকথা হলো জনতার করের টাকার সুবিধাভোগী কে - তা মনোযোগ দিয়ে লক্ষ করলেই 'দুধ কা দুধ, পানি কা পানি' হয়ে যাবে। গণতন্ত্র নেই ; কোনো রাষ্ট্রীয় প্রতিষ্ঠান কার্যকর ভূমিকা পালন করতে পারে না ; অথচ দিবানিশি উন্নয়ন জাতীয়তাবাদের আফিমে জনতাকে বুঁদ করে রাখার কোশিশ জারি থাকে হামেশা। গণতন্ত্র মানে কেবল ব্যালটে সিল মারার অধিকার সীমিত নয়। গণতন্ত্রের পরিধি অত্যন্ত বিশদ। অপ্রিয় প্রশ্নের মুখোমুখি হওয়ার সৎসাহসের নাম গণতন্ত্র। কিন্তু সেই গণতন্ত্রের দেখা মেলা ভার। প্রতিবেশী দেশ ভারতে অনেক অনুসন্ধান করা সত্ত্বেও গণতন্ত্রের আদি ও অকৃত্রিম নির্যাস পাননি অরুন্ধতী রায়। পেয়েছেন ক্ষুদ্র নৃ-গোষ্ঠীরকে বাস্তুচ্যুত করে বাঁধ ; দেখেছেন বহুজাতিক প্রতিষ্ঠানগুলোর খায়েশ মেটাতে জনগণকে শায়েস্তা করার নির্মম দৃশ্য।


জনগণের পছন্দকে সাবধানে যাচাই-বাছাইয়ের মাধ্যমে গ্রহণ করার পক্ষে অরুন্ধতী রায়। কারণ সাময়িকভাবে জনতুষ্টির লোভে সরকারগুলো এমন অনেক কাজ করে থাকে, যা আখেরে ভালো ফল বয়ে আনে না। সমাধান হিসেবে প্রশ্ন করতে উৎসাহিত করেছেন অরুন্ধতী রায়।

দীর্ঘদিন ধরে দেওয়া বিভিন্ন সাক্ষাৎকার নিয়েই অরুন্ধতী রায়ের 'The Shape Of Beast' খোলামেলা কথা বলেন মিস রায়। কোনো সরকারকে তিনি তোয়াজ করেননি। গুজরাটে মুসলিম গণহত্যার জন্য মোদিকে আজ থেকে প্রায় দুই দশক আগেই ধবলধোলাই দিয়েছেন। হিন্দুত্ববাদীদের জানের দুশমন তিনি। আবার, কংগ্রেসের মনোমোহন সিংয়ের তথাকথিত মুক্তবাজার নীতির নামে জনতাকে ভোগবাদী করে তোলার প্রকল্পের বিরুদ্ধে সোচ্চার অরুন্ধতী রায়।

কথা বলার কারণে তিনি জেল খেটেছেন। পুলিশের মার খেয়েছেন। তবু দমে যাননি। বন্ধক দেননি নিজের মগজ। অনবরত প্রশ্ন করেছেন সবাইকে। কংগ্রেস তাকে ভালোবাসে না। মোদিজির দল ঘৃণা করে অরুন্ধতী রায়কে। তাই সম্প্রতি ২০১২ সালে দিল্লিতে দেওয়া একটি ভাষণের জেরে তার বিরুদ্ধে রাষ্ট্রদ্রোহ আইনে মামলা করেছে একজন মোদিপন্থি৷

[Kumar Anshul · Rating 2 out of 5]

Justifying the horrendous acts of Maoists and Naxalites, claiming that since the attack on Indian Parliament was fabricated so Afzal shouldn't have been hanged, calling Congress 'Benign' and BJP 'Malignant' are some of the ludicrous banter Ms. Roy has filled this book with. It's a series of her interviews between 2001-2008 and you will like it if you agree with her views. I won't comment any further.

[Faraaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read if you want to understand India in the 2000s before the Hindutva government took control.

[Palash Bansal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a collection of interviews of Arundhati Roy. Even though I have watched some of her interviews and talks, the book deeply moved and to a large extent convinced me of her views, which are often criticized as anti-modern, old-school and tried-tested-failed societal ideology.
Her thoughts kept resonating in my mind and at times made me wonder how mean, people can possibly be. Her essays on terrorist attacks, politics and Indo-US nuclear deal etc will be the next on my to-read list.
I was searching for some answers with regard to the debate between pro and anti liberalization. It was amazing to see how beautifully she cleared all my doubts when on the other hand world renowned economists failed to do the task. Well it may be, as she rightly points out, due to the writing style!!
The book was very informative too, and possessed a lot of remarkable quotes like the one differentiating between empathy and concern.

In short a very nice and influential reading experience :-)

[Afia Jahin Mow · Rating 4 out of 5]

an interesting and thought-provoking read indeed! recommended to anyone interested in Roy's works or in Indian politics. the interviews get a little repetitive in the middle but it’s exquisite to see how originally, unapologetically and elegantly she talks about her personal, political and professional life.

[Ravi Prakash · Rating 5 out of 5]

As usual, original, unapologetically confident, fearless and courageous Roy. Hats off!!

[Dennis Dason · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is collection of interviews with Arundhati Roy published on various Indian and International Magazines & newspapers between1998 (the year she won Booker's Prize) and 2008. It provides some further insights on her stand on various political issues, her thoughts while she was writing "The God of Small things", her personal life and much more. In the last issue of Ananda Vikatan, there was an interview of Roy in which in the preface, the magazine states that conversing with Roy was like conversing with their own soul, its true – I thoroughly enjoyed the first five interviews of this book, she saying many things which many a times passed on my mind but which I didn’t give that much importance due to ignorance.

But after some point it turns tad repetitive - saying same things again and again. Even though the original interviews were published in different magazines been published for different audiences and at various timeline, reading all altogether as a book was tiresome. The book would be better if it was an abridged version or if it is a selection of best interviews.

First book in this year going uncompleted........... Which I gave up after reading 70% of the book and I don’t think I’ll return to this book sometime after.

Anyway a better read if you read this book for a whole year reading without any pressure to complete it soon.

[Nishant Sharma · Rating 5 out of 5]

truth is not objective. and when the agents responsible for bringing out the truth become corrupt- media, judiciary, the state- things go horribly wrong. democracy looses its footing. hell, it becomes a mockery. this book will shock you, shake you. wake you up from the slumber of nationalism. it will reinforce that truth is not objective at all. not when millions of dollars of investments are riding on on supreme court judgement. not when these deals carry within them seeds of indiscriminate corruption. this book will bring it all to you. arundhati roy is of one of the dying breeds of 20th century intellectuals. she is fearless, scathing and really dedicated to what she believes in. she never says Maoists are good people, or that violence is the only way for the marginalized to voice their demands. she says when every other means of discussion is crushed (in a democracy)... what other means would a people have? please read this book to really understand what is at work here. neoliberalism, neoimperialism of the west is really alive and kicking. and the people we elect are the biggest kissers of imperial boots. it is hopeless and upsetting and very sad... and this is how it is supposed to be... to wake us up. to make us aware of realities. a great book. really excited for her next novel due january 2016.

[Jodi · Rating 3 out of 5]

2013-01-03 -- interesting and thought-provoking, and I learned a little more about India (perhaps from a subjective author but nonetheless she spoke about things I didn't know about). I liked her comments about how being a writer influences her activism. She talks about wanting to use people's stories to highlight the effects of certain events and raise people's consciousnesses. Her style of speech does make it easier to listen to her explanations. I was struck mostly by this quote, "Some of the most profound conversations I've had have to do with the fact that if you grow and burst out of the confines of whatever was prepared for you and yet none of those things were superficial, how do you find a way of holding on to that and yet free yourself? To me, that's a very fundamental thing, because it's very easy to just walk away from everything." Series of interviews revisit similar topics where similar things are repeated. Perhaps this shows her evolution over time? I am not sure.

[Theshigen Navalingam · Rating 3 out of 5]

An insight into the mind of 1998 Booker price winner, Arundhati Roy. The book offers a look into her activism in India. Pretty good primer on the whats what on the dam front. I dont quite fall in line with her potrayal of Americans... the ineffective as just as guilty as the terorist(only to a certain point, it does feel like she goes overboard). She is, despite this, a woman with great courage and tenacity.

The final chapter is especially speial as she talks about her book, her life and how it has changed it.

[Sameen Mohsin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the book that made her my favorite female activist, gives you such an insight on how humanity is being commercialized and exploited according to the whims and desires of a few.
A must read, especially for people interested in South Asian politics.

[Stantontas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Within the first 40 pages there were 4 or 5 deadly effective quotes. Made me see vaguely familiar events in crystal clear focus. Great writing and great political mind.

[Mark Thuell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful language and very clear insights into post colonial India’s relationship with the US. A bit repetitive but a riveting read

[Abhimanyu Chaudhary · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Shape Of Beast, fifteen interviews of Arundhati Roy taken by various journalists which are conducted from 2001 to 2008. These interviews are compiled in this single book.
🧐
Being a Booker Prize winner, Roy knows how to work with words and the way she puts them in the sentences, they leave a benign impact on readers and the facts she provides keep the readers curious.
😈
Roy criticized government's development schemes, which are nothing like schemes for the betterment but are manipulative policies for poor who were deeply affected by these schemes and merely got any benefit from them.
☢️
Roy also denounces WTO and a The World Bank, how they became the reason for the destruction of livelihood of people of the Narmada Valley by displacing million of them from their land. The destruction was thus caused by the Sardar Sarovar Dam which was funded by the World Bank and other private companies. She has also shared the struggle of NBA ( Narmada Bachao Andolan ) and it's failure.
🔨
Roy puts America and it's former President George Bush in pillory and accused him of taking the innocent lives in Iraq ( more than 15 millions ) to overthrew Saddam Hussein and said that Bush is also a well suited terrorist but with a permit.
🔺
Beast , Arundhati Roy used this word metaphorically for the government, the way government put schemes as baits and then destroy many lives as same as a beast does.

[j j · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's always a delight to read Arundhati Roy's books.

Being a collection of interviews, this book provides a broad view of her life and work. There are discussions on her first novel and its reception, her reasons to turn to political writing, the controversies and her opinions on various issues and individuals.

We all have our personal biases on every subject. Unless we overcome this bias, we won't be able to appreciate the opposing faction's viewpoints. Arundhati Roy has chosen a side which is at odds with the popular narrative. So before you criticize her work, please try to read it by setting aside your preconceived notions of what the truth is. You may not agree with all her arguments, but it will at-least show you a new line of enquiry on matters of public importance.

[Adnan Sarwar · Rating 5 out of 5]

"We are being asked by the countries that invented nuclear weapons and chemical weapons and apartheid and modern slavery and racism - countries that have perfected the gentle art of genocide, that colonized other people for centuries - to trust them when they say that they believe in a level playing field and the equitable distribution of resources and in a better world. It seems comical that we should even consider that they really mean what they say."
Arundhati does it again. The Shape of the Beast is a powerful critique of politics and society. Her razor-sharp essays provoke thought and challenge injustices with eloquence and courage. A must-read for anyone seeking truth in this world of deception.

[Prasanta · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay

[Mano · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good interview question and bold response on indian political misuse of peoples money etc etc.

[Animesh Mitra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enlightening. An eye opening book for the intelligent people who want to know the other side of the story (except the government-corporate version).

[Nanda Rajanala · Rating 2 out of 5]

Arundhati Roy made a very interesting and meaningful transition from being a world famous writer of an award winning book (The God of Small Things) to a very vociferous defender of democratic rights and human life in several of her future books and speeches. She has continually exposed the evil designs of the American Empire, the India Empire and every other institution or Country that she can safely handle without being violently targeted. This has attracted the attention of several secessionist, anarchist and terrorist organizations who had a notable voice in supporting their not so humane deeds for attracting attention.

I had made some notes on a speech she gave several years back sitting with several such "fighting for rights" organizations in India. While I loved her passion for change, I found her agenda misplaced and so are several of her books. My notes can be found here:

http://miimaamsaa.blogspot.in/2011/02...

Nanda Kishore Rajanala

[Esmé J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Roy's more overtly political work is just as unique and intriguing as her fiction! She is razer sharp and I can't get enough of her biting humor and scathing criticisms of power.

"If every avenue of non-violent dissent is closed or mocked or bought off or broken, then by default you privilege violence. When all your respect and admiration and research and media coverage and the whole economy is based on war and violence, when violence is deified, on what grounds are you going to condemn terrorism?"

[Ashish · Rating 2 out of 5]

The language is as beautiful and elocutionary as it can get, but the message is NOT. It's totally anti-establishment and it keeps asking it readers to revolt against the society at large and in a way is a proponent of anarchy. It's a collection of interviews but the central message remains, 'go back to stone age, leave behind nuclear age'.
It disappoints me as how people like her incite the common villagers rather than becoming a mediator between the aggressor and the aggrieved.

[Bhavesh Mehta · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this one because I was searching was something that was different from regular STUFF, It is a good interview documentary book that is highly enlightening as well as interesting. Although I don't agree with all the views of Arundhati Roy, yet some of her words are thought provoking. A fine read.

[Amit]

Words matter more than content.....

[Irfan]

wow! wat a buk...this buk taught me a vy gud learned lesson i.e india only pretends to be a democracy, in real its a totalitarian state...

[Harminder Kailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had been sleeping on this book, for long long time.Now that I have read it, my conscience is a bit more clear.

[Rajat Bansal · Rating 5 out of 5]

http://arbitbansal-bookreview.blogspo...

[Isha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting insight into the injustices perpetrated by the world's 'democratic' governments and big multinationals.

[Umesh Kesavan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A peek into the mind of the Indian Chomsky.

[Giji Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

An alternate taste of non-fiction started today..