Adrija

“And even though the photos are black and white, they gleam
incandescent like all the colours of a royal flush. This island is a beautiful
place, despite being filled with fools and savages. And if these photos of
yours are the only ones that outlive you, maybe that’s an ace that you can
keep.”
― Shehan Karunatilaka, The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida

“Seven decades on, the subject of Partition is like a well that was once filled with blood. The blood has long dried up, but the well remains, like a gaping hole on the chest of the Indian subcontinent. Those who used to stop by it and kneel against its wall to shed a tear or two have passed on. Their children and grandchildren have moved on: the well no longer falls in their path.”
― Bishwanath Ghosh, Gazing at Neighbours: Travels Along the Line That Partitioned India

“Who do you blame for this
mess? Was it the colonials who screwed us for centuries? Or the
superpowers that are screwing us now? Who screwed us?’
‘The Portuguese assumed the missionary position. The Dutch took us
from behind. By the time the Brits came along, we were already on our
knees, with our hands behind our backs and our mouths open.’
‘I’m glad we were colonised by the British,’ you say.
‘Better than being slaughtered by the French,’ says the Priest.
‘Or enslaved by the Belgians.’
‘Or gassed by the Germans.’
‘Or raped by Spaniards.’
‘Sometimes, when I think of the mess this country is in, I think it
might be better to let the Chinese or the Japanese buy us over, let the
Yanks and the Soviets own our thoughts or let the Indians take care of
our Tamil problem, like we let the Dutch take care of our Portuguese
problem.”
― Shehan Karunatilaka, The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida

“History
is people with ships and weapons wiping out those who forgot to invent
them. Every civilisation begins with a genocide. It is the rule of the
universe. The immutable law of the jungle, even this one made of
concrete. You can see it in the movement of the stars, and in the dance of
every atom. The rich will enslave the penniless. The strong will crush the
weak.”
― Shehan Karunatilaka, The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida