The Ministry of Utmost Happiness - Arundhati Roy

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The Ministry of Utmost HappinessThe Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

That was one ridiculous piece of compilation of horrors and sorrows from across India - mainly focusing on Kashmir.

What is the correlation between the title and the novel? There seems to be no 'happiness' anywhere, leave alone 'utmost happiness'!

Is this a compilation of related newspaper articles, or Ms. Arundhati, did you really sit with this book for 20 odd years? If so, your efforts are undoubtedly counterproductive.

I enjoyed most part of the book, however, I did not feel good at the end of it..

What I enjoyed most: the bold ridicule of Indian leaders -
1. Atal Bihari Vajpayee - Lisping Poet Prime Minister
2. Manmohan Singh
3. Narendra Modi - Gujarat ka Lalla
4. Anna Hazare
5. Kiran Bedi
6. Aamir Khan

'The Ministry of Utmost Happiness' will make a good study of contemporary Indian history, that apart, nothing more impressed me.

When the story started off with the transgenders, I thought that the book was going to fight for their justice or celebrate them. I was thrilled. This was going to be the first book I would be reading in this genre. Unfortunately, I was let down.

When the story of Musa began, I expected the book to raise it voice for the rights of Kashmiri Muslims and Pandits alike. Unfortunately, I was let down yet again.

There were just killings, gun shots, bomb-blasts, mutilations, more killings, rapes, and more of it.. Nothing else... You could read this stuff in any regular newspaper. I feel betrayed having laid my hands on this book with unnecessary expectations.


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