There can be no other book that can devasate your reverence for India, that you have within yourself, as much as this book can. In fact Arundhati Roy has stood apart for her communist ideologies, blended with the grudge, however justified, that she holds against the industrialists for forcefully acquiring the lands from the weak. This book is a scinitillating compilation and analysis of the events that reveal our country as a saffron chuvinist, the law and order as a bestial body and the politicians, whose image was ameliorating, as parasite. It consists of essays that were written in the wake of incidents like 13-dec, assaassination of hrant dink, godhra massacre, nandigram issue and 26/11.
The book makes shocking revelations, backed by proofs of webpage links from international press, that changes the way we think of the 13th dec parliament attacks. A lucid evidence that's given is that how can Afzal make a clear confession when his family lives in the kashmir valley where they are an easy kill for the people he is speaking against. As a matter of fact it is possible, provided the torure he was subjected to, like giving electric shocks to the genitals, thrusting iron rods into anus, wearing shirt for weeks which must b used to cleac toilet and forcefully made to drink urine. A fact which many people don't know is that afzal was a suspect much earlier than the attack and was in close touch with the STF. Then how is it possible that nobody kept an eye on his activities.
It also condemns the Indian media for the irresponsibility the show while airing a news. Despite the Godhra event, things havent changed much. The credit for Afzal being viewed as a public enemy is indisputedly claimed by the media. Further the death sentence issued to Afzal becomes a little cloudy when we read the supreme court decision that quotes ' The hanging would satisfy the collective public conscience'. It's quite disappointing to learn that the death sentence awarded to Afzal is not consolidated by any of the evidence, rather they make it more confusing.
Other issues that the book raises includes the hegemony of saffron politics, the credit of which is claimed by more than 'one' party, under which thousands of minorities have been killed in two seperate state organised massacres. There are explicit description of the bestiality bestowed upon those people, the brutal killing of former MP Ehsaan Jaffri, the heart-shattering interviews of victims and other ruthless events.
The most important issue that the book discusses is about the Supreme court. Specifially the Chief Sabarwaal case. But folks, there is a law that refrains people from condemning the apex court, so it'd be better if you read the book and spare me the trouble.
here is a link to one of the essays http://www.countercurrents.org/roy260108.htm
