The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy is a complex novel with multiple characters and their backstories. The novel's plot is both intricate and fragmented. For easier understanding, we can divide the entire plot into five parts, wherein the major actions of the novel take place. These five parts are Khwabgah, Jannat Guest House, Jantar Mantar, Kashmir, and Dandakaranya. The novel follows the life events of a hijra named Anjum/Aftab, who lives in the Jannat Graveyard. The novel has a surreal and magic realist opening, starting with the first chapter entitled "Where Do Old Birds Go to Die?"
"She lived in the graveyard like a tree. At dawn she saw the crows off and welcomed the bats home. At dusk she did the opposite."
Old Anjum lives at Jannat Guest House, where everyone is welcome regardless of their identity markers. The story progresses to the second chapter, "Khwabgah," where she meets a blind Imam, Ziauddin. The narrative then delves into Anjum's backstory. She was born to Mulaqat Ali and Jahanara Begum, and her birth came as a shock to her parents when the midwife, Ahlam Baiji, revealed that she was born with both male and female genitalia. At that time, Anjum was known as Aftab. Jahanara Begum was initially upset, and Roy captures her reaction through a series of shocking remarks.
"Her first reaction was to feel her heart constrict and her bones turn to ash. Her second reaction was to take another look to make sure she was not mistaken. Her third reaction was to recoil from what she had created while her bowels convulsed and a thin stream of shit ran down her legs. Her fourth reaction was to contemplate killing herself and her child."
She was unable to accept the fact that her child was a hijra or kinnar because these terms existed outside her language, making it difficult for her to comprehend the situation. This highlights a crucial issue regarding third-gender identity in a world that divides everything into masculine and feminine categories. Society is so entrenched in gender binaries that it often remains ignorant of third-gender people.
One day, while shopping with her mother, Aftab follows a hijra named Bombay Sikh and ends up at Khwabgah, a place where many others like Aftab live. This chapter introduces other key characters such as Marry, Gudiya, Bulbul, Bismillah/Bimla, Raziya, and Nimmu Gorakhpuri, with Begum Kulsoom Bi as the head of the household. Over time, Aftab's parents, Mulaqat Ali and Jahanara Begum, come to accept this change in their child. In an attempt to help Aftab, Jahanara Begum takes him to Hazrat Sarmad’s Dargah for blessings, but it proves futile. We learn that Sarmad, too, was in love with a man named Abhaychand and was executed at Jama Masjid for chanting an incomplete Kalima. Aftab witnesses this execution, and later, at the Jama Masjid staircase, he finds an abandoned baby named Zainab, whom he decides to take to Khwabgah. However, Zainab falls ill, and Aftab blames Saeeda, whom he considers his enemy among the hijras.
During this time, Aftab decides to visit the Ajmer Sharif Dargah to pray for Zainab's quick recovery, accompanied by Zakir Mian. After performing the rituals and prayers, Zakir Mian insists they visit Ahmedabad, as he has business with his wife’s family. This marks the first instance of a historical event in the novel — the Gujarat Riots of 2002. During these riots, Zakir Mian is brutally killed, while Aftab is spared by the mob, who believe that killing a hijra is a bad omen. This incident brings to the forefront memories of the 2002 Godhra riots between the Hindu and Muslim communities. Terrified by the violence, Aftab changes his and Zainab's attire and way of life. Aftab transforms into Anjum and begins living alone at the Jannat Guest House.
This part of the story introduces Saddam Hussain, who comes to live at the Jannat Guest House. Saddam works at a local hospital and previously worked as a security guard. The backstory reveals that his real name is Dayachand, and he hails from the Chamar caste in Haryana. The Chamar community, historically regarded as one of the lowest castes, traditionally works as leather tanners, cobblers, and artisans. Dayachand's father, a leather worker, was lynched by a cruel inspector, Sehravat, for allegedly killing a "holy cow" that was already dead. Consumed by revenge, Dayachand adopts the name Saddam Hussain after the hanging of the former Iraqi leader, and vows to kill Sehravat one day.
The story then shifts to the Jantar Mantar protest site in New Delhi, where Anjum observes a variety of protesters, including the Tubby Old Gandhian (Anna Hazare), Mr. Aggarwal (Kejriwal), Mothers of the Disappeared, Manipur nationalists, Delhi Kabadiwala, and Dr. Azad Bhartiya. Jantar Mantar serves as an open space for protests against the government, and Dr. Azad Bhartiya emerges as a unifying figure for these diverse groups. Amidst the protests, Anjum sees a baby at Jantar Mantar, but it disappears in an instant.
From an Indian perspective, the aspiration is for Kashmir to willingly embrace its integration with India, envisioning a harmonious coexistence. There is even a broader dream of reunification, where nations like Pakistan and Bangladesh might one day choose to reunite with India, heralding a new era of unity.
The narrative shifts to the poignant story of Revathy who is also the mother of that disappeared child Miss Jebeen the Second (Also known as Udaya Jebeen), born out of a horrific incident where her mother was raped by six police officers. The harrowing letter from her mother, spanning nine pages near the end of the novel, lays bare the unspeakable atrocities and the resilience of those affected. The baby, Revathy, embodies the fractured identities and painful legacies of her parents, a product of violence, yet a symbol of enduring human spirit.
The story also delves into the mental toll of conflict on military and security personnel. The tragic fate of Amrit Singh and his wife Lavleen Singh, a characters who succumbs to fear and paranoia, illustrates the profound psychological impact of living under constant threat. Although the terrorists did not directly kill him, their pursuit created an environment of relentless fear, leading to his eventual self-destruction. This narrative underscores the shared humanity of individuals on all sides of the conflict, revealing the universal cost of violence.
The novel interweaves personal and political struggles, exploring themes of identity, resistance, and the devastating consequences of conflict. Through its layered storytelling, it captures the complexities of human resilience and the haunting realities of living amidst turmoil.
How to tell a shattered story? By slowly becoming everybody. No. By slowly becoming everything
Musa spends his last night at Jannat Guest House with Tilo, the woman he loves. Their bond is marked by tenderness and an undercurrent of inevitability, as Musa prepares to return to Kashmir, knowing it will be his final journey. Tilo shares her life at the guest house, recites a rebellious Urdu poem, and reveals her creative reflections on storytelling and identity. Musa is moved by her strangeness, which he finds deeply endearing. His thoughts turn to a tragic story of a young man killed in Kashmir, symbolizing the intertwining of hope and grief.
Meanwhile, Anjum, the transgender owner of Jannat Guest House, roams restlessly around the graveyard she tends to and reflects on her life. She takes Miss Udaya Jebeen, a child in her care, out for a midnight stroll, introducing her to the city's nocturnal life. Their simple, intimate moments juxtapose the heavier themes of love, loss, and war that dominate Musa and Tilo's story.
The story ends on a hopeful note with Anjum’s resilience and the promise of survival, embodied in Miss Jebeen and even in the small acts of life continuing, like the dung beetle "on duty." Despite the tragedies and struggles woven through the narrative, there is an enduring sense that things will ultimately turn out all right.
Arundhati Roy's The Ministry of Utmost Happiness examines the pursuit of happiness and paradise, intertwining spiritual, social, and political dimensions. While spaces like the Khwabgah and Jannat Guest House serve as sanctuaries for marginalized individuals, they symbolize fragile utopias rather than tangible realities. The Khwabgah, a refuge for the Hijra community, embodies harmony but remains a "House of Dreams," separate from the practical world. Similarly, Jannat Guest House, located in a cemetery, reflects a liminal paradise overshadowed by death, offering solace to its inhabitants despite their scars from the outside world. Roy suggests that true contentment lies not in overcoming suffering but in accepting the coexistence of life and death, as seen in Tilo’s quiet embrace of the “art of happiness” at Jannat Guest House. Through these spaces, the novel portrays paradise as fleeting, fragile, yet profoundly meaningful.
Roy explores the motif of internal division, both within individuals and societies. Anjum, a Hijra, embodies this tension as her gender identity conflicts with her biological reality, symbolized by her voice, which sounds like “two voices quarreling.” This personal discord parallels larger social divisions, such as the Kashmir conflict, where attempts to enforce uniformity by both the Indian government and hardline rebels exacerbate violence and self-destruction. Roy critiques the drive for unity and categorization, portraying it as destructive, as seen in the contrast between Anjum and Mr. Aggarwal, whose rigid certainties blind him to the humanity of others. In contrast, Anjum’s ambiguity fosters empathy and love, particularly for the marginalized. This ethos underpins Jannat Guest House, a sanctuary that thrives on embracing difference, suggesting that acknowledging and embracing complexities is life-affirming, while attempts to enforce conformity are inherently violent.
The novel critiques the rapid modernization of India, which often means Westernization. This modernization, driven by capitalism, causes both symbolic and literal destruction. Roy ironically describes how India’s culture is commercialized for the tourism industry, while in reality, many people suffer due to economic growth, like farmers losing their land or beggars being banned from existence. The violence in Kashmir is another example, where both the government and rebels profit from the ongoing conflict. The rise of Hindu nationalism and growing anti-Muslim sentiments are linked to economic changes, which leave poorer citizens vulnerable. Jannat Guest House symbolizes a refuge from this destructive progress, offering an escape from the harsh realities of modernization, but it remains uncertain whether this escape is a permanent solution to India’s future.
The blurred boundaries between life and death, suggests that the two are not opposites but interconnected. This theme is particularly evident in the Kashmir chapters, where death becomes a symbol of honor and martyrdom, and survival itself can feel like a kind of death. For example, Musa’s remark that "the dead will live forever" reflects the culture of martyrdom in Kashmir, where death in the fight for independence is considered noble. However, living under occupation is portrayed as a form of death, with survival often seen as a crime. Characters like Anjum and Tilo, who survive traumatic events, experience a symbolic death due to the emotional scars and survivor's guilt they carry. Anjum, for instance, feels that her survival is tied to the violence that killed others. Despite the novel's focus on death and survival, it also presents spaces like Jannat Guest House, where life and death coexist. This place provides comfort, allowing characters like Tilo and Anjum to feel that they exist somewhere between the two states, offering a form of healing and solace amid the chaos.
Arundhati Roy challenges traditional narrative structures, using a fragmented, non-chronological approach to storytelling. This technique reflects the novel's central theme: some stories are so complex and broken that they cannot follow a linear path. The narrative is filled with various forms of storytelling, from first-person accounts to documents like police files and private journals, emphasizing the evolution of stories based on the teller or audience. Roy explores how storytelling helps people cope with trauma by reshaping their experiences, as seen with Anjum, who revises her past to create a more comforting narrative. However, Roy also critiques the commercialization of stories, where victims of tragedies are forced to tell their tales in ways that attract attention, often reducing them to commodities. The novel highlights the dangers of a single, dominant narrative, particularly when those in power use storytelling to erase history and manipulate perceptions, as seen in the erasure of Muslim history in Gujarat. Roy warns against relying on one “official” version of events, as stories are subjective and can serve purposes beyond truth-telling, such as affirming identity.
The issue of marginalization in contemporary India, where class, religion, and nationalism intersect to complicate the identity and existence of various groups. Roy presents a panoramic view of society, focusing on the plight of Dalits, Muslims, and Hijras, highlighting how each group is systematically excluded or oppressed. The caste system continues to relegate Dalits to menial labor, reflecting broader social exclusions, especially as Hindu nationalism rises, increasing the oppression of non-Hindu citizens, such as Muslims and Kashmiris. The novel also critiques the effects of globalization and Westernization, showing how progressive changes, like the affordability of sexual-reassignment surgery, can carry bittersweet consequences, such as the potential extinction of Hijra culture. Additionally, Roy exposes the harsh realities faced by India’s poorest citizens, whose displacement due to gentrification and economic progress reveals their systematic neglect by the state. Through these narratives, the novel underscores the deep inequalities and systemic neglect experienced by the marginalized, urging readers to consider the human cost of India’s modernization.
Roy also critiques the corruption and self-interest that drive the political dynamics of the Kashmir conflict. She shows that each group involved whether the Indian army, leftist journalists, or Kashmiri militants claims to have moral or religious reasons for their actions, but in reality, they are motivated by financial gain. The Indian army, for example, profits from the ongoing violence by selling ammunition to militants and falsely labeling innocent Kashmiris as terrorists to receive rewards. Roy also criticizes Naga, a leftist journalist, who pretends to report on human rights but ultimately supports the government’s agenda to gain power and recognition. Even some Kashmiris are shown to profit from the conflict, with businessmen benefiting from the so-called "peace process" while perpetuating the war. Through this portrayal, Roy highlights how capitalism undermines the moral or religious ideologies that these groups claim to uphold, revealing how war and conflict are driven more by economic interests than by genuine political or religious motives.
In The Ministry of Utmost Happiness, Arundhati Roy highlights the resilience and hope of the marginalized characters amidst social and political struggles in modern India. Through the journey of Anjum, a transgender woman, Roy connects hope to the spirit of Hazrat Sarmad Shaheed, a martyr whose unwavering love, even in the face of death, inspires the characters to resist oppression. The novel also portrays the resilience of Kashmiris, who, despite ongoing violence, continue to bury their dead with dignity, symbolizing the persistence of life and hope even in the face of brutality. The story of Miss Udaya Jebeen, an adopted child born of violence and named for a new dawn, further embodies hope and rebirth. The novel ends with the symbolism of a dung beetle, a creature that turns waste into sustenance, representing the cyclical nature of life and the potential for renewal. Through these narratives, Roy suggests that resilience and hope are crucial forces for overcoming oppression, signaling the possibility of a brighter future despite ongoing hardships.
Anjum's character challenges rigid gender binaries, a transgender woman born intersex. Anjum's identity as a Hijra, which straddles masculine and feminine, allows her to transcend societal divisions based on gender, nationality, and religion. Her fluidity in gender presentation moving between masculine and feminine identities—demonstrates that gender is not fixed but can be expansive and inclusive. Roy also draws a parallel between the internal conflict of Hijras and the senseless violence of the India-Pakistan partition, suggesting that both the gender binary and the partition are arbitrary divisions. Through Anjum’s experiences, Roy advocates for the power of embracing difference rather than division, using Anjum's identity as a metaphor for peaceful coexistence between historically divided groups, such as Hindus and Muslims, and even nations like India and Pakistan.
Arundhati Roy contrasts characters who uphold social hierarchies with those who fight for inclusivity, highlighting the isolating effects of caste and religious divisions. Biplab Dasgupta, a Brahmin official, represents the alienation of the privileged, while Anjum, a transgender Hijra, creates a community of radical inclusivity through her funeral home, Jannat Funeral Services. By accepting marginalized individuals regardless of status or religion, Anjum fosters a space of dignity and belonging, symbolizing a utopia where social hierarchy and violence are replaced by inclusivity, leading to a more peaceful society.
Novel addresses the dangerous intertwining of religion and politics in contemporary India, particularly the violence between Hindus and Muslims. She critiques Hindu nationalism, illustrated by attacks on Muslims in the aftermath of the partition and the rise of leaders like Gujarat ka Lalla, whose political support blends religion and politics. This creates a dangerous environment where violence against religious minorities is normalized. While critical of Hindu extremism, Roy also shows how extremist Islam in Kashmir further divides communities, weakening the freedom struggle and promoting religious intolerance. Ultimately, Roy highlights the threat posed by the absence of separation between religion and state, which endangers citizen safety and liberty.
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