Arundhati Roy, an emblem of intellectual courage, has profoundly influenced both literary and socio-political spheres worldwide. Trained as an architect, she worked in cinema as an actress, screenplay writer and production designer. After a notable performance in Massey Sahib (1985) she scripted and acted in In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones (1989), for which she received the National Film Award for Best Screenplay. However, in 2015, she returned the award to protest against religious intolerance. She also wrote the screenplay for the feature film Electric Moon (1993).
In 1997 she won the Booker Prize for her first novel The God of Small Things which was translated into more than 40 languages. The novel delves into the complexities of the social and familial fabric of the Indian state Kerala, interwoven with themes of politics, caste, religion, and class.
Following her literary success, Roy pivoted towards political nonfiction, focusing on the ramifications of global capitalism and its impact on India. Her works include Capitalism: A Ghost Story (2014), The Doctor and the Saint (2013), Broken Republic: Three Essays (2011), Field Notes on Democracy: Listening to Grasshoppers (2009), Public Power in the Age of Empire (2004), War Talk (2003), The Algebra of Infinite Justice (2002), and Power Politics (2001). Her latest book of essays is Azadi: Freedom, Fiction, Fascism (2019).
In 2017, The Ministry of Utmost Happiness marked her return to fiction, which she describes as a conversation between two graveyards. One of them is the valley of Kashmir, covered by the graves of those who have lost their lives in the struggle for self-determination, and the other a graveyard just outside the walls of Old Delhi where one of the characters, Anjum, encloses graves to build The Jannat Guest House. The Ministry of Utmost Happiness has been translated into more than 50 languages.
She has been honored with the Norman Mailer Prize for Distinguished Writing (2011), the Sydney Peace Prize (2004), and the Lannan Foundation's Cultural Freedom Award (2002).
Roy's solidarity with her comrades is not limited to her writing alone. Her Booker Prize earnings, augmented by her first book royalties, went to the Narmada Bachao Andolan, the anti-dam movement in the Narmada Valley. Her Lannan Foundation award was distributed to 53 small organizations in India. And in 2006 she established a trust to channel her earnings towards progressive causes across India.
Roy's voice has been resonant in political activism and nonfiction, championing anti-globalization and critiquing neo-imperialism alongside US foreign policy. In India she stands as a critic of the Hindu caste system and formidable critic of Hindu nationalism and the Narendra Modi government's stance towards the Christian and Muslim minorities. Her own mother belongs to the Syrian Christian community in Kerala. Roy's advocacy extends to challenging India's policies on nuclear weaponry and controversial industrialization and economic growth. In a bold stance against what she views as detrimental policies affecting industrial workers and promoting militarization and economic neo-liberalization, she turned down the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2006.
Her stance on global conflicts is unflinching, as evidenced by her unwavering condemnation of Israeli occupation and her defense of Palestinian resistance which she spoke about at length in a lecture called Come September (2002) delivered in New Mexico (USA) on the first anniversary of 9/11. Her solidarity with the people of Gaza was powerfully articulated in her recent Munich Literature Festival address, as well as several articles since then, where she stands in unison with worldwide demands for a ceasefire to stop the ongoing genocide.
Arundhati Roy's journey underscores the necessity of addressing global injustices and embodies the courage required to cultivate a more equitable society. Her relentless pursuit of justice and sustained advocacy serve as a catalyst for transformation and the reimagining of a better world.