Arundhati Roy’s new novel ‘the Ministry of Utmost Happiness,’ has been worth the twenty year wait, and is uniquely on message, from the transsexual Hijra of old Delhi to the oppressed and tormented independence fighters of Kashmir. It is a journey through the contradictions of modern India, a nation booming with new wealth and hope, still beset with poverty and injustice. Roy’s characters are brash, raw, and vulnerable, striving to overcome their circumstances, and choosing unconventional means. Anjum, a once celebrated Hijra has constructed a home of sorts in an abandoned Delhi graveyard, where bedrooms are shared with gravestones. Because of Anjum’s warmth and humanity, she collects other troubled souls around her. As their stories are slowly unravelled for us, we are transported into a chaotic world of sound, touch, smell, dramatic events and quiet desperation. At first, nothing makes sense, until we relax into the world of the book and understand the affection Roy has for her flawed characters. Be transported.
