Assignment Paper 207 - Contemporary Literatures in English
Significance of Jannat Guest House and Funeral Parlour in ‘The Ministry of Utmost Happiness’
Name - Hina Parmar
Batch - M.A. Sem 4 (2022-2024)
Enrollment no - 40692064202221
Roll no - 10
Subject code - 22414
Paper no - 207
Paper - Contemporary Literatures in English
Email address - hinaparmar612@gmail.com
Submitted to - Smt.S.B. Gardi Department of English M.K.B.U.
Date of submission - 26 April 2024
About Arundhati Roy
Arundhati Roy, born in 1960 in Kerala, India, initially pursued architecture at the Delhi School of Architecture and later worked as a production designer. Alongside her architectural endeavors, she ventured into writing, penning two screenplays, including "Electric Moon" (1992) commissioned by Channel 4 television. Residing in Delhi with her husband, filmmaker Pradip Krishen, Roy gained global acclaim with her debut novel, "The God of Small Things," which won the Booker Prize for Fiction in 1997 and has sold over six million copies worldwide.
Despite its international success and publication in 16 languages across 19 countries, the novel stirred controversy in India due to its depiction of a love affair between a Syrian Christian and a Hindu 'untouchable'. Set in Ayemenem, a rural province in Kerala, the story revolves around twin siblings Estha and Rahel, their reunion after 23 years, and their haunting memories of their English cousin Sophie Mol's accidental death in 1969.
Beyond fiction, Roy has authored several non-fiction works that critically examine social and political issues in India. "The Cost of Living" (1999) scrutinizes the Indian government's handling of the Narmada Valley dam project and its nuclear testing program. "Power Politics" (2001) is a collection of essays, while "The Algebra of Infinite Justice" delves into journalism. In "The Ordinary Person's Guide to Empire" (2004) and "Listening to Grasshoppers: Field Notes on Democracy" (2009), Roy explores the complexities and challenges of democracy in contemporary India.
Recognized for her impactful writing, Roy was honored with the Lannan Prize for Cultural Freedom in 2003. Her latest literary offering, "The Ministry of Utmost Happiness" (2017), a poignant novel longlisted for the Man Booker Prize, further cements her reputation as a formidable voice in contemporary literature. (Roy)
The Ministry of Utmost Happiness
"The Ministry of Utmost Happiness" by Arundhati Roy is a complex and ambitious novel that delves into the vast turmoil of modern India. Unlike her previous work, "The God of Small Things," which focused on personal and private losses, this novel explores the broader social, political, and cultural issues plaguing the nation.
The story revolves around two main heroines: Anjum, a transgender woman living in a Delhi graveyard, and Tilo, a former architecture student who travels to Kashmir to visit her friend and lover, Musa, a freedom fighter. Through their intertwined stories, Roy addresses various national tragedies, including the Bhopal gas disaster and the Gujarat riots, while also highlighting the everyday struggles of her characters.
While the novel has moments of heartfelt intensity and a beautifully orchestrated conclusion, it can sometimes feel disjointed due to its discursive nature and numerous digressions. Despite this, Roy's poetic prose and ability to capture the complexities of love and belonging shine through, making the novel a compelling read. (Kakutani)
Significance of Jannat Guest House and Funeral Parlour in ‘The Ministry of Utmost Happiness’
Roy paints Jannat as more than just a resting place; it's a realm of rejuvenation. Unlike Khwabgah, it transcends mere temporary refuge, offering an alternative reality imbued with utopian elements. Anjum, acknowledging its otherworldly essence, proudly asserts to the media, "Hum doosri Duniya se aaye hain", signifying their departure from societal norms. Here, societal labels like religion, caste, gender, economic status, and lineage hold no sway. Residents aren't interrogated about their pasts, as the sanctuary embraces them despite their traumas.
Roy articulates this collective understanding, where wounds, old and new, are shared without naming them, fostering unity amidst societal alienation . While Khwabgah shelters 'hijras', Jannat embraces all subalterns. Its denizens hail from diverse backgrounds, united by their shared struggle against societal rejection. Each member's past is harrowing, yet they find solace in collective support and affirmation.
The establishment of a guest house near the graveyard symbolizes the plight of the underprivileged, perceived as socially dead. They're akin to haunted spirits, suffering for past sins, as Roy illustrates with Anjum's metaphorical death amidst the graveyard.
Jannat becomes a nexus between life and death, where trauma brings its inhabitants closer to mortality, blurring the lines between existence and oblivion. It's not merely a guest house but a sanctuary where troubled souls find absolution, resonating with its metaphorical portrayal as a mythical heaven. Yet, this paradise is exclusive to the subalterns, offering funeral rites devoid of religious dogma.
Tilo's unconventional funeral for her mother typifies Jannat's avant-garde practices, reclaiming power from tradition and granting agency to the departed. Here, burial customs transcend societal norms, honoring the departed's preferences over archaic rituals. Thus, Roy crafts a space where the oppressed rewrite their narrative, reclaiming dignity in death.
Roy delves into the subaltern status of Muslims in the Indian context, broadening the scope of subaltern studies. Ironically, Saddam occasionally uses his original name to evade discrimination stemming from his Muslim identity. The drug addicts' declaration that Muslims belong in Pakistan or the graveyard epitomizes society's inclination to marginalize minorities, revealing humanity's regression to primal instincts. Here, conventional society's veneer of sophistication is exposed as mere façade.
Jannat exists beyond societal norms, embodying Roy's socialist ideals. It serves as a sanctuary for the socially marginalized, offering economic and emotional support. Its utopian vision serves as a stark contrast to society's atrocities, presenting aspirational benchmarks for humanity's future.
Unlike the general populace, Jannat residents grapple with complex psychological issues due to their subaltern existence, manifesting "unmet dependency needs." Despite this, they foster a nurturing environment, transcending their own traumas to champion humanitarian values. Nimmo Gorakhpuri and Anjum, despite being strangers, share a familial bond rooted in their shared struggles. This familial affinity is ubiquitous among Jannat's residents, who find solace only in each other's company.
Roy portrays Jannat as a result of the collective trauma that brought its inhabitants together. The essence of life in Jannat lies in collective healing, where falling off the edge leads to holding onto others in descent. This model of collective healing operates independently of capitalist and hegemonic influences, embodying an ideal democratic state founded by and for the disadvantaged.
In essence, Jannat is both a sanctuary and a symbol—a refuge from societal oppression and a beacon of hope for a more equitable future. As a microcosm of an ideal democratic state, it stands as a testament to the power of collective resilience and solidarity amidst adversity. (Nair)
"Jannat Guest House" and "Funeral Parlour" from a postmodern perspective
The Jannat Guest House, nestled within the vicinity of a graveyard, adjacent to a mortuary and a public hospital symbolically associated with the deceased, emerges as a sanctuary for all—human and non-human, male and female, living and deceased, vulnerable and invulnerable, mourned and unmourned. Anjum christens it as 'the place of falling people,' a haven for the doubly marginalized—'a hub for Hijras who, for various reasons, have fallen out of or been expelled from the tightly administered grid of Hijra Gharanas'. Additionally, it initiates funeral services for 'those whom the graveyards and imam of Duniya had rejected', extending its shelter not only to humans, alive or deceased, but also to animals—a modern-day Noah's ark for injured creatures.
The Jannat Guest House evolves into a postmodern realm where distinctions between life and death, animate and inanimate, human and inhuman blur. It becomes a melting pot of cultures, castes, and genders, challenging the hegemonic notion of 'purity' through its intersectional composition. Its 'hybrid' nature, epitomized by 'the battered angels in the graveyard that keep watch over their battered charges [holding] open the doors between worlds… so that the souls of the present and departed could mingle, like guests at the same party', defies stereotypes by embracing gendered, racial, and class impurities embodied by its diverse inhabitants.
"The Ministry of Utmost Happiness" initially unfolds the narrative of gendered impurity through Anjum, a transgender individual commonly referred to as Hijra in India. In a highly patriarchal society enforcing heteronormativity, Anjum's identity defies categorization as 'masculine' or 'feminine,' rendering her labeled as 'queer' (LGBTQ). Despite being named Aftab at birth and raised as a boy in Sahajanabad, old Delhi, Anjum's discovery of her hermaphroditic identity shatters societal norms. Her family and society perceive her as a curse and a bad omen, leading to her disownment. Rejected by her father, who once endeavored to instill 'manliness' in Aftab, she faces ridicule and humiliation, eventually finding refuge at Khwabgah, a haven for ostracized Hijras. Aftab's journey of self-discovery, fueled by the desire to emulate 'Bombay silk,' a revered Hijra, leads her to the gates of Khwabgah, where she confronts the biological changes in her body, prompting a struggle against self. Welcomed by Kulsoom Bi, who extols the sacrifices and discipline of Hijra life, Aftab grapples with the profound complexities of gender identity and societal expectations.(Swarnakar)
Conclusion
In conclusion, "The Ministry of Utmost Happiness" stands as a paramount example of a subaltern narrative. Through its intricate plot, richly drawn characters, evocative settings, and nuanced conflicts and resolutions, it authentically captures the essence of marginalized existence. Arundhati Roy adeptly avoids sentimentality, offering instead a stark and honest portrayal of the unspoken struggles, raw emotions, and unfiltered realities faced by the underprivileged.
Roy's narrative encompasses a diverse array of sub-cultures within the subaltern community, shedding light on the shared experiences that unite them. Characters representing transgenders, orphans, Kashmiris, Muslims, women, and the elderly serve as living embodiments of subaltern archetypes. The exploration of the hegemonic system is conducted without bias or prejudice, exposing the systemic injustices faced by the marginalized.
Symbolic settings like Khwabgah, Jannat, and Kashmir serve as metaphors for the multifaceted existential dilemmas confronting the disadvantaged. While Khwabgah offers temporary respite from the horrors of subaltern existence, Kashmir portrays the extreme depths of oppression. In contrast, Jannat emerges as a beacon of hope—a permanent sanctuary founded on Roy's socialist philosophy of democracy and equality. It serves as an epicenter of the subaltern discourse, where centuries of collective trauma find absolution. Roy presents Jannat as a model for conventional society to aspire to, challenging the depiction of the subalterns as disposable and insignificant.
The significance of the funeral parlor and Jannat Guest House lies in their roles as sanctuaries for the marginalized. They serve as physical embodiments of refuge and acceptance, offering solace and dignity to those rejected by mainstream society. In these spaces, the humanity of the subalterns is reclaimed, and their voices are amplified, compelling readers to empathize with their struggles and advocate for their rights. Through her narrative, Roy not only bears witness to the quotidian horrors faced by the underprivileged but also reaffirms their inherent worth and dignity in the face of adversity.
Resources
Kakutani, Michiko. “Arundhati Roy’s Long-Awaited Novel Is an Ambitious Look at Turmoil in India.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 5 June 2017, www.nytimes.com/2017/06/05/books/review-arundhati-roy-ministry-of-utmost-happiness.html.
Nair, Gopika R. "A Haven for the Subaltern: The Implication of the Jannat House in Arundhati Roy’s The Ministry of Utmost Happiness."
Roy, Arundhati. “Arundhati Roy.” Literature, 1 Jan. 1970, literature.britishcouncil.org/writer/arundhati-roy.
Swarnakar, N. (2022). ‘Jannat Guest House’: A challenge to the ‘Stereotype’ and celebration of ‘Impurities’: A Postmodern perspective to The Ministry of Utmost Happiness. Humanities & Social Sciences Reviews, 10(1), 62-66. https://doi.org/10.18510/hssr.2022.1018
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