The greater common good - Book Review

Arundhati Roy

India Book Distributers (Bombay) Ltd., 1999.

In her non-fiction work, The Greater Common Good, Arundhati Roy integrates activism, literary technique, and passion into a powerful work of art. In this essay, Roy deals with the politics of development, exemplified by the Big Dams projects, specifically the dams of the Narmada River Valley Project: 3,200 dams slated for construction (1961 and on) in central India.

The power of Roy's essay lies in her use of emotive language to convey the horrors of India's Big Dam projects. The essay becomes a passionate plea on behalf of half a million individuals whose lives are being devastated by the dams projects.

The title of the essay is an ironic reference to a speech given by Prime Minister Jawahalal Nehru, speaking to villagers about to be displaced by a Big Dam in 1948: "If you are to suffer you should suffer in the interest of the country."

Materialistic corporate development is raised to the level of moral imperative, and millions of individuals are being asked to sacrifice themselves for the "Greater Common Good of the Nation."

Roy makes expert use of impassioned language. She calls Big Pains "weapons of mass destruction." She cites the cost (the total displacement of about 50 million people) in terms of human lives: "I feel like someone who has stumbled on a mass grave." Her use of sarcasm is masterful and fine as a razor's edge: "But I'll be rapped on the knuckles if I continue in this vein. When we're discussing the Greater Common Good there's no place for sentiment - forgive me for letting my heart wander."

As director Peter Bosshard says of Roy's essay, "It is inspiring to see art becoming activism, and activism becoming a piece of art."

Read The Greater Common Good. And be horrified and inspired.

Elvina Sainte-Marie lives in Victoria, BC. She is presently traveling in India for 6 months.

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