Our group is now reading the books of Indian authors (as we stay in the Commonwealth)

The first author we read was Arundhati Roy

Arundhati Roy, full name Suzanna Arundhati Roy, (born November 24, 1961, in Shillong, Megahalaya, India) is an Indian author, actress, and political activist who was best known for the award-winning novel The God of Small Things (1997) which won the Booker Prize in 1998. She is also known for her involvement in environmental and human rights causes, including women’s rights, Maoist-supported Naxalite insurgency groups and Kashmiri independence. She lives in India.

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Arundhati-Roy
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arundhati_Roy

Her writing covers novels and activist writing:

Novels: The God of Small Things, Ministry of Utmost Happiness
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Arundhati-Roy

Activism: Azadi
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/oct/19/azadi-arundhati-roy-review-kashmir-india

Collectively, we read two of her novels:

God of Small Things (1997)
Ministry of Utmost Happiness (2017)

These contemporary novels include themes of the caste system and especially the Dalits or Untouchables, poverty, environmental pollution and degradation, racism, police brutality, family violence, Indian politics, family, love, religion, nationalism and patriotism, life and death. Her skilful use language in her writing is of a hallmark of both books.

The books got us reflecting on the partition of India in 1947 by the British colonial rulers into two independent countries – India and Pakistan. The area of Kashmir (formally in India) is now under the control of three countries: Indian, Pakistan and China.
Other topics that arose were the Indian diaspora, with many Indian-born people moving to other countries; the chaos and beauty of India; the squalor and wealth; and India as the largest democracy with a population of 1.5 billion.