Film Heritage Foundation announces the nationwide theatrical release of its 4K restoration of ‘In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones’ (1989), the cult classic directed by Pradip Krishen and written by Arundhati Roy.&nbsp;Following its acclaimed world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival, where the restoration received a standing ovation, the film will make its long-awaited debut on the big screen across India on March 13, 2026, releasing in 14 cities and 19 cinemas. The National Award-winning film, which captured the zeitgeist of student life at an architecture school in Delhi in the mid-1970s, has been meticulously restored in 4K by Film Heritage Foundation, ensuring that contemporary audiences can experience the film in its finest possible quality on the big screen.&nbsp;The restored film will release in Mumbai, Delhi, Noida, Gurgaon, Chandigarh, Ahmedabad, Pune, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Chennai, Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Hyderabad and Goa.To commemorate the occasion, Pradip Krishen along with members of the cast and crew will present special screenings alongside Film Heritage Foundation Director Shivendra Singh Dungarpur at 06:30 p.m. on March 13, 2026 at Inox, Nariman Point in Mumbai and on March 14, 2026 at PVR Plaza CP in Delhi. Arundhati Roy states, “If not for the Film Heritage Foundation and Shivendra Singh Dungarpur’s several years’ long dogged perseverance and stubborn love for the film, and if not for Pradip’s carefully archived material, In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones would not have had the opportunity to take a bow in the real world before retiring to a resting place in some dim archive. That said, why does this small, scrappy little film, made 38 years ago, keep surfacing from its life underground? It’s what certain films and books and songs do. And we’ll never really know why. In Annie’s case, I believe it’s because all of us, every single person in the cast and crew, worked on it with joy. ‘’ &nbsp; In addition, limited copies of Penguin Books’ new edition of the original screenplay of In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones, written by Arundhati Roy, will be available for purchase at the special screenings. These copies will be signed by the director, cast and crew, offering audiences a rare collectible that celebrates the film’s enduring legacy. Tickets for the film go on sale on March 9, 2026 via BookMyShow and the PVR Cinemas app and website. Long regarded as a cult classic, In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones was celebrated for its sharp writing, irreverent humour and authentic portrayal of youthful idealism and rebellion. Despite its critical acclaim and enduring legacy, the film remained largely inaccessible for decades. The Foundation’s restoration marks a significant cultural moment, bringing this landmark of independent Indian cinema out of obscurity and back into theatres for a new generation of viewers.&nbsp;Restored in 4K by Film Heritage Foundation at L’Immagine Ritrovata laboratory in association with the director Pradip Krishen. Funding provided by Film Heritage Foundation. In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones was restored using the best surviving elements: the 16 mm original camera negative and sound negative preserved at the NFDC-National Film Archive of India and a 35 mm release print preserved at Film Heritage Foundation. The original camera negative had colour fading, broken splices, tears, scratches, mould, emulsion damage and previous tape repairs. Hours of manual work went into the film repair, digital restoration and the colour grading.Directed by Pradip Krishen and written by Booker Prize-winning author, Arundhati Roy, &nbsp;the movie also stars Roshan Seth, Arjun Raina, Roy, Rituraj, Isaac Thomas, Divya Seth, Idries Malik, Moses Uboh, Benoy Thomas, Himani Shivpuri, Raghuvir Yadav, Jagan Shah, Shantanu Nagpal, Shuddha Sengupta, Loveleen Mishra, Shoumendra Bose, Smita Vats, Naved Aslam, Pankaj Rishi Kumar, Kuldeep Sarin, Yuvraj Sharma, Col. Krishen Tuli, Cecil Qadir, Mohini Mathur, Shahrukh Khan &nbsp;&nbsp;

Long regarded as a cult classic, In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones was celebrated for its sharp writing, irreverent humour and authentic portrayal of youthful idealism and rebellion.

Film Heritage Foundation announces the nationwide theatrical release of its 4K restoration of ‘In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones’ (1989), the cult classic directed by Pradip Krishen and written by Arundhati Roy. Following its acclaimed world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival, where the restoration received a standing ovation, the film will make its long-awaited debut on the big screen across India on March 13, 2026, releasing in 14 cities and 19 cinemas. The National Award-winning film, which captured the zeitgeist of student life at an architecture school in Delhi in the mid-1970s, has been meticulously restored in 4K by Film Heritage Foundation, ensuring that contemporary audiences can experience the film in its finest possible quality on the big screen. The restored film will release in Mumbai, Delhi, Noida, Gurgaon, Chandigarh, Ahmedabad, Pune, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Chennai, Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Hyderabad and Goa. To commemorate the occasion, Pradip Krishen along with members of the cast and crew will present special screenings alongside Film Heritage Foundation Director Shivendra Singh Dungarpur at 06:30 p.m. on March 13, 2026 at Inox, Nariman Point in Mumbai and on March 14, 2026 at PVR Plaza CP in Delhi. Arundhati Roy states, “If not for the Film Heritage Foundation and Shivendra Singh Dungarpur’s several years’ long dogged perseverance and stubborn love for the film, and if not for Pradip’s carefully archived material, In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones would not have had the opportunity to take a bow in the real world before retiring to a resting place in some dim archive. That said, why does this small, scrappy little film, made 38 years ago, keep surfacing from its life underground? It’s what certain films and books and songs do. And we’ll never really know why. In Annie’s case, I believe it’s because all of us, every single person in the cast and crew, worked on it with joy. ‘’ In addition, limited copies of Penguin Books’ new edition of the original screenplay of In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones, written by Arundhati Roy, will be available for purchase at the special screenings. These copies will be signed by the director, cast and crew, offering audiences a rare collectible that celebrates the film’s enduring legacy. Tickets for the film go on sale on March 9, 2026 via BookMyShow and the PVR Cinemas app and website. Long regarded as a cult classic, In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones was celebrated for its sharp writing, irreverent humour and authentic portrayal of youthful idealism and rebellion. Despite its critical acclaim and enduring legacy, the film remained largely inaccessible for decades. The Foundation’s restoration marks a significant cultural moment, bringing this landmark of independent Indian cinema out of obscurity and back into theatres for a new generation of viewers. Restored in 4K by Film Heritage Foundation at L’Immagine Ritrovata laboratory in association with the director Pradip Krishen. Funding provided by Film Heritage Foundation. In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones was restored using the best surviving elements: the 16 mm original camera negative and sound negative preserved at the NFDC-National Film Archive of India and a 35 mm release print preserved at Film Heritage Foundation. The original camera negative had colour fading, broken splices, tears, scratches, mould, emulsion damage and previous tape repairs. Hours of manual work went into the film repair, digital restoration and the colour grading. Directed by Pradip Krishen and written by Booker Prize-winning author, Arundhati Roy, the movie also stars Roshan Seth, Arjun Raina, Roy, Rituraj, Isaac Thomas, Divya Seth, Idries Malik, Moses Uboh, Benoy Thomas, Himani Shivpuri, Raghuvir Yadav, Jagan Shah, Shantanu Nagpal, Shuddha Sengupta, Loveleen Mishra, Shoumendra Bose, Smita Vats, Naved Aslam, Pankaj Rishi Kumar, Kuldeep Sarin, Yuvraj Sharma, Col. Krishen Tuli, Cecil Qadir, Mohini Mathur, Shahrukh Khan

Long regarded as a cult classic, In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones was celebrated for its sharp writing, irreverent humour and authentic portrayal of youthful idealism and rebellion.

Arundhati Roy’s cult film In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones to re-release after 37 years

India’s Jammu and Kashmir has banned 25 books for allegedly ‘promoting secessionism and a false narrative,’ about the alleged human rights atrocities committed in the disputed region. Manoj Sinha, the Lieutenant Governor of the Union Territory issued the order which banned prominent books by historians and academics. The most famous of the banned books is&nbsp;Azadi, by Arundhati Roy which includes essays about thousands of people allegedly killed by the Indian armed forces during conflict. The ban also includes <a href="https://www.sup.org/books/asian-studies/colonizing-kashmir">Colonizing Kashmir</a>: State-building Under Indian Occupation&nbsp;by the US-based academic Hafsa Kanjwal and Contested Lands: Israel-Palestine, Kashmir, Bosnia, Cyprus and Sri Lanka&nbsp;by Sumantra Bose.&nbsp;&nbsp;This has prompted raids of bookstores across the region to cease the banned books. The irony is that throughout history, banning a book has put the spotlight on it and granted it more readership than ever before.<h2>A Brief Historical Perspective&nbsp;</h2>Many beloved books were banned at some point of time. The english version of the Bible&nbsp;was banned by the Roman Catholic Church in 1524, as it was claimed that the text should only be read in Latin.&nbsp;Similarly, Shakespeare’s Richard II&nbsp;was banned in 1597, as it contained a scene in which the monarch is deposed from his throne, inviting the ire of Queen Elisabeth I.&nbsp;&nbsp;More recently and famously, Salman Rushdie’s The Satanic Verses&nbsp;was banned in 1988, as Islamic clerics declared it blasphemous and copies of it were widely burnt throughout the world, including in India. Oddly, the much loved Harry Potter&nbsp;series by JK Rowling also came under fire in 2019 as some people demanded that it contained mentions of witchcraft and occult practices and thus should be banned. The war against people’s right to read has been a long and global one. But it is fraught with many in-your-face ironies.<h2>Tempting Taboos</h2>Books, once banned, become taboo and forbidden fruit and much like Adam, readers are often compelled to read these texts to see what blasphemies they hold. The Satanic Verses, once it was unbanned in India, saw people queuing up at bookstores to get a copy.More importantly, book bans might have worked in the pre-internet era. But in this digital age, nothing is truly ever banned. Books are easily pirated and downloaded off the Internet and can be read on smartphones and laptops without the country or government ever coming to know. Book bans create interest in often ordinary and previously un-noteworthy works and thus the blasphemy and seditious content finds a wider readership after the banning.&nbsp;&nbsp;<h3>Political Overtones</h3>Just like the Kashmir book ban, banning of literature has always had political reasons. Such A Long Journey&nbsp;by Rohinton Mistry was withdrawn from the University of Mumbai’s syllabus after politician Adtiya Thackeray claimed that the books demeaned his grandfather Balasaheb Thackeray and the Marathi culture as a whole. &nbsp;Similarly, India Independent&nbsp;by Charles Bettelheim was banned in 1976 by the Indira Gandhi government for criticising the ruling party’s policies post India’s independence. Sometimes, even business interests seem to justify banning. In 1988, The Polyester Prince by Hamish McDonald was banned for allegedly being a ‘shoddy’ biography of business tycoon Dhirubai Ambani, the father of Asia’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani.&nbsp;<h3>Don’t go down the Raj way</h3>During British rule, many books, now central to India’s freedom struggle, were banned. The Indian Struggle&nbsp;by Subhash Chandra Bose and Hind Swaraj&nbsp;by our father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi, were banned as being seditious. This created quite a stir then and governments of today would do well to understand how sedition then and sedition now is essentially the same, a muzzling of contrary opinions and a silencing of dissenting voices. The right to read must be central to our society and culture. Dissenting and differing voices must be heard to avoid the creation of sycophantic echo chambers. The act of banning books, however controversial they may be, is similar to banning mirrors just because we don’t like our own faces.

India's Jammu and Kashmir has banned 25 books for 'promoting a false narrative.' But banning books never works and is like trying to ban the right to breathe. 

India’s Jammu and Kashmir has banned 25 books for allegedly ‘promoting secessionism and a false narrative,’ about the alleged human rights atrocities committed in the disputed region. Manoj Sinha, the Lieutenant Governor of the Union Territory issued the order which banned prominent books by historians and academics. The most famous of the banned books is Azadi, by Arundhati Roy which includes essays about thousands of people allegedly killed by the Indian armed forces during conflict. The ban also includes Colonizing Kashmir: State-building Under Indian Occupation by the US-based academic Hafsa Kanjwal and Contested Lands: Israel-Palestine, Kashmir, Bosnia, Cyprus and Sri Lanka by Sumantra Bose. This has prompted raids of bookstores across the region to cease the banned books. The irony is that throughout history, banning a book has put the spotlight on it and granted it more readership than ever before. A Brief Historical Perspective Many beloved books were banned at some point of time. The english version of the Bible was banned by the Roman Catholic Church in 1524, as it was claimed that the text should only be read in Latin. Similarly, Shakespeare’s Richard II was banned in 1597, as it contained a scene in which the monarch is deposed from his throne, inviting the ire of Queen Elisabeth I. More recently and famously, Salman Rushdie’s The Satanic Verses was banned in 1988, as Islamic clerics declared it blasphemous and copies of it were widely burnt throughout the world, including in India. Oddly, the much loved Harry Potter series by JK Rowling also came under fire in 2019 as some people demanded that it contained mentions of witchcraft and occult practices and thus should be banned. The war against people’s right to read has been a long and global one. But it is fraught with many in-your-face ironies. Tempting Taboos Books, once banned, become taboo and forbidden fruit and much like Adam, readers are often compelled to read these texts to see what blasphemies they hold. The Satanic Verses, once it was unbanned in India, saw people queuing up at bookstores to get a copy. More importantly, book bans might have worked in the pre-internet era. But in this digital age, nothing is truly ever banned. Books are easily pirated and downloaded off the Internet and can be read on smartphones and laptops without the country or government ever coming to know. Book bans create interest in often ordinary and previously un-noteworthy works and thus the blasphemy and seditious content finds a wider readership after the banning. Political Overtones Just like the Kashmir book ban, banning of literature has always had political reasons. Such A Long Journey by Rohinton Mistry was withdrawn from the University of Mumbai’s syllabus after politician Adtiya Thackeray claimed that the books demeaned his grandfather Balasaheb Thackeray and the Marathi culture as a whole. Similarly, India Independent by Charles Bettelheim was banned in 1976 by the Indira Gandhi government for criticising the ruling party’s policies post India’s independence. Sometimes, even business interests seem to justify banning. In 1988, The Polyester Prince by Hamish McDonald was banned for allegedly being a ‘shoddy’ biography of business tycoon Dhirubai Ambani, the father of Asia’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani. Don’t go down the Raj way During British rule, many books, now central to India’s freedom struggle, were banned. The Indian Struggle by Subhash Chandra Bose and Hind Swaraj by our father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi, were banned as being seditious. This created quite a stir then and governments of today would do well to understand how sedition then and sedition now is essentially the same, a muzzling of contrary opinions and a silencing of dissenting voices. The right to read must be central to our society and culture. Dissenting and differing voices must be heard to avoid the creation of sycophantic echo chambers. The act of banning books, however controversial they may be, is similar to banning mirrors just because we don’t like our own faces.

India's Jammu and Kashmir has banned 25 books for 'promoting a false narrative.' But banning books never works and is like trying to ban the right to breathe.&nbsp;

Banning books is like banning the right to breathe. It never works. Here’s why!

Indian author and activist Arundhati Roy has been awarded the PEN Pinter Prize 2024. The annual award was set up in 2009 by English PEN in memory of Nobel laureate playwright Harold Pinter. 
 
Roy is a Booker Prize-winning author and has written about human rights issues in India as well as war and capitalism globally.

The author will be honoured at a ceremony co-hosted by the British Library on October 10 later this year. She will also deliver an address. 
 
The annual award is given to a writer of outstanding literary merit residing in the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland or the Commonwealth, who in the words of Harold Pinter’s Nobel Prize in Literature speech, casts an ‘unflinching, unswerving’ gaze upon the world and shows a ‘fierce intellectual determination … to define the real truth of our lives and our societies’. 
 
This year’s award jury comprised English PEN chair Ruth Borthwick, actor Khalid Abdalla, and writer Roger Robinson.&nbsp; 
 
Previous award winners include prominent authors like Michael Rosen, Margaret Atwood, Malorie Blackman, Salman Rushdie, Tom Stoppard and Carol Ann Duffy.

Roy has said that she is "delighted" to have been awarded this year's PEN Pinter Prize. 
 
English PEN chair Ruth Borthwick praised Roy for telling "urgent stories of injustice with wit and beauty. While India remains an important focus, she is truly an internationalist thinker, and her powerful voice is not to be silenced." 
 
On winning the prize, Roy said: "I wish Harold Pinter were with us today to write about the almost incomprehensible turn the world is taking. Since he isn't, some of us must do our utmost to fill his shoes."

Indian author and activist Arundhati Roy has been awarded the PEN Pinter Prize 2024. The annual award was set up in 2009 by English PEN in memory of Nobel laureate playwright Harold Pinter.

Indian author and activist Arundhati Roy has been awarded the PEN Pinter Prize 2024. The annual award was set up in 2009 by English PEN in memory of Nobel laureate playwright Harold Pinter. Roy is a Booker Prize-winning author and has written about human rights issues in India as well as war and capitalism globally. The author will be honoured at a ceremony co-hosted by the British Library on October 10 later this year. She will also deliver an address. The annual award is given to a writer of outstanding literary merit residing in the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland or the Commonwealth, who in the words of Harold Pinter’s Nobel Prize in Literature speech, casts an ‘unflinching, unswerving’ gaze upon the world and shows a ‘fierce intellectual determination … to define the real truth of our lives and our societies’. This year’s award jury comprised English PEN chair Ruth Borthwick, actor Khalid Abdalla, and writer Roger Robinson. Previous award winners include prominent authors like Michael Rosen, Margaret Atwood, Malorie Blackman, Salman Rushdie, Tom Stoppard and Carol Ann Duffy. Roy has said that she is "delighted" to have been awarded this year's PEN Pinter Prize. English PEN chair Ruth Borthwick praised Roy for telling "urgent stories of injustice with wit and beauty. While India remains an important focus, she is truly an internationalist thinker, and her powerful voice is not to be silenced." On winning the prize, Roy said: "I wish Harold Pinter were with us today to write about the almost incomprehensible turn the world is taking. Since he isn't, some of us must do our utmost to fill his shoes."

Arundhati Roy wins the prestigious 2024 PEN Pinter Prize 

Delhi Leuitanant Governor&nbsp;VK Saxena has sanctioned the prosecution of author Arundhati Roy and former professor Sheikh Showkat Hussain in a case of alleged provocative speeches at a public function in 2010. 
 
The prosecution of Roy and Hussain,&nbsp;who was professor of international law at the Central University of Kashmir, will be under IPC section 45 (1) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act or UAPA, an official statement said&nbsp; on Friday (June 14).

An FIR or first information report against Roy and Hussain was registered after the orders of the Court of Metropolitan Magistrate, New Delhi.

Sushil Pandit, a social activist from Kashmir, had registered a complaint in the matter on October 28, 2010.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/india-firmly-rejects-unwarranted-references-to-jammu-and-kashmir-in-china-pakistan-joint-statement-731545">India firmly rejects 'unwarranted references' to Jammu and Kashmir in China-Pakistan joint statement</a>

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The LG, in October 2023 had granted sanction to prosecute them under section 196 of CrPC for the commission of offences punishable under different sections of the Indian Penal Code: 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony), 153B (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national-integration) and 505 (statements conducing to public mischief).

Roy and Hussain allegedly made provocative speeches at a conference organised under the banner of 'Azadi - The Only Way' on October 21, 2010, at LTG Auditorium, Copernicus Marg, New Delhi.

"The issues discussed and spoken about at the conference propagated the separation of Kashmir from India," said the official.

(With inputs from agencies)

Delhi Leuitanant Governor VK Saxena has sanctioned the prosecution of author Arundhati Roy and former professor Sheikh Showkat Hussain in a case of alleged provocative speeches at a public function in 2010.

Delhi Leuitanant Governor VK Saxena has sanctioned the prosecution of author Arundhati Roy and former professor Sheikh Showkat Hussain in a case of alleged provocative speeches at a public function in 2010. The prosecution of Roy and Hussain, who was professor of international law at the Central University of Kashmir, will be under IPC section 45 (1) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act or UAPA, an official statement said on Friday (June 14). An FIR or first information report against Roy and Hussain was registered after the orders of the Court of Metropolitan Magistrate, New Delhi. Sushil Pandit, a social activist from Kashmir, had registered a complaint in the matter on October 28, 2010. Also read: India firmly rejects 'unwarranted references' to Jammu and Kashmir in China-Pakistan joint statement The LG, in October 2023 had granted sanction to prosecute them under section 196 of CrPC for the commission of offences punishable under different sections of the Indian Penal Code: 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony), 153B (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national-integration) and 505 (statements conducing to public mischief). Roy and Hussain allegedly made provocative speeches at a conference organised under the banner of 'Azadi - The Only Way' on October 21, 2010, at LTG Auditorium, Copernicus Marg, New Delhi. "The issues discussed and spoken about at the conference propagated the separation of Kashmir from India," said the official. (With inputs from agencies)

Delhi LG allows prosecution of author Arundhati Roy, Sheikh Hussain in 2010 provocative speech case

Indian author Arundhati Roy may face up to seven years in prison after the Lieutenant Governor of India's national capital Delhi, Vinai Kumar Saxena, directed Delhi Police to prosecute Roy and one other in connection with a 2010 event that allegedly promoted a call for India's territorial break-up.

Arundhati Roy, the author of 'God of Small Things', which won her the Booker&nbsp;Prize in 1997, and a former Kashmir University professor are accused of delivering provocative speeches in public.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/web-stories/trending/7-must-read-books-by-indian-women-authors-1687851057724">7 Must-Read Books by Indian Women Authors</a>

Delhi LG found a prima facie case against Roy and Sheikh Showkat Hussain under Sections 153A, 153B, and 505 of the Indian Penal Code. This permission was granted under Section 196 of the Criminal Procedure Code, which requires state authorisation for such prosecutions.

Section 13 of the UAPA deals with punishment for unlawful activities for advocating, abetting or inciting any unlawful activity and is punishable with imprisonment for up to seven years.

<h2>What is the case about?</h2>

According to a First Information Report registered at a New Delhi police station in November 2010, Roy and Hussain, among others, delivered provocative speeches at a conference organised by the Committee for Release of Political Prisoners under the banner of "Azadi – The Only Way" (Freedom, the only way) on October 21, 2010.

Two other accused, Kashmiri separatist leader Sayed Ali Shah Geelani and Syed Abdul Rahman Geelani, passed away during the case's pendency.

Although the police also charged Roy and others under sedition laws, a decision on Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code is pending in the Supreme Court.

<h2>Charges against Arundhati Roy and one other</h2>

Delhi Police sought prosecution of Roy and Hussain under Sections 153A, 153B, 504, 505 of the Indian Penal Code, and Section 13 of the UAPA. However, permission was granted only for three of the IPC provisions.

Also watch |&nbsp;India seizes J&amp;K-based properties of 4,000 fugitive terrorists in Pakistan and PoK

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Section 153A of the Indian Penal Code pertains to promoting enmity between different groups on the basis of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to harmony.

Section 153B deals with imputations and assertions prejudicial to national integration, while Section 505 pertains to intentional insult with the intent to provoke a breach of the peace.

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Indian author Arundhati Roy may face up to seven years in prison after the Lieutenant Governor of India's national capital Delhi, Vinai Kumar Saxena, directed Delhi Police to prosecute Roy and one other in connection with a 2010 event that allegedly promoted a call for India's territorial break-up.

Indian author Arundhati Roy may face up to seven years in prison after the Lieutenant Governor of India's national capital Delhi, Vinai Kumar Saxena, directed Delhi Police to prosecute Roy and one other in connection with a 2010 event that allegedly promoted a call for India's territorial break-up. Arundhati Roy, the author of 'God of Small Things', which won her the Booker Prize in 1997, and a former Kashmir University professor are accused of delivering provocative speeches in public. Also read | 7 Must-Read Books by Indian Women Authors Delhi LG found a prima facie case against Roy and Sheikh Showkat Hussain under Sections 153A, 153B, and 505 of the Indian Penal Code. This permission was granted under Section 196 of the Criminal Procedure Code, which requires state authorisation for such prosecutions. Section 13 of the UAPA deals with punishment for unlawful activities for advocating, abetting or inciting any unlawful activity and is punishable with imprisonment for up to seven years. What is the case about? According to a First Information Report registered at a New Delhi police station in November 2010, Roy and Hussain, among others, delivered provocative speeches at a conference organised by the Committee for Release of Political Prisoners under the banner of "Azadi – The Only Way" (Freedom, the only way) on October 21, 2010. Two other accused, Kashmiri separatist leader Sayed Ali Shah Geelani and Syed Abdul Rahman Geelani, passed away during the case's pendency. Although the police also charged Roy and others under sedition laws, a decision on Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code is pending in the Supreme Court. Charges against Arundhati Roy and one other Delhi Police sought prosecution of Roy and Hussain under Sections 153A, 153B, 504, 505 of the Indian Penal Code, and Section 13 of the UAPA. However, permission was granted only for three of the IPC provisions. Also watch | India seizes J&K-based properties of 4,000 fugitive terrorists in Pakistan and PoK × Section 153A of the Indian Penal Code pertains to promoting enmity between different groups on the basis of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to harmony. Section 153B deals with imputations and assertions prejudicial to national integration, while Section 505 pertains to intentional insult with the intent to provoke a breach of the peace. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Arundhati Roy may face up to 7 years in prison for allegedly supporting calls for India's disintegration

A Tamil Nadu University’s decision to remove Arundhati Roy’s book from their syllabus, based on a petition from the ABVP (Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad is the BJP’s student wing) has riled opposition parties in the state.

Although there is no official letter yet in this regard, the Vice Chancellor of Manonmaniam Sundaranar University in Tirunelveli has confirmed to WION on having scrapped the book ‘Walking with the Comrades’, which is about the author’s (Arundhati Roy’s) visit to Maoist hideouts, from the institution's postgraduate English syllabus.&nbsp;

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/swami-vivekananda-at-jnu-pm-narendra-modi-to-unveil-life-size-statue-via-video-conferencing-342617" hreflang="en">Swami Vivekananda at JNU: PM Narendra Modi to unveil life-size statue via video conferencing</a>

“This book blatantly glorifies the armed revolution being called for by anti-National Maoists,” reads the ABVP letter, which also states that they would highlight the issue to the Ministry of Human Resource Development, if not acted upon expeditiously.&nbsp;

The letter expresses the BJP student body’s disappointment with the book being a part of the syllabus over the last three years and the manner in which it was imposing Naxalite and Maoist ideology on the students. “Even the faculty were imparting lessons that were of anti-National nature. Students are under mental turmoil as this book as turned out to be one that stokes feelings of hatred against our country,” stated the letter signed by Vignesh, ABVP State Joint Secretary.

“The book was part of the syllabus from 2017 for 3rd semester MA English Literature course. Last week, some controversial contents of the book regarding Maoists were brought to our notice. ABVP gave a written request and other syndicate members also informed us. So we formed a committee involving three deans and two chairmen of the board of studies and took a call to have this book scrapped and replaced from our syllabus” Dr. K. Pitchumani, Vice Chancellor told WION.&nbsp;

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/what-is-atmanirbhar-bharat-rozgar-yojana-and-who-can-avail-it-342612" hreflang="en">What is Atmanirbhar Bharat Rozgar Yojana and who can avail it?</a>

The panel has decided to replace Roy’s book with “My native land- essays on nature” by M.Krishnan, a naturalist, who is a native of Tirunelveli and a Padma Shri awardee.&nbsp;

Opposition leaders in the state have criticised this move stating that governments and politics determining what students should read would destroy the diverse nature of society. Some have asked the State government to intervene in the matter and ensure that Roy’s book is reinstated in the syllabus.&nbsp;

Reacting to the development, Arundhati Roy maintained that she hadn’t known of the book has been on the syllabus and that it was her duty as a writer to write it and that it was not her duty to fight to include in University curricula.&nbsp;

“Either way it has been widely read and as we know bans and purged do not prevent writers from being read. This narrow, shallow, insecure atttitude towards literature displayed by the current regime is not just detrimental to its critics. It is detrimental to millions of its own supporters” she said, stating that it would stunt the intellectual capacity of a country that was striving for a place of respect and dignity in the world.&nbsp;

A Tamil Nadu University’s decision to remove Arundhati Roy’s book from their syllabus, based on a petition from the ABVP (Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad is the BJP’s student wing) has riled opposition parties in the state.

A Tamil Nadu University’s decision to remove Arundhati Roy’s book from their syllabus, based on a petition from the ABVP (Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad is the BJP’s student wing) has riled opposition parties in the state. Although there is no official letter yet in this regard, the Vice Chancellor of Manonmaniam Sundaranar University in Tirunelveli has confirmed to WION on having scrapped the book ‘Walking with the Comrades’, which is about the author’s (Arundhati Roy’s) visit to Maoist hideouts, from the institution's postgraduate English syllabus. Also read| Swami Vivekananda at JNU: PM Narendra Modi to unveil life-size statue via video conferencing “This book blatantly glorifies the armed revolution being called for by anti-National Maoists,” reads the ABVP letter, which also states that they would highlight the issue to the Ministry of Human Resource Development, if not acted upon expeditiously. The letter expresses the BJP student body’s disappointment with the book being a part of the syllabus over the last three years and the manner in which it was imposing Naxalite and Maoist ideology on the students. “Even the faculty were imparting lessons that were of anti-National nature. Students are under mental turmoil as this book as turned out to be one that stokes feelings of hatred against our country,” stated the letter signed by Vignesh, ABVP State Joint Secretary. “The book was part of the syllabus from 2017 for 3rd semester MA English Literature course. Last week, some controversial contents of the book regarding Maoists were brought to our notice. ABVP gave a written request and other syndicate members also informed us. So we formed a committee involving three deans and two chairmen of the board of studies and took a call to have this book scrapped and replaced from our syllabus” Dr. K. Pitchumani, Vice Chancellor told WION. Also read| What is Atmanirbhar Bharat Rozgar Yojana and who can avail it? The panel has decided to replace Roy’s book with “My native land- essays on nature” by M.Krishnan, a naturalist, who is a native of Tirunelveli and a Padma Shri awardee. Opposition leaders in the state have criticised this move stating that governments and politics determining what students should read would destroy the diverse nature of society. Some have asked the State government to intervene in the matter and ensure that Roy’s book is reinstated in the syllabus. Reacting to the development, Arundhati Roy maintained that she hadn’t known of the book has been on the syllabus and that it was her duty as a writer to write it and that it was not her duty to fight to include in University curricula. “Either way it has been widely read and as we know bans and purged do not prevent writers from being read. This narrow, shallow, insecure atttitude towards literature displayed by the current regime is not just detrimental to its critics. It is detrimental to millions of its own supporters” she said, stating that it would stunt the intellectual capacity of a country that was striving for a place of respect and dignity in the world.

Tamil Nadu: Arundhati Roy’s book removed from university syllabus after ABVP plaint

Five Indian authors and their work feature in BBC's list of 100 novels that shaped our world.&nbsp; 
 
The British Broadcasting Corporation put together a panel comprising of leading writers, curators and critics to compile the list. 
Arundhati Roy's 'The God Of Small Things', Salman Rushdie's 'The Moor’s Last Sigh', RK Narayan's 'Swami and Friends', Vikram Seth's 'A Suitable Boy', and VS Naipaul's 'A House For Mr Biswas' feature in the esteemed list.&nbsp; 
 
The books were divided into 10 categories – identity, love, sex and romance, adventure, life, death and other worlds, politics, power and protest, class and society, coming of age, family and friendship, crime and conflict and rule-breakers. 
 
Other South-Asian authors who feature in the list are Pakistani writers Kamila Shamsie and Mohsin Hamid for their books 'Home Fire' and 'The Reluctant Fundamentalist'.&nbsp; 
 
The panel comprised of authors Juno Dawson, Kit de Waal and Alexander McCall Smith, journalist Mariella Frostrup, Stig Abell, editor of the Times Literary Supplement and&nbsp;Syima Aslam, director of the Bradford literature festival.

Five Indian authors and their work feature in BBC's list of 100 novels that shaped our world. The British Broadcasting Corporation put together a panel comprising of leading writers, curators and critics to compile the list.

Five Indian authors and their work feature in BBC's list of 100 novels that shaped our world. The British Broadcasting Corporation put together a panel comprising of leading writers, curators and critics to compile the list. Arundhati Roy's 'The God Of Small Things', Salman Rushdie's 'The Moor’s Last Sigh', RK Narayan's 'Swami and Friends', Vikram Seth's 'A Suitable Boy', and VS Naipaul's 'A House For Mr Biswas' feature in the esteemed list. The books were divided into 10 categories – identity, love, sex and romance, adventure, life, death and other worlds, politics, power and protest, class and society, coming of age, family and friendship, crime and conflict and rule-breakers. Other South-Asian authors who feature in the list are Pakistani writers Kamila Shamsie and Mohsin Hamid for their books 'Home Fire' and 'The Reluctant Fundamentalist'. The panel comprised of authors Juno Dawson, Kit de Waal and Alexander McCall Smith, journalist Mariella Frostrup, Stig Abell, editor of the Times Literary Supplement and Syima Aslam, director of the Bradford literature festival.

Arundhati Roy, Salman Rushdie, RK Narayan's books feature in BBC’s 100 ‘novels that shaped our world’ list

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/bangladesh-crackdown-after-deadly-dhaka-inferno-200906">Bangladeshi authorities</a> on Tuesday barred Indian writer-activist Arundhati Roy for a second time from holding a discussion to be hosted by a government critic as police withdrew the permission for the venue.&nbsp;

The organisers of the talk titled 'Utmost Everything' were informed at 10 pm on Monday that permission for the Booker Prize-winning author's talk at the Krishibid Institute Auditorium, one of the venues of the photography exhibition Chobi Mela, was cancelled due to "unavoidable circumstances".&nbsp;

No further details were provided, the Chobi Mela Secretariat said in a statement.

The venue for the talk, scheduled for Tuesday evening, was later shifted to Midas Centre in the Bangladesh capital, it said in its email statement.&nbsp;

The invited guests were asked to join the function at 5.30 pm but as they started arriving at the venue, MIDAS staff informed them the programme was cancelled.&nbsp;

"MIDAS authorities just told us they could not allow us to stage the event due to lack of police clearance,"&nbsp;said Shahidul Alam, an anti-government activist known for his serious criticism of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government.&nbsp;

Roy's session was to be moderated by Alam, a photojournalist and festival director.

The activist-teacher was behind bars for over 100 days last year for expressing solidarity with students protesting Dhaka's dismal road safety infrastructure.&nbsp;

This is the 10th edition of Chobi Mela, touted to be one of the most prestigious photography festivals in Asia. It features 33 exhibitions with works from 44 artists from 21 countries.&nbsp;

The festival that began on February 28 this year has the spotlight on the production, compilation, reminiscence, physical existence and social responsibility of archives in a global context, the Chobi Mela statement said.&nbsp;

"Chobi Mela has and will continue to be about bringing people together and, more importantly, bringing them to Bangladesh," Alam, who is currently out on bail, said.

The festival is scheduled to continue till March 9.&nbsp;

Bangladeshi authorities on Tuesday barred Indian writer-activist Arundhati Roy for a second time from holding a discussion to be hosted by a government critic as police withdrew the permission for the venue.

Bangladeshi authorities on Tuesday barred Indian writer-activist Arundhati Roy for a second time from holding a discussion to be hosted by a government critic as police withdrew the permission for the venue. The organisers of the talk titled 'Utmost Everything' were informed at 10 pm on Monday that permission for the Booker Prize-winning author's talk at the Krishibid Institute Auditorium, one of the venues of the photography exhibition Chobi Mela, was cancelled due to "unavoidable circumstances". No further details were provided, the Chobi Mela Secretariat said in a statement. The venue for the talk, scheduled for Tuesday evening, was later shifted to Midas Centre in the Bangladesh capital, it said in its email statement. The invited guests were asked to join the function at 5.30 pm but as they started arriving at the venue, MIDAS staff informed them the programme was cancelled. "MIDAS authorities just told us they could not allow us to stage the event due to lack of police clearance," said Shahidul Alam, an anti-government activist known for his serious criticism of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government. Roy's session was to be moderated by Alam, a photojournalist and festival director. The activist-teacher was behind bars for over 100 days last year for expressing solidarity with students protesting Dhaka's dismal road safety infrastructure. This is the 10th edition of Chobi Mela, touted to be one of the most prestigious photography festivals in Asia. It features 33 exhibitions with works from 44 artists from 21 countries. The festival that began on February 28 this year has the spotlight on the production, compilation, reminiscence, physical existence and social responsibility of archives in a global context, the Chobi Mela statement said. "Chobi Mela has and will continue to be about bringing people together and, more importantly, bringing them to Bangladesh," Alam, who is currently out on bail, said. The festival is scheduled to continue till March 9.

Dhaka Police revoke nod to Arundhati Roy talk

Paresh Rawal&rsquo;s controversial tweet saying, &ldquo;Instead of tying stone pelter on the army jeep tie Arundhati Roy&rdquo; raises important questions about the role of social media in public life. The sequence of events leading to the tweet throws lights on the extent to which the fake news ecosystem intersects with mainstream media and influential public figures. Expressions of moral outrage at Rawal&rsquo;s presumed ignorance (or innocence, as some would insist) is easy. What is more difficult, and necessary, is taking stock of our immersion in what a prominent academic called the &ldquo;networks of outrage&rdquo; and the larger contexts in which such networks thrive. 
&nbsp; 
Paresh Rawal has a modest but respectable 262,000 followers on Twitter where the unit for measuring those seriously famous is a million followers (or even a dozen million: Indian Prime Minister has over 30 million followers and Amitabh Bachchan 26.9 million). Rawal&rsquo;s tweets typically include a combination of gracious acceptance of his fans&rsquo; greetings, links highlighting the Prime Minister&rsquo;s latest achievements, praise to nationalist icons dear to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and the odd blessing to younger admirers, or their children. These are routinely interspersed with his comments (or responses to followers&rsquo; tweets) attacking Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), and other political opponents of the BJP. He also participates in Twitter exchanges in which assorted enemies of the state, including the news media company NDTV and individual Indian nationals, are named and shamed for their presumed loyalty to Pakistan. 
&nbsp;

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<h5>No one spreading the reports of Roy&rsquo;s interview, or reacting with outrage to it, bothered to verify the news</h5>
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<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=No one spreading the reports of Roy?s interview, or reacting with outrage to it, bothered to verify the news" target="_blank">&nbsp;</a></div>
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&nbsp;

It is the last category of exchanges to which Rawal&rsquo;s tweet on Arundhati Roy belongs. As is well-known by now, the tweet was triggered by a fake news report claiming that the writer-activist had given an interview valorising Kashmiri separatists. The false report in question had several news websites repeating the claim without verification and television anchors going one step further by expressing outrage at Roy&rsquo;s anti-nationalism. The nation wanted to know why her passport wasn&rsquo;t revoked, and so on. 
&nbsp; 
This entire flash media storm is regrettable on many counts. For starters, no one spreading the reports of Roy&rsquo;s interview, or reacting with outrage to it, bothered to verify the news. The story has now been traced to a report in the Times of Islamabad, and other media outlets in Pakistan who in turn had not verified their sources. These stories were picked up, among others, by a dubious Indian news website Post Card but also the television channel Republic TV. Paresh Rawal&rsquo;s most likely source was a link to the report in Post Card shared on a Facebook page titled The Nationalist. Rawal can derive some comfort from the fact that no one is accusing him of making up the story. 
&nbsp; 
No doubt, Rawal&rsquo;s online conduct was hasty and in poor taste. But that is the least of the problems. His tweet on tying Roy to an army jeep as a human shield has the potential to cause the government some embarrassment in international forums. After all, he represents the BJP in parliament. Further, as some commentators have noted, the incident he was referring to is under investigation by the army. 
&nbsp; 
Perhaps sensing trouble, BJP sought to distance itself from the tweet with Smriti Irani saying that the party does not support violent messages by anyone. On the face of it, it would appear that the party had indirectly reprimanded Paresh Rawal for his faux paus. In fact, Rawal was silent for a few days after his Tweet and was also reported to have deleted it. This was about as close as we could have got to a happy ending to this saga. 
&nbsp;

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<h5>For someone who overreacted to a fake news report, Paresh Rawal&nbsp;does not seem embarrassed at all</h5>
</blockquote>
</div>

<div class="col-sm-1 blockquote-content">
<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=For someone who overreacted to a fake news report, Paresh Rawal?does not seem embarrassed at all" target="_blank">&nbsp;</a></div>
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&nbsp;

However, this is the season of sequels. Paresh Rawal proved to be anything but repentant. He resurfaced in the media with a letter to his supporters stating that he was &ldquo;coerced&rdquo; by Twitter to delete his tweet. Curiously, for someone who overreacted to a fake news report, Paresh Rawal&nbsp;does not seem embarrassed at all. How do we understand his response and also that of his supporters&mdash;including a few film personalities&mdash;who insist that he is the offended party here? 
&nbsp; 
For starters, we should not be surprised. Rawal is only following the example set by no less a politician than the President of the most powerful nation on earth. President Donald Trump has been uncivil, offensive and belligerent on social media before and after his election. That&rsquo;s not all. He is known to rely on dubious sources known for creating fake news for his &ldquo;information.&rdquo; After his election, investigative reporters revealed that several of his offensive and racist tweets during the presidential campaign were made with a view to pandering to the preferences and prejudices of certain constituencies. Trump&rsquo;s tweets were aimed at giving those constituencies what they wanted to hear and he couldn&rsquo;t care less for the views of those who were not going to vote for him anyway. 
&nbsp; 
Back home, what we are witnessing is the increasingly cosy relationship between media producers who specialise in news that people want to hear (regardless of its truth content), mainstream media houses which whip up controversies and public figures who willingly suspend disbelief when pet themes and enemies are involved. And Arundhati Roy is an old frenemy of the BJP&rsquo;s supporters. She is a convenient peg to hang anything that enemies of the party are likely to say. The issue is one of plausibility (could she have said something like that?), not whether or not she actually said it. It is against this backdrop that the Paresh Rawal drama played out. 
&nbsp; 
Although some people might be under the impression that the actor has made a fool of himself, there is no denying that this is a big moment for him. It is unlikely that he&rsquo;s ever been as famous as he is now. At the time of writing this piece (late morning of 25th May), Paresh Rawal was the most trending topic on Facebook. Between 24th and 25th May, he acquired 3000 new followers on Twitter. Now, why on earth would he regret being where he is?

Paresh Rawal's insensitive tweet on Arundhati Roy indicates how careless mainstream media has become with fake news.

Paresh Rawal’s controversial tweet saying, “Instead of tying stone pelter on the army jeep tie Arundhati Roy” raises important questions about the role of social media in public life. The sequence of events leading to the tweet throws lights on the extent to which the fake news ecosystem intersects with mainstream media and influential public figures. Expressions of moral outrage at Rawal’s presumed ignorance (or innocence, as some would insist) is easy. What is more difficult, and necessary, is taking stock of our immersion in what a prominent academic called the “networks of outrage” and the larger contexts in which such networks thrive. Paresh Rawal has a modest but respectable 262,000 followers on Twitter where the unit for measuring those seriously famous is a million followers (or even a dozen million: Indian Prime Minister has over 30 million followers and Amitabh Bachchan 26.9 million). Rawal’s tweets typically include a combination of gracious acceptance of his fans’ greetings, links highlighting the Prime Minister’s latest achievements, praise to nationalist icons dear to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and the odd blessing to younger admirers, or their children. These are routinely interspersed with his comments (or responses to followers’ tweets) attacking Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), and other political opponents of the BJP. He also participates in Twitter exchanges in which assorted enemies of the state, including the news media company NDTV and individual Indian nationals, are named and shamed for their presumed loyalty to Pakistan. No one spreading the reports of Roy’s interview, or reacting with outrage to it, bothered to verify the news × It is the last category of exchanges to which Rawal’s tweet on Arundhati Roy belongs. As is well-known by now, the tweet was triggered by a fake news report claiming that the writer-activist had given an interview valorising Kashmiri separatists. The false report in question had several news websites repeating the claim without verification and television anchors going one step further by expressing outrage at Roy’s anti-nationalism. The nation wanted to know why her passport wasn’t revoked, and so on. This entire flash media storm is regrettable on many counts. For starters, no one spreading the reports of Roy’s interview, or reacting with outrage to it, bothered to verify the news. The story has now been traced to a report in the Times of Islamabad, and other media outlets in Pakistan who in turn had not verified their sources. These stories were picked up, among others, by a dubious Indian news website Post Card but also the television channel Republic TV. Paresh Rawal’s most likely source was a link to the report in Post Card shared on a Facebook page titled The Nationalist. Rawal can derive some comfort from the fact that no one is accusing him of making up the story. No doubt, Rawal’s online conduct was hasty and in poor taste. But that is the least of the problems. His tweet on tying Roy to an army jeep as a human shield has the potential to cause the government some embarrassment in international forums. After all, he represents the BJP in parliament. Further, as some commentators have noted, the incident he was referring to is under investigation by the army. Perhaps sensing trouble, BJP sought to distance itself from the tweet with Smriti Irani saying that the party does not support violent messages by anyone. On the face of it, it would appear that the party had indirectly reprimanded Paresh Rawal for his faux paus. In fact, Rawal was silent for a few days after his Tweet and was also reported to have deleted it. This was about as close as we could have got to a happy ending to this saga. For someone who overreacted to a fake news report, Paresh Rawal does not seem embarrassed at all × However, this is the season of sequels. Paresh Rawal proved to be anything but repentant. He resurfaced in the media with a letter to his supporters stating that he was “coerced” by Twitter to delete his tweet. Curiously, for someone who overreacted to a fake news report, Paresh Rawal does not seem embarrassed at all. How do we understand his response and also that of his supporters—including a few film personalities—who insist that he is the offended party here? For starters, we should not be surprised. Rawal is only following the example set by no less a politician than the President of the most powerful nation on earth. President Donald Trump has been uncivil, offensive and belligerent on social media before and after his election. That’s not all. He is known to rely on dubious sources known for creating fake news for his “information.” After his election, investigative reporters revealed that several of his offensive and racist tweets during the presidential campaign were made with a view to pandering to the preferences and prejudices of certain constituencies. Trump’s tweets were aimed at giving those constituencies what they wanted to hear and he couldn’t care less for the views of those who were not going to vote for him anyway. Back home, what we are witnessing is the increasingly cosy relationship between media producers who specialise in news that people want to hear (regardless of its truth content), mainstream media houses which whip up controversies and public figures who willingly suspend disbelief when pet themes and enemies are involved. And Arundhati Roy is an old frenemy of the BJP’s supporters. She is a convenient peg to hang anything that enemies of the party are likely to say. The issue is one of plausibility (could she have said something like that?), not whether or not she actually said it. It is against this backdrop that the Paresh Rawal drama played out. Although some people might be under the impression that the actor has made a fool of himself, there is no denying that this is a big moment for him. It is unlikely that he’s ever been as famous as he is now. At the time of writing this piece (late morning of 25th May), Paresh Rawal was the most trending topic on Facebook. Between 24th and 25th May, he acquired 3000 new followers on Twitter. Now, why on earth would he regret being where he is?

Paresh Rawal and his comedy of error on social media

After a gap of 19 years, Indian writer Arundhati Roy announced yesterday that her second novel will be published next year, sending millions of Roy&#39;s fans into&nbsp;literary heaven.

Hamish Hamilton UK and Penguin India announced they will publish the novel&nbsp;The Ministry of Utmost Happiness&nbsp;in June 2017.

&nbsp;

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Delighted to announce that we will be publishing <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ArundhatiRoy?src=hash">#ArundhatiRoy</a>&#39;s new novel &#39;The Ministry of Utmost Happiness&#39;!<a href="https://t.co/kGIT3Oclsy">https://t.co/kGIT3Oclsy</a>
&mdash; Penguin Books India (@PenguinIndia) <a href="https://twitter.com/PenguinIndia/status/782886229880803328">October 3, 2016</a></blockquote>

The book&#39;s publishers said it was &quot;both a pleasure and an honour&quot;&nbsp;to publish the novel. They called it &quot;one of the finest we have read in recent times&quot;.

&quot;The writing is extraordinary, and so too are the characters &ndash; brought to life with such generosity and empathy, in language of the utmost freshness, joyfully reminding us that words are alive too, that they can wake us up and lend us new ways of seeing, feeling, hearing, engaging. It makes the novel new &ndash; in the original meaning of novel,&quot;&nbsp;said Simon Prosser, of Penguin imprint Hamish Hamilton in the UK, and Meru Gokhale, of Penguin Random House India in the statement.

&quot;I am glad to report that the mad souls (even the wicked ones) in The Ministry of Utmost Happiness have found a way into the world, and that I have found my publishers,&quot;&nbsp;Arundhati Roy said.

&quot;Only Arundhati could have written this novel. Utterly original. It has been 20 years in the making. And well worth the wait,&quot;&nbsp;David Godwin, Roy&#39;s literary agent said.

Roy&#39;s first novel The God of Small Things&nbsp;was published in 1997. Set in a district in India&#39;s Kerala, it traced the childhood experiences of fraternal twins,&nbsp;Estha and Rahel. The novel won the prestigious Man Booker Prize for Fiction in 1997.

She has since published works of non-fiction, including War Talk&nbsp;and The Algebra Of Infinite Justice.

(WION)

'The Ministry of Utmost Happiness' is set to release in June, 2017

After a gap of 19 years, Indian writer Arundhati Roy announced yesterday that her second novel will be published next year, sending millions of Roy's fans into literary heaven. Hamish Hamilton UK and Penguin India announced they will publish the novel The Ministry of Utmost Happiness in June 2017. Delighted to announce that we will be publishing #ArundhatiRoy's new novel 'The Ministry of Utmost Happiness'!https://t.co/kGIT3Oclsy — Penguin Books India (@PenguinIndia) October 3, 2016 The book's publishers said it was "both a pleasure and an honour" to publish the novel. They called it "one of the finest we have read in recent times". "The writing is extraordinary, and so too are the characters – brought to life with such generosity and empathy, in language of the utmost freshness, joyfully reminding us that words are alive too, that they can wake us up and lend us new ways of seeing, feeling, hearing, engaging. It makes the novel new – in the original meaning of novel," said Simon Prosser, of Penguin imprint Hamish Hamilton in the UK, and Meru Gokhale, of Penguin Random House India in the statement. "I am glad to report that the mad souls (even the wicked ones) in The Ministry of Utmost Happiness have found a way into the world, and that I have found my publishers," Arundhati Roy said. "Only Arundhati could have written this novel. Utterly original. It has been 20 years in the making. And well worth the wait," David Godwin, Roy's literary agent said. Roy's first novel The God of Small Things was published in 1997. Set in a district in India's Kerala, it traced the childhood experiences of fraternal twins, Estha and Rahel. The novel won the prestigious Man Booker Prize for Fiction in 1997. She has since published works of non-fiction, including War Talk and The Algebra Of Infinite Justice. (WION)

Indian author Arundhati Roy announces second novel after 19-year gap

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