A Burning of Freedom Steven Siragusa Course: Indian Literature Professor: Rajender Kaur, English Student: Steven Siragusa Essay: A Burning of Freedom
Assignment: Having read the novels of Amitav Ghosh and Megha Majumdar students were asked to write an essay exploring the effectiveness of the form of the uncanny
and supernatural, or satire to explore contemporary issues of climate change and an increasingly intolerant and dystopian India under the Modi regime.
A Burning by Megha Majumdar is a complex novel that explores a potential reality India is heading towards. Majumdar never explicitly calls out the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) or the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh). However, it is self-evident that these two right wing Hindu Nationalist organizations are at the forefront of her novel. The current political climate in India is not something that can be ignored when reading The Burning. Modi, the current Prime Minister, is passing laws intent on removing Muslims as citizens of India; a place in which Islam has existed since the 7th century AD. Nationalism is something that has swept elections worldwide as a push back against globalization. In India, the BJP has swept elections and controls or has influence in every branch of India’s Republic. Serious dangers can arise when a single political party assumes full control over policy making. Political Parties who control all branches of government have the power to enact their agenda with little to no push back. Majumdar explores three characters who
are either at the mercy of the party, or being seduced by them. Jivan, a Muslim girl, experiences the dangers of extreme Nationalism; while PT Sir and Lovely represent the corruption of the everyday person. In A Burning, Majumdar’s effectiveness at showing the dangers of a nationalist movement comes through the use of characters, such as Jivan, PT Sir, and Lovely, as individuals being destroyed, rather than groups being targeted. Before getting into the nuances of A Burning a question must first be answered. What fuels extreme nationalism? There are two answers to this question, and both the same; hate. In one way, hate can fuel nationalism through a charismatic leader pointing fingers at a marginalized group (in India’s case, Muslims). It does not take long for the country to blame this targeted group for their problems (most of which can usually be traced to corruption within their own government). This type of leadership will stir up a loud crowd of passionate voters who don’t necessarily 59
