Dehumanizing the Transgenders in the 21st Century: A Foucauldian Discourse Analysis of Arundhati Roy's Ministry of Utmost Happiness (2017)

Art and Literature are the vocal cords of any society. It depicts society’s collective aspirations, sorrows, deprivation, and hope. As Zizek writes, “We feel free because we lack the very language to articulate our unfreedom”. The root cause of the dehumanization of anyone is the lack of resistance towards atrocious acts and behavior. These enactments transit into the perpetual exploitation of Postcolonial masters against 'others' in tranquility, as one's silence is other tranquility. This article will explore the agents and canvas of suffering upon the people who lack the voice of the agency. It also suffocates the few, who try to be indifferent in the dark forest of violence and exploitation, like in this fictional piece of Roy, where there is a widening gulf between the people in power and the subaltern class. It shows the economic convolution and the dichotomy of shaping the rule of law as per the disposition of the narrow elite. This fictional tale presents a nuanced characterization that anyone privy to suppression must suffer innate colonialism throughout their life. This novel contains a transgender Anjum, as the protagonist has their journey and suffering, which can be viewed through the lens of FDA. Violence never starts from the gas Chambers; it always starts with the hate and dehumanization of 'others'. In modern Indian society, Anjum and their community are considered as the ‘Other’.