Reimagining Subalternity in Arundhati Roy’s "The Ministry of Utmost Happiness"

Arundhati Roy’s The Ministry of Utmost Happiness engages with the experiences of communities and individuals positioned at the margins of dominant social, political, and cultural structures. This article examines the representation of gendered and religious subalternity in the novel, with particular attention to Anjum and the spaces of the Khwabgah and Jannat Guest House. Drawing on Gayatri Spivak’s theorization of subalternity, representation, and the problem of subaltern speech, alongside Judith Butler’s theory of gender performativity, the study explores how Roy makes marginalized lives, identities, and forms of agency narratively visible. Anjum’s gendered identity is examined through the operation of repeated and socially regulated gender norms. The Khwabgah and Jannat Guest House are analyzed as counter-spaces in which marginalized individuals negotiate identity, construct community, and develop forms of collective resistance. The study further considers the relationship between visibility and voice, asking whether the literary representation of subaltern agency can be understood as autonomous subaltern speech or remains mediated through the authorial act of representation. The study argues that Roy’s novel creates significant spaces for the articulation and recognition of marginalized experiences while simultaneously revealing the complexities and limitations inherent in representing the subaltern through literary discourse.