Is Arundhati Roy a good role model for young girls?

ForumCategory: BooksIs Arundhati Roy a good role model for young girls?
Gayatri Srivastava Staff asked 3 years ago

2 Answers
Shalini Shrivastav answered 1 year ago

I think she can certainly be one of the role models of today’s young girls. She is a great writer and does not hesitate to flaunt her ‘andolanjeevi pravrutti’ or activism. In my view, we need andolanjeevis to counter-balance the force of Government in a true democracy, and an articulate, prize-winning, world-famous author can certainly inspire the youth of today.
That she is a stunning looker but does not make it the center point of her personality is another plus. I see my teen daughter – teens these days are quite political, even if they get their political views from social media. So I am actually trying to say this from the perspective of today’s young women themselves – I do think they will find her a great role model. She needs to be in front of them more, through the channels they consume. Can some tell this to her?!

Kim answered 1 year ago

I do like her writing and admire that.
However, I have ‘met’ her at a couple of literature fests and been very ‘turned off’ by her behaviour.
We cannot expect anyone to be perfect, but what exactly do we expect from a role model?
Are we emulating their path to success, their public persona, their professional persona, or who they are as a person?
Role models are human too, everyone has their shortcomings & flaws.
I think it is important to accept that fact.
Aspire to and emulate the parts of someone that you admire, but be realistic and also admit that there are parts of their philosophy / behaviour / personality that don’t resonate with you.

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