Heal Your Conformity with Arundhati Roy
- Madhukar Dama
- Apr 16
- 2 min read
Because staying silent is not peace — it’s participation.
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INTRODUCTION
Most people don’t realise they’re conforming.
They think they’re being peaceful. Obedient. Respectful.
They follow rules. Keep quiet. Fit in.
But inside, something aches.
That ache is the part of you that still wants to speak — still wants to rebel.
Arundhati Roy did not become a rebel.
She simply refused to become a conformist.
This is not about becoming like her.
It’s about unlearning the quiet prison inside you.
It’s about healing your need to obey at the cost of your truth.
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WHAT IS CONFORMITY?
Believing what everyone else believes without questioning
Calling injustice “normal” because it’s everywhere
Staying silent to stay safe
Avoiding discomfort even when truth demands it
Dressing, thinking, speaking, and dreaming like the crowd
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HOW ARUNDHATI ROY BREAKS IT
She speaks when silence is rewarded
She writes what makes people uncomfortable
She stands beside the poor, the displaced, the criminalised
She refuses awards, invites outrage, and walks alone
She does not seek applause — only truth
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HEALING STEPS FOR YOU
1. Start by reading uncomfortable truths.
Begin with Roy’s essays, especially “The Cost of Living” or “Capitalism: A Ghost Story.”
2. Speak one truth you’re afraid to admit.
Even if only to yourself.
3. Say “no” once a day — to something that insults your spirit.
4. Support the invisible.
Listen to stories from people you are taught to ignore.
5. Create something — a letter, a post, a drawing — that doesn't fit in.
Let it be your rebellion.
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RECOMMENDED WORKS BY ARUNDHATI ROY
The God of Small Things
Field Notes on Democracy
My Seditious Heart
The Ministry of Utmost Happiness
Interviews and lectures on land, justice, and state violence
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