mikealjsite

Madras on a rainy day was probably the most graphic, discomforting book I read, and I really enjoyed that. While there were definitely parts of the book I thought were extraneous, I enjoyed it because it was novel to me how an author could imagine all those dramatic events and incorporate them into one feeling without feeling as if she was losing her reader. For this reason it was particularly compelling because it is a unique culture and person that can produce literature such as this. From the numerous secrets to the climatic rape and invasion by the Hindis, it took a turn for the worst at every breaking point throughout the story. It reminded me very much of Kite Runner in the sense that there seemed to only be compounding despair and distress brought on by the culturally closed mindedness of older members of the society. Only in Madras on a rainy day, there is no redeeming element. Whether it is overbearing parents or religious extremism, religion can result in the oppression of numerous people. This is because religion is faith based and so many people believe in it that it is hard to resoundingly disprove those who are most outspoken about their faith. Religion isn’t a science and it borders on illogical because of the predetermined framework set upon by the bible quran or other religious text. Unlike philosophy which guides a person to having a fulfilling life, religion focuses on the afterlife. Horrible things can be justified if one is convinced they will be rewarded in another life. My art project focuses on the large number of secrets that must be concealed by the beholder, also similar to Kite Runner. It begins with the secret dread of an arranged marriage, transitions to a revelation that the husband is gay and concludes with the bleeding sheet that epitomizes the necessity of concealing secrets that would not be accepted by the Islamic community.