WLBOTT: So, G. Are you familiar with the novel The Ministry for the Future, by Kim Stanley Robinson?
Elder G: The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson: it’s a thought-provoking climate fiction novel that imagines a near future where a UN agency, the “Ministry for the Future,” is created to represent future generations and the environment in international policy.
WLBOTT: In the novel, there is a radical environmental group from India, named after the Goddess Kali. Do you recall that?
Elder G: Yes, I remember the group you’re referring to. They take a radical approach to fighting climate change and are named after the Hindu goddess Kali, a symbol of destruction and transformation. In the novel, this group engages in acts of eco-terrorism, believing that more extreme measures are necessary to force change and stop the environmental devastation caused by corporations and governments. Their actions highlight one of the novel’s central tensions—between gradual systemic reform and more immediate, drastic interventions in the face of the climate crisis.
Kali is one of the most complex and powerful deities in Hinduism, representing destruction, transformation, and liberation. She is often depicted as a fierce, dark-skinned goddess with multiple arms, wearing a necklace of skulls and standing on her consort, the god Shiva.
Despite her terrifying appearance, Kali is deeply revered as a symbol of both destruction and creation, representing the cycle of life, death, and rebirth.
In The Ministry for the Future, the radical environmental group’s use of Kali as a symbol ties into these themes of destruction as a means to create something better.
WLBOTT: Would you say that with Kali, destruction is not the ultimate goal? Is destruction a way to move forward?
Elder G: Yes, with Kali, destruction is not the ultimate goal—it’s a means to an end, a way to pave the path for regeneration, renewal, and liberation. In Hindu philosophy, destruction is often viewed as part of a larger cycle: creation, preservation, destruction, and rebirth. Kali embodies the destructive force, but her role is essential for moving forward. Without destruction, there’s no room for transformation or new beginnings.
Kali’s destruction can be understood as a cleansing force, clearing away ignorance, ego, or anything harmful that stands in the way of growth. In this sense, her fierce actions are seen as necessary to bring balance and allow for positive change. The fearsome aspect of Kali reminds us that sometimes, drastic measures are required to break down harmful systems or ideologies, making space for a healthier, more just order.
Kali
Kali (Sanskrit: काली), is a major goddess in Hinduism, associated with time, death, violence, sexuality, female empowerment, and motherly love. Kali is the first of the ten Mahavidyas in the Hindu tantric tradition.
Kali’s earliest appearance is when she emerged from Durga. The goddess is stated to destroy evil in order to defend the innocent. Over time, Kali has been worshipped by devotional movements and Tàntric sects variously as the Divine Mother, Mother of the Universe, Principal energy (Adi Shakti).
Shakta and Tantric sects additionally worship Kali as the ultimate reality or Brahman. She is also seen as the divine protector and the one who bestows moksha, (liberation). Worshiped throughout South Asia but particularly in Nepal, South India, Bengal, and Assam; Kali is a central figure in Goddess-centric traditions of Hinduism as well as in Shaivism.
Artist: Raja Ravi Varma (1848–1906)
Publisher: Ravi Varma Press
Description: (English) Kali trampling Shiva
Date: circa 1910
Medium: chromolithograph
When Sri Ramakrishna once asked a devotee why one would prefer to worship Mother over him, this devotee rhetorically replied, “Maharaj, when they are in trouble your devotees come running to you. But, where do you run when you are in trouble?“
Mahakali (Sanskrit: महाकाली), literally translated as “Great Kali,” is sometimes considered as a greater form of Kali, identified with the Ultimate reality of Brahman.
Mahakali, goddess of time and death, is often depicted with a black complexion with ten heads, arms and legs.
Dakshinakali Dakshinakali is the most popular form of Kali in Bengal. She is the benevolent mother, who protects her devotees and children from mishaps and misfortunes.
By Virsimha28 – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=100120368
The goddess is generally worshipped as Dakshina Kali (with her right feet on Shiva) in Bengal during Kali Puja.
Bengal (Bengali: বঙ্গ) is a historical geographical, ethnolinguistic and cultural term referring to a region in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. The region of Bengal proper is divided between the modern-day sovereign nation of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal.
Bengali culture, particularly its literature, music, art and cinema, are well known in South Asia and beyond. The region is also notable for its economic and social scientists, which includes several Nobel laureates. Once home to the city with the highest per capita income level in British India, the region is today a leader in South Asia in terms of gender parity, the gender pay gap and other indices of human development.
Kolkata, also known as Calcutta (its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal.
It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, 80 km (50 mi) west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary financial and commercial centre of eastern and northeastern India.
Kolkata is the seventh most populous city in India with an estimated city proper population of 4.5 million (0.45 crore) while its metropolitan region Kolkata Metropolitan Area is third most populous metropolitan region of India with metro population of over 15 million (1.5 crore). Kolkata is regarded by many sources as the cultural capital of India and a historically and culturally significant city in the historic region of Bengal.
Dominique Lapierre fictional masterpiece, City of Joy, is set in Kolkata. This is truly a life-changing book.
The novel City of Joy by Dominique Lapierre is set in Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), India. The title refers to a slum in the city where the book focuses on the lives, struggles, and resilience of its residents, highlighting their spirit and ability to find joy even in difficult circumstances. – Elder G
City of Joy (French: La Cité de la joie) is a 1985 novel by Dominique Lapierre. It was adapted as a film by Roland Joffé in 1992. Calcutta is nicknamed “the City of Joy” after this novel, although the slum was based on an area in its twin city of Howrah.
The author has stated that the stories of the characters in the book are true and he uses many real names in his book. However, the book is considered fictional since many conversations and actions are assumed or created.
Plot The story revolves around the trials and tribulations of a young Polish priest, Father Stephan Kovalski (a French priest named Paul Lambert in the original French version), the hardships endured by a rickshaw puller, Hasari Pal in Calcutta (Kolkata), India, and in the second half of the book, also the experiences of a young American doctor, Max Loeb.
Kali / Dakshinakali: Protectoress of the People of Kolkata
People Without History
Perhaps People Without History: Indian’s Muslim Ghettos (Jeremy Seabrook and Imran Ahmed Siddiqui) will prove to be the next City of Joy. It is very difficult to find, but I have a lead on a used copy.
The first thing you notice in the poorest part of Topsia [Kolkata] is the canal – which is the channel for waste water. So the first thing you notice is the smell. The smell of decaying garbage and sewage. It is overwhelming.
The second is the way houses have been constructed out of industrial debris, old bamboo, wood, boxes, and old bags of fertiliser and phosphate, all kinds of stuff.
And what strikes you is that everybody is working. They are sitting on the threshold, women especially, and they are cutting away the rubber from sandals moulded in local factories.
Or they are making and selling snacks in the streets. Everybody is doing something, even young children.
It seems to me that there is an increasing communalisation of poverty in Kolkata. These slums where we were working are 90-95% Muslim. There are a few Christians, and some low cast Hindus, but these slums are overwhelmingly Muslim. Muslims are concentrated in these areas where a large proportion of people are recycling rubbish from the consumer society which has now hit India in a big way. You can see the recycling and salvaging of everything, and the only thing that is wasted is the people and their energies and their bodies.
These poor Muslim communities are seen by many people as the places where extremism, fundamentalism, terrorism are concealed, and nothing could be further from the truth.
Jeremy Seabrook (Co-author of “People Without History”)
Jeremy Seabrook (born 1939) is an English author and journalist specialising in social, environmental and development issues. His book The Refuge and the Fortress: Britain and the Flight from Tyranny was longlisted for the Orwell Prize.
Early life and career Seabrook was born in Northampton. He was educated at Northampton Grammar School and Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, graduating with a degree in Modern and Medieval Languages in 1960. He worked as a teacher and as a social worker, and began writing for the journal New Society in 1963. In addition to contributing articles to newspapers and magazines, Seabrook has also written numerous books and plays for television, radio and theatre, including several collaborations with his old schoolfriend Michael O’Neil.
