The war for the Narmada valley is not just some exotic tribal war, or a remote rural war or even an exclusively Indian war. Its a war for the rivers and the mountains and the forests of the world. All sorts of warriors from all over the world, anyone who wishes to enlist, will be honored and welcomed. Every kind of warrior will be needed. Doctors, lawyers, teachers, judges, journalists, students, sportsmen, painters, actors, singers, lovers . . . The borders are open, folks! Come on in.

In 2002 Roy responded to a contempt notice issued against her by the Indian Supreme Court with an affidavit saying the court's decision to initiate the contempt proceedings based on an unsubstantiated and flawed petition while refusing to inquire into allegations of corruption in military contracting deals pleading an overload of cases indicated a "disquieting inclination" by the court to silence criticism and dissent using the power of contempt. Bush's visit to India calling him a "war criminal". Until made financially secure by the success of her novel The God of Small Things Arundhati Roy worked various jobs including running aerobics classes at five-star hotels in New Delhi.

Roy’s novel became the biggest-selling book by a nonexpatriate Indian author.