'1984', a novel by George Orwell is a classic and a must read for lovers of literature. First published in 1949, the novel is about the situation prevailing in a hypothetical nation in which everything is absolutely controlled by the State and independent thinking and individualism is termed by the State as ‘thought-crimes’.
However, the irony of it all is that the enslavement of the people takes place in the name of freedom. That situation is exactly being replicated in Andhra Pradesh where the lands of the farmers are being seized from them in the name of development.
The State has turned into a behemoth and has given them no other option but to surrender their lands.
When the common man has to bow down to the diktats of the State in a democratic set up, the irony is really saddening. That is a situation where people are treated as slaves in the name of freedom and development, a situation exactly like that in ‘1984’.
