The White Tiger

Aravind Adiga's The White Tiger, Winner of the Man Booker Prize 2008, is basically about the journey of a man named Balram Halwai from the poverty of the poor village in the country side to being a success in India. Halwai, born in Laxamangarh, grown up seeing his father as a rickshaw puller who finally died from cough and tuberculosis in a public hospital. Balram, nicknamed as the White Tiger ( a creature that comes along only once in a generation) in his school days, dropped out of school early and went with his brother to work in a tea shop in Dhanabad. The book tells how Balram gave himself a better education at the tea shop than he could have got at any school. Living life in Darkness, Balram plans his escape from his family's existence in search for a better job and salary. He is hired as a number 2 driver to Mr Ashok in Delhi but as soon as he gets chance, he replaces the number 1 driver. Balram is very committed and honest to his masters Mr Ashok and Pinky Madam who ruthlessly exploit the poor and carry out their business activities in Delhi by bribing big bellies and government officials. But gradually and yet inevitably the aura of corruption in Delhi transforms the innocent and honest Balram into a murderer. And later by adopting the same ways of his Master, Balram recreate himself as an entrepreneur in the booming Indian economy. Balram's voice is seductive and his observations acute, combined with sardonic wit and trace of sadness as he expresses the inescapable and bitter truth of Indian ways. This intense read can open the eyes of many western readers. I loved this book and found it exceedingly interesting as Adiga's writing is compelling as well as persuasive.