The White Tiger

I recently finished reading “The White Tiger” by Aravind Adiga। So much has been written about this book that I don’t think I need to give any storyline here।

On the whole, I didn’t like this book much। Sure, it exposes the dark underbelly of Delhi. But we all know that every city has its dark side. We all also know about the nexus between the politicians and the businessmen.

Of course, life in the place that the driver, Balram, refers to as the Darkness, will shock those of us who have been born and brought up in the metros। But can that be the justification for his killing his employer so as to build a new life for himself? One might argue that the books don’t need to be always about the noble and the principled. I will say that in this increasingly materialistic world, people like Balram are dozen a dime and so it is vital that the books talk about those who think that “clean conscience is the softest pillow”.

Though I hate using bad words, I think I will make an exception this time. So, to sum it up in Balram’s own words – his calling himself entrepreneur is rather “A f****** joke”!