The White Tiger

The author Aravind Adiga has won the Man Booker Prize in 2008 for this debut book of his. I must say he deserves it.The book captures a fictional story of a poor Indian servant turned Entrepreneur. An unconventional start followed by a captivating account, keeps you engaged till the end. Unlike any typical rags-to-riches story, the author gives a sarcastic, irreverent and heart wrenching account of the plight of the weaker sections of the society dominated by their wealthier counterparts. Every bit of it is evident of the anger, filled in the author, with which every common man can relate to.

The White Tiger is a rare creature born once in several years and the metaphor rightly suits the protagonist. Balram, a rickshaw driver’s son, is forced to leave school to work at a tea shop in Laxmangarh village. But he continues to educate himself through the hardships of the arduous routine. However, now he learns not from a book, but by eavesdropping on the customers, political workers and the so called strong men. Soon, Balram is sent to serve, alongside his brother, at a tea shop in Dhanbad where he finds a new job as a driver. His life takes a new turn as he is corrupted by the city and its people. What follows is a dark tale of how he becomes a murderer and later a Bangalore based Entrepreneur.