Tuesday, November 11, 2008

The White Tiger

I've been reading Aravind Adiga's The White Tiger and I must say I am impressed. It is hilarious, entertaining and outrageous. All about Balram Halwai's seven letters to the Chinese Premier, to educate him about the real India before his impending visit.
While many in India might be offended by Adiga's narration of the pathetic life in India, if looked through the eyes of the uneducated Balram Halwai, it is in fact the plain truth about the poor.
Everyone likes the world to know India as the emerging economic powerhouse, as long as the facts about the poor, the homeless and the uneducated are brushed away under the carpet.
Being brought up in Bangalore, I have seen how this place has grown from being a quiet paradise where the rich and famous were sparse, to a city bustling with people from all rungs of society, from every state, hoping for the "Bangalorean dream" to come true. Adiga is surely exposing the real India not just to the rest of the world but to some Indians who like to run away from the truth.