BOOK REVIEW- THE WHITE TIGER

I sat down a couple of weeks back, thinking of which book I must read next. I decided to look through my book-shelf; could not find anything significant. Then, I looked through my father's shelf, which was filled with reference books for GMAT and other engineering courses. In between, I found a book that caught my eyes. It was 'The White Tiger' written by Arvind Adiga. I had heard a lot about this book, particularly because it had been adjudged with the Man Booker Prize for 2008. Thus, I decided to read this book, and finished reading it in three weeks time. 

As  I flipped through the pages, the content actually kept me hooked onto the book. Yet, there were certain grey areas that I would like to highlight.

PLOT:-
Since there are so many characters in the book, it won't make sense to introduce all of them. So, let us get to the crux of the story. The story is written in the form of a letter addressed to Mr. Jiabao, a Chinese Premier. It comprises of seven chapters, written on seven different nights. These accounts have been supposedly written at midnight, as the narrator is quite preoccupied during the day.

• The protagonist and the narrator is Balram Halwai, the son of a rickshaw puller, who stays along with his grandmother Kusum and elder brother Kishan in a small village called Laxmangarh. He refers to his place as 'The Darkness', as it is subsumed by poverty and people are largely oppressed by the 'Great Socialist'.
• Balram begins working in a tea-shop, and soon wishes to go to the city. He takes inspiration from a bus conductor, learns driving, and goes to Dhanbad to offer his services.
• In what was a mere co-incidence, he was finally employed by one of the landlords in Laxmangarh. The landlord, whom he refers to as the 'Stork' has two sons- Ashok and Mukesh. Ashok has just come back from America along with his wife Pinky. They are engaged in a coal business.
• Ashok is all set to go to New Delhi, and is in need of a driver, and Balram is the perfect fit. So, they go to New Delhi and settle down over there. Ashok works along with corrupt politicians, and draws money illegally in the name of his coal business. 
• Ashok is a very grounded person, but Pinky on the contrary is extremely vindictive, and bickers all the time. Ultimately, she deserts Ashok, which leads the latter to resort to bad habits. 
• Simultaneously, Balram begins to understand the dynamics of the city, and how corruption transformed people to a large extent. He had witnessed the transformation in his master too. He also came to understand the lop-sided relationship between a servant and a master. His master, even though extremely stoic, often took advantage of him. This was particularly observed when an accident caused by Pinky claimed the life of a street boy, and Ashok along with his brother passed the buck onto Balram for the same. 
• So, Balram thinks of an evil plan to kill his master, take away his illegally obtained money, and make a fortune for himself somewhere else. He successfully does so, and escapes as a fugitive to Bangalore. Even though his posters are put up all over, no one is able to identify him. 
• He becomes an entrepreneur, and by giving a bribe to policemen (something he had learnt from his master), he starts off his own taxi company called 'White Tiger services'. He presumes through a newspaper article that his family members have been killed by Ashok's family.
• Finally, Balram brings out the rationality behind his thought of killing his master. He wanted to exit the 'Rooster Coop', a term used to symbolise the poor people of the nation. He wanted to show the world that it is always possible to bring about a change in one's life.

What I liked about this book-

1. Social messages- This book brought out many inherent social messages. The concept of social stratification was lucidly brought out as I read through the pages. The book told us about how the lower-class in India is oppressed to a large extent, and how they also can stand up on their own legs and succeed. Other social concepts brought out were those of 'urbanisation' and 'gentrification', and how people from an erstwhile poor background can become a part of the middle class or the upper class. 
2. Wonderful and apt title- The title of the book 'The White Tiger' was very well thought off. Being a very rare species, the white tiger is often ignored, but when looked at closely, it actually is very charismatic. Similarly, the poor people of our country also are like the white tigers, often ignored. But, when looked at closely, each one of them has something to offer for society. Thus, they must not be taken for granted and oppressed.
3. Wonderful descriptions- Arvind Adiga must be appreciated for thinking of writing the book in the form of a letter. This is something unique, and gave a personal touch to the story. I also loved the descriptions given by the author. He has described each and every scene beautifully. Even though at times, one might feel, that he has overdone his descriptions, these descriptions actually help us gain a more comprehensive understanding about the situation. 

What could have been different-

1. Better take-home message- Personally, book reading is not all about leisure and recreation. It is also about the imminent messages brought out. Arvind Adiga beautifully described the appalling conditions faced by the poor in India. But, I somehow do not concur with the narrator's justification of killing his master. I feel there could have been a better way out to teach him a lesson. Also, the fact that towards the end, he himself paid a bribe to start his business seemed a little paradoxical. If Balram indeed wanted to become successful, he could have used better means to achieve his goals.
2. Too much against India and its system- Even though I completely agree with the author that the system in India very much favours the rich and nepotism is still an evil in our society, I somehow did not approve of the way this system was blatantly criticised. Yes, there are many loopholes in the system. But, we cannot ignore the fact that India is one of the most people-centered democracies in the world. People are free to voice their opinions (like the author has done), and are respected for having them. Thus, the book tended to only highlight the negative aspects of Indian polity. Moreover, since this letter was addressed to a Chinese Premier, it could have given him a more positive picture of our country.

My rating:- 3/5

It is a must-read, and I assure all of you that you will be left with many thoughts cluttered up in your head after you read the book. If you are someone who wishes to understand Indian society and the various problems plaguing it, I recommend you to read this book. It will surely leave you thinking, and perhaps also envisioning a better India for the future...