Book Review - The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga

I have always held the notion that books that win accolades with the critics and literary prizes are almost always boring and not worth the read. But this book dispels all that. Its a simple story (something that can be summarized in 2 pages but presented nicely without complexities) was the recommendation from a friend of mine. And true to her word, the book had depth of story without the usual intricacy that tags along.

The story is that of a young man, who rises from the "darkness" of his village, a place called Laxmangarh to become rich and powerful on the dint of his hard work, predilection for eavesdropping and clear decision making of when to do the right (or wrong) thing to move ahead in life. The story captures the image of a deep rooted lack of ambition in the lower castes in India, and how they voluntarily give up a life of freedom to embrace slavery of the rich and powerful, who are elevated to the status of Gods and who become a law unto themselves by this meek surrender of the villagers. It also captures the images of corruption that plagues the top echelons of the potilical and social hierarchy in India and paints a gloomy picture of the society as such. Gloomy, yet very accurate. And it captures the two visions of India, the poor yet moral and the rich yet amoral. And it does so with the simplicity of narration that is hardly the flavor with critics. That it won the "Man Booker" is a testament to the wonder that Adiga has created. A sure-shot read.

Politics and progress dont go hand in hand (click the title to read the article)

I was thrilled and saddened at the same time reading the above article. My heart had yearned for some political personality to rise above the idiosyncrasy of religion, to make decisions that are not religiously colored and who upholds the law against all else. So i was overjoyed when I read this report of Narendra Modi demolishing unauthorized religious constructions in Gujarat. Unauthorized constructions of religious structures for long has gone unpunished, and mostly due to the predictable yet obnoxious tendency of politicians to keep distance from all religious issues lest they attract controversies. For a very long time now, people have grabbed government land and the first thing they have built on it has been a temple or mosque and then their homes around it, safe in the knowledge that the structure would never be broken down, that even if it is touched by the authorities, they would take out a religiously colored protest against the govt and force them into submission. I have watched in dismay as the road widening operations right opposite my apartment building have been stalled as an unauthorized temple has come in the way, making that stretch of the road a bottleneck for motorists during rush hours. And then there are numerous other such cases as well, which i come across in my daily commutes, brazen lack of respect for the laws of the land in the name of religion. So, i hope that politicians see through the veneer of their self-created soft-spots and uphold the law of the land come what may. I hope Mr. Modi continues on his demolition drive and set a standard for others to follow.