The White Tiger: Aravind Adiga

The success story of this book is no lesser than that of the movie "SlumDog Millionare" by Danny Boyle which is an adaption of a book by Indian Author and diplomat Vikas Swarup. The book won the Man Booker Prize in 2008, notably the debut novel by the author. The story is necessarily about the sharp contrast between India's rise as a global power and economy and the main character of the novel Balram Halvai, son of a autorickshaw puller crushing under poverty. Balram Halwai is the White Tiger of the book's title - a title he earns by virtue of being deemed the smartest boy in his village, a community deep in the "Darkness" of rural India.

Balram is the son of a rickshaw-puller; his family is too poor for him to be able to finish school, and instead he has to work in a teashop, breaking coals and wiping tables. Through these experiences, Balram learns much about the world and later states that the streets of India provided him with all the education he needed. Later, Balram gets his break when a rich man hires him as a chauffeur, and takes him to live in Delhi. The city is a revelation. As he drives his master to shopping malls and call centers, Balram becomes increasingly aware of immense wealth and opportunity all around him, while knowing that he will never be able to gain access to that world. As Balram broods over his situation, he realizes that there is only one way he can become part of this glamorous new India.
The novel takes the form of a series of letters written late at night by Balram to Wen Jiabao, the Premierr of the State Council of the People's Republic of Chinaa. In the letters, Balram describes his rise from lowly origins to his current position as an entrepreneurr in Bangalore, as well as his views on India's caste system and its political corruption.
The story is spun into a no nonsense, humour and wit all togather so intricately that the author needs to be commended for the piece of art. Sad enough to know that the true picture of India and the plight of the people in this struggle of classes is to be found in the books which have made their way out of India in the shelves of bookstores of North America.
The story is quite nicely put across and there is not a single dull moment in the novel, a must read for anybody.