Aravind Adiga, the 33-yr old chennai-born writer, was honoured with the 2008 Man Booker Prize for his debut novel The White Tiger on 14thOctober,2008. He is the second-youngest writer in the Booker’s 40year history to win the prize after Mr.BanOkri who won this award in 1991 at the age of 32. Mr.Adiga is also the second d novelist of Indian origin to get the prize with a debut novel after Ms. Arundhati Roy.
Mr.Adiga is the fifth writer of Indian origin to win a $50,000 Booker Prize after Mr.V.S.Naipaul(In A Free style-1971),Mr.Salman Rushdie(Midnight’s children-1981),Ms.Arundhati Roy(The God of small Things(1997) and Ms.Kiran Desai(The Inheritance of Loss(2006).
The White Tiger has been written by Aravind Adiga. He won the Man Booker Prize for this book. He reveals the truth about present day India, its cockroach-ridden basements and corrupt politicians. He has written that he committed murder and got away with it.
Balram, the son of a poor rickshaw-puller, grew up in Gaya which he describes as darkness. Balram’s father died of TB in a government hospital where there is a lot of corruption. India is two countries in one: India of light and an India of Darkness”. The book revolves around the great divide between those Indians who have made it and those who have it not. Balram travels to “the Light”. He moves to Delhi, becomes a driver, listens the conversations of the rich. Using his sharp intelligence by lying, betraying and making some immoral decisions, he also becomes highly successful. In the old days, there were around 1,000 castes in India. These days, there are just two castes: Men with Big Bellies and men with small bellies. Balram is determined to become a Big Bellied Man by being a criminal, bribing police and bending rules.
