When the tiger burps!
I ought to have written this earlier.The 'White Tiger' is indeed a good read. I finished the book in 7 days at a regular bed time reading schedule.It was a gripping novel but not one that i would like to finish in two days flat.Kudos to the much acclaimed author for excellent language and flow of content. But i do not know if all those who have read the book agree with what i have to say.For one, I could not stand to justify the protagonist`s actions.He kills his master in broad daylight and gets away scottfree, to live a life of harmony. And that has actually been applauded ?
India i think has been depicted in a slapdash light and it truly seems more like an outsider`s perception of the country. Well the critics were not all wrong when they wrote about it. While speaking to a few friends who have read the book, the response was not mixed as expected.On the contrary all of them felt the need to shake the writer up and show him the India we live in.As an educated youth i may not be able to get into the shoes of Balram Halwai, but having lived in rural India i am aware that landlordish supremacy does exist and to what extent ,is anybody`s guess. Nevertheless i feel the book could have been less cynical and more optimistic.
It is humiliating enough to be stereotyped as a nation run by goons. Not that we have anybody to blame.I think our very own thinking has hindered the progress of socio-economic growth. Stop getting used to abuses and dirt. Go beyond the slums and the rustic visuals of India.If anything, get inspired by Amdavadis who have taken to the streets to keep the city clean instead of complaining.
If you intend to write on India from an insider`s point of veiw, make sure to include the achievements, the technology the braindrain and all things that have the potential to make India as powerful as any other Nation.There may be several Balram Halwais amidst us who have stamped on bricks of life to reach the top.Top of what?- a cliff or a point of no return? But is that what we are aiming at? We may not always be the change we want but the least we can do is try.
I ought to have written this earlier.The 'White Tiger' is indeed a good read. I finished the book in 7 days at a regular bed time reading schedule.It was a gripping novel but not one that i would like to finish in two days flat.Kudos to the much acclaimed author for excellent language and flow of content. But i do not know if all those who have read the book agree with what i have to say.For one, I could not stand to justify the protagonist`s actions.He kills his master in broad daylight and gets away scottfree, to live a life of harmony. And that has actually been applauded ?
India i think has been depicted in a slapdash light and it truly seems more like an outsider`s perception of the country. Well the critics were not all wrong when they wrote about it. While speaking to a few friends who have read the book, the response was not mixed as expected.On the contrary all of them felt the need to shake the writer up and show him the India we live in.As an educated youth i may not be able to get into the shoes of Balram Halwai, but having lived in rural India i am aware that landlordish supremacy does exist and to what extent ,is anybody`s guess. Nevertheless i feel the book could have been less cynical and more optimistic.
It is humiliating enough to be stereotyped as a nation run by goons. Not that we have anybody to blame.I think our very own thinking has hindered the progress of socio-economic growth. Stop getting used to abuses and dirt. Go beyond the slums and the rustic visuals of India.If anything, get inspired by Amdavadis who have taken to the streets to keep the city clean instead of complaining.
If you intend to write on India from an insider`s point of veiw, make sure to include the achievements, the technology the braindrain and all things that have the potential to make India as powerful as any other Nation.There may be several Balram Halwais amidst us who have stamped on bricks of life to reach the top.Top of what?- a cliff or a point of no return? But is that what we are aiming at? We may not always be the change we want but the least we can do is try.
4 comments:
hey great job man!
Hmmm... an interesting and a disturbing thought.. India looks simple; everyone thinks they know the ABC of the country, yet they don't realise that it is its complexities that makes it so interesting... where the struggle to move on a new road is happening but some are still holding on to the old...
Wish someday a book comes out that depicts India as it is.... A country of love and hate, hope and despair, emotions and calculations, unity and groupism, success,technology - shining India but on the other hand inhuman stone age practices that are still practiced with no apology.
Guess India like its cuisine can never really be captured in one book!! :)
As you have rightly pointed out, "Writing is an exploration," reading your posts signify the same feeling to the reader. Each emotion, each feeling, each viewpoint neatly described in their own paragraphs, I wish I could write like you.
Now, I do have a point of my own to make about your post on The White Tiger. Being writer's ourselves, why do we castigate others, when they use little bit of make-believe to make their stories come to life. Can't the writers' no longer exploit "willing suspension of disbelief?"
If that is the case then the reading the works of fiction writers would no longer be fascinating. I might as well pick up a newspaper or switch on a news channel for the true picture.
That is the whole point of reading a fiction. To escape the reality that surrounds us. I hope the readers do keep this in mind when they pick up a fiction and settle in for a nice read.
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