Dear Mr Adiga,
This is in response to your matrimonial advertisement in yesterdays Times of India. Yeah, yeah, it was an interview in The Times, but shrewd and calculative me was able to see that you have managed to run a front page matrimonial ad for free. If this candid interview does not result in a shower of matrimonial responses, then I am not sure what will. I hereby present myself as a prospective Mrs. Adiga for I like your style, if you can hoodwink the Times and also win a Booker prize for The White Tiger, you have some serious survival instincts, me like it, me like it a lot.
I seem to be deviating from the point, so from here onwards a book review on your magnum opus The White Tiger it shall be. I have read the book and frankly have not been able to understand as to what is the message you want to give your readers. I grant you that I normally read a book three times to understand it and so far have read The White Tiger just once. But to make me read a book three times it must have something, that something maybe a plot, a conscience, a message or an inspiration. Even crap romance novels have a message, "Love conquers all in the end" or whatever mush, but The White Tiger...nothing!!!
What were you trying to say ??
1) That there is rampant corruption in India, and to make it big you have to grease a few palms...
2) That you should put yourself above others and forget all morals if you want to be someone in life...
3) That foreigners have better souls and conscience than us lowly Indians...
4) The foundations of every big empire is tainted with the blood of the innocent...
All the above happens all over the world, it is a dog eat dog world and it is the survival of the fittest, then why potray an already battered India to the world as such...
Your protagonist comes across as an unrepentant messenger of evil, right from the word go...he sucked up to all the wrong people, did grave injustice to the only man who treated him with some respect, continues to pay silence money...
Chances are I am not seeing the book in the right light...in which case pray enlighten me...
Your Sincerely
Sen
cool yaar...u did write a review!
ReplyDeleteas for that Ad err article on his achievements n disappointments, he resembled a creep carrying that man booker pize...i seriously feel sorry for the 'real writers'...The White Tiger is an utter waste of paper.
Dear sen
ReplyDeleteThis is ST on behalf of Mr. Adiga and I wanted to bring in your notice that boss (Mr. Adiga himself) was quite pleased and was willing to consider your application for the post of Mrs. Adiga but then you offended him right in second para.. so the application has been rejected and you need not to apply again for next 6 months :D
Thanks anyways for your application
Best,
ST
for Mr. Adiga
sen good to see u back to blogging... I guess my threats has worked :P :P
ReplyDeleteanyways I am halfway through the white Tiger and seriously couldn't move an inch more it takes so much time for me to read a page, I honestly wonder why the hell did they give booker prize to him.. I guess the panel consisted of non- indians who are really scared of India's growth and vented out their feelings by awarding an Indian who criticised the situation in India- all the people in the world forget one thing... its not that India is flooded with corruption everywhere there is corruption, every country has the problems...its the size of our country and the population here which causes everyone to think we are at the world's end...
btw your tarot reading says today you will be rewarded for being a good girl and coming back to blogging...
I agree with you in a way.
ReplyDeleteHe lays it all out - the corruption, the immorality, murder even.
But there seems to be no lesson to be learnt in the end.
Though i have not read the book, but haven't come across a good review to help me lay hands on it.
ReplyDeleteIt's a pity that the world still sees India as a "third world". Films like Salaam Bombay , Slum dog millionaire and the book like White Tiger gets all awards and accolades because they depict India the way they believe.
u have been awarded please check
ReplyDeletehttp://lancelot-oneofakind.blogspot.com/
@ Vin...you bet, it is a criminal waste of paper...
ReplyDelete@ ST...please convey my message to the boss(Mr. Adiga)...I am heart broken...
@ Lancelot... :P...yeah, yeah its your threats that did the trick...I am wondering how much Mr. Adiga canvassed for this book...the book is so lousy...I read an of an article which praises this book...the article says, the book "blew the socks off Michael Portillo, the chair of judges"...I rest my case...
@ Ki...exactly...no message...
@ JOSH...spot on...they get to see what they believe to be true India...
@ Sen
ReplyDeleteblew the socks :P :P :P Judgment reserved ex-parte in your favor
@ Lancelot...hehehe
ReplyDeleteread the full interview..http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2008/oct/16/booker-prize
booker always go to someone who insults own country!
ReplyDelete@ Sen,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing it with me. I seriously wonder which generation Adiga is in- hasn't come out of it yet. But anyways has given some solution to the problems in the book (as I have not read it fully and no intentions to carry it forward). I wonder what he is going to do with the money - gonna start some NGO to reform India? or adopt few orphans and bring them up in a proper way? Every Tom Dick and Harry can talk but will not do anything about - though he won the award he can never be Arundhati Roy.. If I were the judge would have given him a Cooker prize..
lol, such an interesting review!! i wish Mr.Adiga reads this :P
ReplyDeleteHowz u?
@ scrawler...if that is the case then it is a very sad award and should be taxed @ 50% in the home country of the author :p
ReplyDelete@ Lancelot...the interview in Guardian was in Oct 08 and now we are in Dec 08... I have not come across any news which highlights the social upliftment work Mr. Adiga is doing with the award money...
@ Sawan...you know what I am hoping the same too :P
before 'taxing' Mr Adiga...we shud tax a Former Booker winner who is gonna embrace Ajmal Kasab!
ReplyDeletewords of that former Booker Winner
ReplyDeleteI hereby declare myself an independent, mobile republic. I am a citizen of the earth. I own no territory. I have no flag. My policies are simple. I'm willing to sign any nuclear non-proliferation treaty or nuclear test ban treaty that's going. Immigrants are welcome. You can help me design our flag.
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/interview-arundhati-roy-rubbishes-potalike-law/80664-3.html
sen - probably you should apply again with name "Panchambika" :P
ReplyDeleteI am sure, even the father and grand father of the boss wont be able to decline it.. the name has some impact man :D
Sen ur a hit in my ofice... seasoned writer ...keep up the good work...
ReplyDelete