Summary of Chapter 5

Balram starts to tell something about the inventions of India. He doesn’t mean inventions like the Internet, he means for example the Rooster Coop. Thousands of Chickens are kept in small cages, pecking at and shitting on each other.  But they don’t try to get out of these Coops. Balram connects this story with the situation of the people in his country.

In Delhi many people work as a cycle-rickshaw. They have to deliver furniture to peoples home and then ride back to their boss and give them their money, without earning one single rupee.  The life of a servant in India is the same like a chicken in a Coop. They just want to do everything for their family and earn enough money to live. Only people, who see that their family is in danger, seriously threatened by others break out of the coop.

After this mention, he continues telling his story. He remembers a sign, he saw in a zoo which reads “Imagine you being in the cage”. It was placed close to the cage of the white tiger. He thinks that he is able to do so, so he goes home to his room to give it a try. He stays a whole day in his room sitting in a mosquito net, pulled up his legs to his chest. It was like he was trapped in the Rooster Coop. As Balram stays in his room, the man with the skin disease enters and ask him, weither everything is ok.

Then Balram goes up to the apartment of his master. The Mongoose opens the door and tells him, that the father is there. It was Stork. While Balram enters the room, the Stork is sitting on the couch. Later Mr. Ashok and the Stork tell Balram, that they have contacts to the police and they told them, that nobody observed the accident. Pinky Madam gets angry, runs into her room and slams the door.  A few days later, Balrams drives the Stork and the Mongoose to the railway station, to travel back to their home Dhanbad.

At night, Balram wakes up, because somebody stands in his room. It was Pinky Madam. She tells him to bring her to the airport. When they arrive a few minutes later, Pinky Madam leaves the car without saying a word.

The next morning Mr. Ashok calls Balram to his apartment and asks him, why he has not told him, that he brought his wife to the airport last night. Then Mr. Ashok grabs Balram and pushes him against the balcony. Balram gets frightened and kicks him in the chest. Mr. Ashok starts to cry and Balram runs to his room. Later the other servants ask him what happened, but Balram doesn’t answer their questions.

The next day Balram waits for the bell to ring, but nothing happens. In the afternoon he goes to the apartment and does his work. In the evening he goes to the apartment again, to see whether something happened to his masters. When Balram sees the open door, he goes into the apartment and see Mr. Ashok lying on the ground with a bottle of whiskey. He carries him into his bed. During the following days, Mr. Ashok is drunk every day. After a week, Mr. Ashok tells him, that they both have a special connection as a servant and his master.

One day, the Mongoose comes back from Dhanbad and tells, that Pinky Madam, don’t want to come back. He says that it´s the best way, when she leaves him. At the diner, the Mongoose takes a letter out of his pocket. The letter is from the granny of Balram. In the letter Kusum asks Balram for more money for the wedding of Kishan. 

At the end of this chapter, Balram tells to the premier, that the Rooster Coop is doing his work. Servants have to keep other servants from becoming experimenters or innovators. That‘s the sad truth in the live as a servant

What I like/dislike in this chapter?

I think it´s very hard,that the servants in India are compared with Chickens in a Rooster Coop. They have to follow the rules nobody can become an experimeter or innovator to get out of these Coops. I liked the situation,when Mr. Ashok tells Balram,that they have an important conncetion. I think it was a good idea from Pinky Madam to leave her husband. They dont fit together I think. 

I found an interesting link about the Rooster Coops in India... 

Rooster Coop in India 

Here is a  picture from a Coop...

 See you, 

Tim

Summary of Chapter 4

In the beginning of this chapter Balrams talks about Delhi. He shares some facts about this city and the pride of their civic planning and the showcase of the republic.  The rich people live in big housing colonies like Defense Colony or Greater Kailash, but they have no logic system of numbering the houses. Balram remembers about a story, when he had to take Pinky Madam to one of these housing colonies. But he doesn’t find the right apartment because of the illogic number-system. Then he tells something about the street names in Delhi. When you ask somebody where you can find the street you are looking for, nobody knows the right answer. The traffic system is designed in a way that the phase where car-drivers or pedestrians need to stop is relatively short. As a consequence many people ignore the rules, say walk or drive whenever they want. Balram also explains that in Delhi many poor people need to live on the streets as they do not have a job, no money and nobody being able or willing to help them.

While waiting in front of the mall a man asks Balram how he likes Delhi. He doesn’t want to get touched by this man, because he has a skin disease. Especially many of the very poor people in India are suffering from this skin disease. 

The servants have to wait outside the mall for their masters while they go on a shopping-trip. They smoke and chat all the time. He also mentions that the police in Delhi are totally rotten in this city. The man tells Balram something about a magazine called “Murder weekly“, they read while they are waiting for their servants.

Later Mukesh Sir, Mr. Ashok and Pinky Madam come outside the mall with shopping bags. Balram puts them into the car and drives them to their apartment building, Buckingham Block B. It’s one of the best Blocks in Delhi. After he leaves the bags in the apartment he goes down to the basement to his room in the servant quarters. Then he meets the man with the skin disease again, sitting with the other servants together in the quarter. 

The next day, Balram cleans his Honda City while waiting for the next job his master Mr. Ashok wants him to do. Then he gets advised via the lobby microphone to wait with his car at the main entrance of Buckingham B Block. Pinky Madam and Mr. Ashok, joined by the Mongoose, have a Congress Party at the headquarters. After ten minutes, Balram arrives at the headquarter. The brothers tell Balram that they are back in half an hour.

Two hours later, the brothers return. They say that they have to go to the president house. While waiting in his car Balram observes that the brothers together with a huge fat man leave the building talking to each other. On their way home Mr. Ashok said only one sentence. In his view the political system in India is a nothing else then a joke.

After an hour of trashing the traffic, they got home. When they get out of the car the Mongoose misses one rupee being of the opinion that Balram got it. He has to search for it. When Balram assesses that he can´t find the rupee, he takes one of his pocket and gives it to the mongoose.

When Balram sees that Mr. Ashok get verge the tears, while he makes food for him in the apartment, he knows that something is wrong.

The next morning Mr. Ashok tells him to drive Mukesh Sir to the railway-station. At the station Mukesh Sir gives him some instructions about the actions of the police and what he is not allowed to do in the car. After that the Mongoose turns to Mr. Ashok and tells him to check up the driver, but Mr. Ashok doesn’t pays attention to his brother.

In the second part of this chapter, Balram talks about a night, when he drunk some alcohol in an English liquor shop. Next morning, when he came back to the apartment in the Buckingham Block, Pinky Madam recognizes that Balrams seems to be ill. She advises him to make some tea, because of his headache. Pinky Madam gets very angry, when she notices that Balram scratches his groin with the hand while making tea. She sends him to his room, because he looks pretty bad.

The next evening, Balram drives Pinky Madam and Mr. Ashok to the mall. When they arrive there, Balram gets out of the car and sees the man with the skin diseases again. There are many other servants, waiting for their masters like Balram and the man. They talk about the magazine “Murder Weekly“. While waiting, Balrams sees a man with sandals who wants to go into the mall, but the security guards don’t let him in. One of the servants said, that everybody should behave like this man did, then India would be a safe country.

After their return Balram goes to the local market and buys his first toothpaste, white t-shirt and black shoes. When he drives Pinky Madam to the mall the next day, he tries to see the mall from inside by wearing his new clothes. He is lucky as the guards allow him to enter the mall. After getting some inspirations of the mall, he goes back to the car and changes his dress into the casual one.

The third part of the Chapter starts, whit Balram sitting in the car together with Mr. Ashok and Pinky Madam. Pinky Madam gets angry because of the chaos on the streets and the traffic jam. Mr. Ashok tries to get her down and then they start to argue about their travel to Delhi. At this point Balram thinks that Mr. Ashok is a good husband, because he always tries to make her happy. Balram starts telling the Premier a story, when both of them were kids laughing at him all the time. At the evening he goes to the bedroom of his master, because he heard some slapping followed by screaming. Half an hour later, when Balram wants to sleep, another servant yells for him. He has to take both of them with the car to the Connaught Place. On their way to this place, there was an icy silence between Pinky Madam and Mr. Ashok.

 At the Connaught Place, the two leave the car and Balram meets the men with the disease together with some other servants. They make a fire while waiting. When the two come back they were drunk. Balram drives both of them back to their apartment. On their way home, Pinky Madam wants to drive the car, but Mr. Ashok doesn’t let her. At the traffic signal a child comes to their car, with a Buddha statue in his hand. Balram likes it and Pinky Madam asks him, if he wants to have this sculpture, but he doesn’t want it. When Balram wants to drive away, Pinky Madam says that he should stop, get out off the car and spend the night with the Buddha. After Pinky Madam gets in the driver seat, they drive away and Balram stands alone in the dark and empty street. A bit later, a car crosses the street, it’s the car from Mr. Ashok, they pick him up and Balram sits on the back seat.  Pinky Madam is too drunk to realize the situation, as a black thing hit the car. She asks what it could have been but Balram and Mr. Ashok work as a team and put her on the backseat. Balram gets in the driver seat and drives them with full speed back to her apartment. 

At the apartment, they grab her and place her into the elevator with a scarf around her mouth to stop her screaming. Then Balrams asks Mr. Ashok what it could have been that has hit the car, as Balram thinks that it could have been a child. After this conversation, they go to sleep.

The next morning Mr. Ashok wants to talk about the situation last night. Mr. Ashok wants Balram, to write a paper saying that it was Balram driving the car while the accident on the street happened. Balram can´t believe what Mr. Ashok asks him to do. For him this situation is a fucking joke.

What I like/dislike in this chapter?

What I dont unterstand in the first part of the chapter is,why they have no logic numbering system of the appartments in Delhi.The people get lost in this system. What I really disliked was the situation,when the servants had to wait outside the mall because they wear sandals and so they were not allowed to enter the mall.That´s definitely not fair.I found it interesting,when Balram describes his place,where he live as a servant.I think that´s a very strange daily routine,to live in this quarters and work all the time for their masters.It makes me sad,when I read,that the poor people live on the streets and are handled like trash. They get no money from the state,when they don´t work,so it´s very hard to feed their families. I was surprised when Balram told,that he bought his first toothpaste ever.That shows me that you earn not much money  as a servant. At the end I was kind of shocked,as I read the situation,when Pinky Madam hit a small black thing with the car, but they undertakes nothing. Another thing I can´t believe was, when Mr. Ashok told him,that Balram  has to say, that he made the accident.

I found an interesting link,about the quarters,where the servants live... 

Servant Quarters in India 

I have a picture from one of these servant quarters...

Here is an other picture from an traffic jam in india,like Balram tells about it in the chapter...

 

 See you,

Tim

Summary of Chapter 3

Balram explains to the Premier, that he heard a radio report about a man called Castro, a man who banished many of the rich people out of his country. Because of this report, Balram starts to tell something about the democracy in India. He explains him the difference between China and India and their respective political situation. While he talks about the democracy, he mentions the elections in Laxmangarh and how he votes, after he got a date of birth from the government. He became 18 years old and has now the legal age to vote. He mentions the Great Socialist, who reigns in Laxmangarh. He talks about the three main diseases of this country: typhoid, cholera and election fever. Many people are against the Great Socialist. Balram tells about people like a policeman, who requested the people to vote against the Great Socialist. They think that he doesn’t improve the situation of Laxmangarh, because he just wants to support the rich people, not the poor ones. Balram tells that the Landlords want to vote out the Great Socialist. He learns from his father, that the course of these elections is always the same. Balram finds out, that 2341 people votes for the Great Socialist. Balram explains the Premier that many votes are a fake, that the politicians control the elections in Laxmangarh.

After this story, he goes on with telling some things about his life as a servant of the stork´s house. One day the Great Socialist visited the house. He had a peaceful charisma, when Balram saw his face. After the visit, the Great Socialist, the Mongoose and Mr. Ashok left the house and Balram tried to listen what they talk about while sweeping the ground, but it failed. The Great Socialist touched his back and asked him for his name. Mr. Ashok and the Mongoose wonder about the statements, when the Great Socialist stands in front of the servant Balram. Balram likes it, when the Great Socialists humiliates the masters like Mr. Ashok that is why many people vote for him. At the same night, Balram eavesdrops a discussion between Pinky Madam and Mr. Ashok about a plan to travel to Delhi. 

The next day while Balram washes the two dogs of the house, Ram Bahadur asks him, why they travel to Delhi, but he couldn’t answer the question. Ram explains him, that the driver gets 3000 rupees, when he travels together with the client. Balram is very surprised and asks him directly if he could get this job, but then he finds out, that Ram Persad was the one who got it.

The next day Balram observes Ram Persad because of his curious attitude. Then he finds out, that Ram Persad is a Muslim and that he goes away every night to celebrate Ramadan. Ram Persad and Ram Bahadur work in a team. After Balram tells the Nepali this story, Ram Bahadur tries to run away, but Balram catches him and give him a slap. From now on, Balram is the first servant. In the middle of the night, ex-driver number one Ram Persad comes in and packs his stuff. He doesn’t work any longer for the Stork. Now Balram is the one to drive Mr. Ashok and Pinky Madam to Delhi.

At the End of this Chapter, Balram announces that the next stories will be even more dreadful.

What I like/dislike in this chapter?
I dont like the political situation in Laxmangarh,because the people get cows from the political party.They have no own mind in their deals.What I like in this chapter is the part,when Balram gets the job as the first servant.At the end he seems to be proud of his new job and the travel to Delhi.

I found a link about the indian festival "Ramadan":
Ramadan in India 

That´s a link about the Servants in India,like Balram:
Servants in India

Summary of Chapter 2 "The Second Night"

In this chapter, Balram writes a second letter to the Chinese Premier Mr. Wen Jiabao. But in this letter, in comparison with his first letter, he is not talking about himself anymore. He talks about his ex-employer Mr. Ashok. He describes his behavior and his personality and he talks about Mr. Ashoks wife Pinky Madam too. Balram worked as a chauffeur for both of them. While driving both through India, Balram eardrop’s their conversations and learned much about the country and the environment. At the end of the letter he confesses to the Premier that he murdered Mr. Ashok.

After his father Vikram became very ill, Balram and his brother Kishan try to help him. They drive to the government hospital, but there was no doctor available. They meet an older Muslim, who describes the situation and Balram finds out, that doctors prefer to work in better hospitals, some of them even paying kickbacks to the government, than the one in Dhanbad.
Balram`s father died after he got no help.

Two weeks later, after the wedding of Dilip, Balrams cousin. The three guys travel to Dhanbad. They find a job in a tea shop. Dhanbad is a relatively rich city as the surrounding mines produce a lot of coal. The people there work very hard and do their job well.
While working in the tea shop Balram starts spying other people´s conversations. In his mind a good way to learn more, to hear new, different things. Sometimes the miners come to the tea shop and tell exciting stories. Firstly Balram wants to become a miner, but when he finds out, what a taxi driver earns a month, he changed his opinion.

Balram`s granny recommends to keep the job in the tea shop, but Balram starts to search for a taxi driver, who should train him how to drive. In his letter he also describes the job situation in India, that many people are unemployed as they have not received any education, never had a change to find a proper job.

Balram and Kishan go to a house, where many taxi drivers live. After several failures he finds a driver willing to teach him, but in return he needs to repair the taxi driver’s car.
After he finished his training he asked the Landlord Thakur Ramder for a job. This man tests Balsam’s skills. He asks him, which casts he belongs to. In his letter to the Premier Balram explains in detail the Indian cast system, which in short says, that you were born into a cast and that you will belong to it for your entire life.

When Thakur asks him which cast he belongs to, Balram says the truth, say the bottom cast. While thinking about Mr. Thakur’s question, he recollects the story of the Buffalo, who killed his servant, because he kidnapped buffalo´s son.

After the interrogation, Balram was told that he will get the job as a taxi driver. In this part he describes his life and his daily routine in this job. He has a colleague, his name is Ram Persad and both of them often need to do the housework.

In the following days he learns a lot about the life as a servant. Sometimes he has to buy things that Mr. Thakur needs. Mr. Thakur talks with Balram about their old home Laxmangarh and that he wants to visit it, but in the last minute he stays back, so Balram drives to Laxmangarh with Pinky Madam and Mr. Ashok, both being good friends of Mr. Thakur.
In Laxmangarh Balram can meet his family. His brother Kishan is of the opinion that Balram should marry, but he do not feels prepared to do so yet.  

At the end of the letter Balram announced that he will describe a fight between the passengers of two busses in his next letter to the Premier.

What I like/dislike in this Chapter?


At first I felt very bad when I read that Balrams father Vikram died because of his illness and nobody helped him. I´m feeling angry about the situation in the hospital government and how they earn backhanders to give the jobless people in india a job.On the other side,I liked the scence,when Balram got the job as a taxi driver. Now earns good money and maybe has a good future.He also supports his family with a small part of his income. But what I don´tunterstand is,why Balram and Ram don´t like each other. They are a team and has to work together.






I found a link about the economy situation in Dhanbad. I got my experiences from the scence,when Balrams tells something about the miners in Dhanbad and their big reserve of coal....
Dhanbad- Economy Situation






I found a picture about Dhanbad and the daily routine...

Enjoy the reading,
Tim

Summary of Page 20-36

There is a tea shop in the central of  Laxmangarh where his father works as a rickshaw-puller. In front of the tea shop stops a car and somebody comes out. Another person is sitting in the car.It´s the Buffalo, one of the four landlords in Laxmangarh. He is one of the chiefs in the lands around Laxmangarh. If someone wants to work for them, they have to ask these landlords for work.Balram know,that his father dont want to work with these landlords together,so he gets trouble with them. Balram´s brother Kishan wants,that Balram works in the tea shop of his father to earn more money,but his father said,that he have to finish the school.But Balram doesn´t want to visit the school anymore, because he get mobbed by his classmates.One day some of his classmates put a lizard in his face. When Balram told him this story,his father wasn´t angry.His father Vikram an Balram visit the school and were killing the lizard. After narrating this event Balram writes that he soon has to end writing tonight, because it is almost two am. He checks for other information on the poster.After looking for informations,he tells the premier about an inspection in the school,when he was a child.The Inspectors prove the kids by reading a sentence form the board.The Inspector is impressed about Balram in the way he reads the sentences.He asks Balram some more questions,for example which deals about the rarest animals that comes along only once in a generation. Balram answers this question with the white tiger. The inspector says,that Balram is like an animal in these "Jungle".He wants to get Balram to an real school. After this situation,Balram gets form his classmates the name "White Tiger". At the end of the first chapter,Balram tells,that he was trying to climb on the Black Fort,but he can´t.It just happened,when he was 24. In this time he works as a chauffeur for Mr.Ashok and Pinky Madam.They visit Laxmangarh for an excursion again,and than Balram climbs up the hills and looks down on his old home,where he growed up.

In Chapter we heard the first time,something about the "White Tiger".Its a very rare animal in India.I have a link,about some informations of this animal.

"White Tiger" 

What I like/dislike in this part?

I found it interesting what you read about these landlords,which have the might to control a town like laxmangarh and decide who can work or not.Besides i like the situation in the school,when Balram shows,that he is a smart guy,compared to his classmates which bully him very often.I would feel very strong,when the impressed inspector tell me that I could go to another school like these one.

Summary of Page 1-20 (White Tiger)

The Book "The White Tiger" from Aravind Adiga is about a men who writes a letter to the premier of China,Wen Jiabao.The name of the man is Balram Halwai.He lives in Bangalore,India. In his letter he wants to ask the premier,if it´s true that he wants to come to india and talk to indian entrepreneurs,like Balram hear it on the All India Radio before. He also hears that the premier wants to know the truth about Bangalore and Balram knows,that he can tell him the real truth about Bangalore.He shows the premier the truth while talking about his life. For example what happens when he visit Bangalore for the first time. "See when you come to Bangalore,and stop at atraffic light,some boy will run up to your car and knock on your window,while holding up a bootlegged copy of an American business book,wrapped carefully in cellophane."


 Balram begins to tell him a story about a day in his life,when he was driving in a car with his ex-employer Mr. Ashok and his wife Pinky Madam. Mr. Ashok tells Balram to drive on the side of the street and then he was starting to ask him some questions.After he gives his best to answer the questions,Mr. Ashok was wondering what Balram said.He tells his wife that Balram is just half-baked and haven´t finish the schooling.

Than Balram tells the Premier how he got his name.At the first day of school,the teacher changes his name from "Munna" into "Balram".After that he give him a information about india and his dark an light sides.The Darkness comes from the River Ganges.He had a bad experience when Balram carry his dead mother to the ganges and his granny made the zeremony of death.His mother was wrapped  from head to toe  in a saffron silk cloth.Then he saw his mother burning on an wooden platform and then he fainted.

After that he tells something about an indian village laxmangarh.He talk about this place where he lived.He mentions a water buffalo,which was important for his family in this time.He shows the premier the every day life with his family together. His experience of his life has many details when he tells it.He often misses this places where he live when he was a child.
 He mentioned his father when he saw it on the police poster.

What I like/dislike on this pages?
I like it much in which details balram told the premier about his life in  bangalore and what happened in this time.I also like the creative writing of  Aravind Adiga for example,when he tells us about his chandelier and compare it with a disco in bangalore,when it splits the light.On the other hand what I dislike is,that i think he lies by talking to the premier,for example when he told him how he got his name and the parents havent the time to chose one.When he wants tell the truth about bangalore and his life,than he should do it.

I have an internet link about Laxmangarh,where Balram came from:
Laxmangarh History                                            

I felt very bad when i read,what balram told us about the first time in bangalore:

          Bangalore ist a very poor town in india,many kids are working every day for less money to feed their  families.I´m very sad about this situation in india
Childwork in India



See you,
Tim