Two recent fiction books set in and depicting life in India that have become internationally acclaimed are Shantaram and The White Tiger. Shantaram, written by Gregory David Roberts, is a semi-autobiographical fiction book based upon some of Roberts’ real life experiences as a fugitive from an Australian prison who flees to Bombay in the 80’s and has a wide range of experiences there including living in a Bombay slum and a small rural village, joining the Indian mafia, fighting in Afghanistan against the Russians, and acting in Bollywood movies. The White Tiger was written by journalist, Aravind Adiga, and tells a fictional story of a driver in modern day India who serves an upper class businessman and ultimately becomes a successful entrepreneur in Bangalore after escaping what he calls life in the Darkness through, what most would say, the worst way possible. (more…)
Posts Tagged ‘Shantaram’
Shantaram and The White Tiger: A stark contrast
Posted in Book Review, Entertainment, India, tagged Aravind Adiga, Comparison Shantaram and The White Tiger, Gregory David Roberts, Shantaram, The White Tiger on September 26, 2009| 5 Comments »
The Power of the Indian head wiggle
Posted in Book Review, India, Travel, tagged Gregory David Roberts, Head Bobble, Head Wiggle, India, Indian Head Bobble, Indian Head Wiggle, Shantaram on April 30, 2009| 9 Comments »
I recently read the wildly entertaining book, Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts. It’s a fiction book, but semi-autobiographical, based upon some of Roberts’ real life experiences as a fugitive from an Australian prison who flees to Bombay and has a wide range of experiences there including living in a slum, joining the Indian mafia, fighting in Afghanistan against the Russians, and acting in Bollywood movies.
In one passage in the book, he writes about the Indian gesture, the head-wiggle (also commonly called the head bobble).
From Shantaram
“No discovery pleased me more, on that first excursion from the city, than the full translation of the famous Indian head-wiggle. (more…)