An honest politician has no goodies to toss around. This limits his effectiveness profoundly, because political power in India is dispersed throughout a multi-tiered federal structure; a local official who has not been paid off can sometimes stop a billion-dollar… — Aravind Adiga Copy Share Image
When I was growing up in the south Indian city of Madras, there were only two political parties that mattered; one was run by a former matinee idol, and the other was run by his former screenwriter. — Aravind Adiga Copy Share Image
Columbia University, where I went to study in 1993, insisted its undergraduates learn a foreign language, so I discovered French. — Aravind Adiga Copy Share Image
What keeps India safe really is the heroism of millions of poor Indians who every day reject the allure of terrorism. What keeps India… — Aravind Adiga Copy Share Image
“Every day, on the roads of Delhi, some chauffeur is driving an empty car with a black suitcase sitting on the backseat. Inside that suitcase is a million, two million rupees; more money than that chauffeur will see in his lifetime. If he took the money he could go to America, Australia, anywhere, and start a new life. He could… — Aravind Adiga Copy Share
I am coming back to New York after five years, and it seems that psychics are taking over the city. — Aravind Adiga Copy Share Image
You ask 'Are you a man or a demon?' Neither, I say. I have woken up, and the rest of you are sleeping, and… — Aravind Adiga Copy Share Image
Neither. I am just one who has woken up while the rest of you are still sleeping. — Aravind Adiga Copy Share Image
“People in this country are still waiting for the war of their freedom to come from somewhere else, from the jungles, from the mountains,… — Aravind Adiga Copy Share Image
“These people were building homes for the rich, but they lived in tents covered with blue tarpaulin sheets, and partitioned into lanes by lines of sewage. It was even worse than Laxmangarh. I picked my way around broken glass, wire, and shattered tube lights. The stench of feces was replaced by the stronger stench of industrial sewage. The slum ended… — Aravind Adiga Copy Share
“And then he realized that the thing that was blocking his passage was cleared, and he was falling; his body had begun its short… — Aravind Adiga Copy Share Image
“When it comes to work - hurry, hurry, hurry. When it comes to payment - delay, delay, delay. Caste, religion, family background nothing. Talent… — Aravind Adiga Copy Share Image
“There was a fierce jam on the road to Gurgaon. Every five minutes the traffic would tremble - we'd move a foot - hope would rise - then the red lights would flash on the cars ahead of me, and we'd be stuck again. Eveyone honked. Every now and then, the various horns, each with its own pitch, blended into… — Aravind Adiga Copy Share
