Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore

Mangalore, Jul 2: After his Man Booker Prize-winning 'The White Tiger', Aravind Adiga is now out with 'Last Man in Tower', a story set in Vishram Co-operative Housing Society, Mumbai which is a typical middle class block of flats.

Adiga, a Mangalorean, won the Man Booker Prize 2008 for The White Tiger where India is portrayed as a society racked by corruption and servitude, a book that exposes the country's dark side.

In 'Last Man in Tower', Adiga's admiration for Mumbai forms the basic foundation of the book. The story originates from a news report about a redeveloment project in Mumbai, where an old Man (Murthy) opposes a developer's (Shah) offer to convert the old housing block into Luxury apartments. Adiga gives a zoomed-in view of Mumbai where water is available only twice a day, monsoon problems, slums among others.

The author maintains a flawless aesthetic distance between his observations and judgements. 'Development' is, in one word, his subject. Mumbai is being transformed; it is a city where great fortunes are being made, especially in the construction industry, a city where the prospect of sudden and previously unimaginable riches breaks social bonds and corrupts relationships.

A racy plot, which often comes across as a sleek movie script, explores Mumbai’s attitude towards money.

Aravind was born in Madras to Dr Madhava Adiga and Usha Adiga, both form Mangalore. He did his schooling here at Canara High School and then St Aloysius High School where he secured first rank in the state in SSLC examination.