Captivating book. I felt so ignorant about India reading this book; I felt like one of the villians, actually, that my vision is so narrow ... that I am so wrapped up in my "easy" life that I deflect thoughts of how most of the world lives. This is really an Indian's scathing indictment of India - despite the gains the country has made economically, it still remains corrupt and backward. This book is a social commentary that was met with derision by many in India.
The journey for the main character from servitude to entrepreneurship was accomplished, unfortunately, through the same corrupt means that his boss employed to attain and keep his position. So Balrain escapes from "the Darkness" but at a cost. He does not, however, treat his drivers the same way that his boss treated him.
This is a very cynical look at society and doesn't offer up much hope that those who want to elevate themselves from "the Darkness" can do so without becoming like those that that have enslaved them. I was unaware that the lower caste Indian people are much like the serfs in Russia; their servitude seems to be part of their persona and freeing themselves from servititude is something that they are not comfortable with.
For me, it was enlightening and of course, disturbing, and helped me understand the Indian and the caste system better.
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