Lakshmi Prathivadi

Tiger by the Tale Lakshmi Prathivadi

Tiger by the Tale is set in 1935 British India and follows Ram Sarvarkar, an enthusiastic teenager with a loving family who quickly finds himself amidst poverty, emotional turmoil and political fervor in pre-independence India. Fifteen-year-old Ram and his two siblings struggle to make ends meet in the deserted suburbs of Bombay after they lose their parents and elder brother Gaurav to a violent raid at their home on allegations of conspiring against the British government. Ram and his two younger siblings are haunted by their past and are curious to investigate their family's death. When they unearth Gaurav's journal, they learn of his membership in the Bombay Nationalist Association (BNA), which forms the crux of the novel as Ram and his sister Megha join the association to learn more about its activities. Veda and Ravi, who are BNA loyalists and Gaurav's friends, enlist the help of Ram and Megha to spy on Scott Wilson, the local police superintendent, who is keen on dismantling the BNA through violent measures. The story unfolds in a dramatic climax to reveal a series of betrayals clouded with bribery and corruption, showcasing the hypocrisy of a totalitarian government bent on dividing the nation.