logo
The Tiger's Share: Keshava Guha's Sharp Tale of Property and Privilege

The Tiger's Share: Keshava Guha's Sharp Tale of Property and Privilege

The Hindu22-06-2025
Published : Jun 22, 2025 15:37 IST - 4 MINS READ
It is difficult to resist a novel that Amitav Ghosh, in one of the three heavyweight endorsements paratexting it, attributes to 'an astute and insightful observer of contemporary India'. This comment mostly holds true, although I would have preferred to say 'Delhi' instead of 'India'. Keshava Guha's The Tiger's Share is a consciously 'Delhi' novel, and for me that is a point in its favour.
Another thing in its favour is the novel's engagement with family property. Now, at least in north India, the two topics that come up most often in conversation are property and the state of one's stomach. Despite Indian English fiction being full of foodie segments, it seems to leave out any extensive narrative on 'gas' and related matters that north Indians discuss frequently on trains and buses. More surprisingly, family property—as a perennial matter of contestation and litigation—is also mostly missing from Indian fiction in English, though there is hardly any middle- or upper-class family in north India that does not have a torturous story to tell about it.
The Tiger's Share
By Keshava Guha Hachette India Pages: 256 Price: Rs.699
The Tiger's Share is about two families where property does raise its divisive hydra-head, at least initially. Tara, the narrator, is a successful Delhi lawyer and has little sympathy for her younger brother, who has been doing the kind of floating writerly and cultural degrees abroad that seem to have become permissible in upper-middle-class families now. When their father, Baba, who has made a small fortune for himself as a meticulous CA, decides to retire and implies that his five houses might not go to the two children, Tara is not overly concerned. But her brother—who has, as they used to say, expectations—is bothered, and both the brother and the mother suspect Tara of legal subterfuge in the matter.
Also Read | Eyewitness to a withering republic
Around the same time, Lila, a potential friend who gradually turns into a real friend, approaches Tara with her own problem. Lila's father, a refugee from Pakistan who had become extremely rich as an astute businessman, has just passed away. Lila has a brother, Kunal, adopted, who now wants to take over the father's mantle, which means having the women in the family look up to him as the (alpha) head. This Lila refuses to do, leading to property-related tensions.
Unfortunately, though, this rich promise of a real property-litigation novel, narrated from a gendered perspective, is not fully redeemed. It does not disappear but recedes into the background, with Tara and Lila opting for different solutions. Then Baba's mysterious retirement decision takes centre stage towards the end of the novel. It is an intriguing decision, though it further defuses the property aspect, which seems to be in keeping with the narrator's—and perhaps the author's—position. The conclusion should not be revealed, but I have to say that while it is interesting from an existential perspective, it is also comfortable from a propertied and political one.
Nell Freudenberger, in her rave blurb, notes the 'shocking conclusion' of the novel, and probably the conclusion is shocking to Western readers. But without revealing the conclusion, one needs to add that Indians who are familiar with the Boddhisattva story about the tiger with two malnourished cubs, and who are aware of, say, Parsi funeral customs, might be able to anticipate the conclusion by the fourth quarter of the novel.
Immaculate narration
This is a gripping novel, narrated immaculately and at a fast clip. It contains female characters who strike one as refreshingly contemporary and independent, which is a relief, but too often talk in an identical fashion, which is not. The most interesting characters of the novel are the two men (alas) who do not fully 'belong' to its elite classes: Baba, who has struggled his way up and managed to do so with exceptional success, and Kunal, whose adoption has not eased his own struggle to shape himself in the new India of old 'traditions'. Baba is narrated with awed love by Tara, and Kunal with a degree of class-educational dislike—both these aspects leave many questions unasked, adding to the under-narrated fascination of these two characters.
Also Read | Wings of desire
There is a kind of brisk confidence in the narration, which fits the narrator but can also sometimes turn irritating. I am not sure if this is intentional. If it is, then it remains underdeveloped in a novel that is usually gripping, always readable, and quite often humorously perceptive about the Delhi cocktail circles being surveyed. Not to mention the smaller characters in those circles, such as Wojciech Zielinski, the desperately popular, uber-fit cultural attaché, or Vicky, the perfectly groomed cultured millionaire heir with an entitled attitude to sexual exploitation.
Tabish Khair is an Indian novelist and academic who teaches in Denmark.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

FPIs continue to buy India stocks well into fourth month in July
FPIs continue to buy India stocks well into fourth month in July

Mint

time32 minutes ago

  • Mint

FPIs continue to buy India stocks well into fourth month in July

New Delhi [India], July 13 (ANI): Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) continued to remain net buyers in Indian stock markets well into the fourth month of July. Latest data made available by National Securities Depository Limited (NSDL) showed that FPIs had cumulatively bought domestic stocks worth ₹ 3,839 crore in July so far. In April, May, and June, the FPIs had accumulated stocks worth ₹ 4,223 crore, ₹ 19,860 crore, and ₹ 14,590 crore, respectively. FPIs had somewhat fueled the latest bull run in the stock market, after a sharp slump. The benchmark index Sensex is however quite below its all-time high of 85,978 points. The benchmark Sensex is now about 3,500 points below its all-time high. At one time, the Sensex had fallen about 13,000 points from its high. Indian stock markets outperformed global markets over the past few weeks, as volatility continued to reign in global markets over possible US reciprocal tariffs. As per the definition, Foreign Portfolio Investment involves an investor buying foreign financial assets. "The first three months of this year, FPI inflows were negative, and this trend was reversed in the next three months," said VK Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist, Geojit Investments Limited, referring to FPI buying trends. "For 2025, so far, inflows show a negative figure... This is due to the massive selling that happened in January and February. An important trend in FPI investment is that FPIs have been consistent buyers/investors in the primary market even when they have been selling through the exchanges," Vijayakumar added. "Since other markets are cheaper relative to India, FIIs may again sell and move money to cheaper markets as a short-term strategy. In H1 2025, the Indian market underperformed most markets, including the MSCI EM index."

"Elon, His Teams Are...": Indian-Origin Techie Quits xAI To Join OpenAI
"Elon, His Teams Are...": Indian-Origin Techie Quits xAI To Join OpenAI

NDTV

time34 minutes ago

  • NDTV

"Elon, His Teams Are...": Indian-Origin Techie Quits xAI To Join OpenAI

The Indian-origin head of infrastructure engineering at Elon Musk's artificial intelligence company xAI has resigned to join OpenAI. Uday Ruddarraju, who spent over a year at xAI, was instrumental in building Colossus, a massive supercomputer consisting of more than 200,000 GPUs, and in training Grok 3, one of the company's most advanced AI models. "Jensen Huang (Nvidia CEO) was right, Elon and his teams are singular in what they can achieve. Grateful to have played a small part in shaping the future of AI Compute from the inside," he wrote on X on Tuesday, July 8. After an unforgettable ride, I've decided to move on from @xai and yesterday was my last day. When I first joined, I thought everyone was absolutely nuts for thinking we could deploy 100K GPUs in 4 months, especially without a fully functioning site. Watching us go and double… — Uday Ruddarraju (@udayruddarraju) July 8, 2025 Uday Ruddarraju expressed gratitude to Elon Musk and the xAI team for the opportunity to contribute to their ambitious infrastructure goals. "Thank you @elonmusk and everyone at xAI for the rare opportunity to help build something truly foundational with Colossus. It was a privilege to be part of a mission this bold, and to see from the inside what relentless focus and execution really look like," he wrote. "Reporting into Elon and learning directly from him was definitely the best part about working at xAI," he added. Shortly after leaving xAI, Mr Ruddarraju was named among four high-profile hires at OpenAI. The move was announced by OpenAI co-founder and president Greg Brockman in an internal Slack message and later shared publicly. "Excited to join you, Greg Brockman!" he wrote, reposting the announcement. Joining Mr Ruddarraju at OpenAI are David Lau, former senior software leader at Tesla; Mike Dalton, who previously worked at xAI and Robinhood; and Angela Fan, an AI researcher from Meta. The new hires bring deep experience in large-scale computing and AI infrastructure. Both Mr Ruddarraju and Dalton are expected to contribute to Stargate, OpenAI's ambitious infrastructure project aimed at powering the next generation of AI systems. Speaking to Wired, Mr Ruddarraju described Stargate as "a high-stakes infrastructure challenge that aligns well with the kind of ambitious work" he enjoys.

Emirates hiring cabin crew: Everything you need to know, salary, benefits, training, and how to apply
Emirates hiring cabin crew: Everything you need to know, salary, benefits, training, and how to apply

Time of India

time35 minutes ago

  • Time of India

Emirates hiring cabin crew: Everything you need to know, salary, benefits, training, and how to apply

Emirates is hiring cabin crew worldwide, applicants must be at least 21 years old, fluent in English, and complete a 7.5-week paid training in Dubai/ Image: Emirates TL;DR Emirates is hiring cabin crew worldwide—apply online if you meet their requirements. Training is 7.5 weeks in Dubai, with good pay, free housing, and benefits. You must attend in-person assessments and meet age, height, language, and experience criteria. Emirates, one of the world's most prestigious airlines, has officially launched its latest global recruitment drive for cabin crew positions. Aspiring individuals from across the globe are invited to apply online through the Emirates Group Careers website to embark on an exciting and rewarding career journey. More than just a job, becoming an Emirates cabin crew member offers a unique lifestyle with incredible opportunities for personal and professional growth. As Emirates announced on their social media, "It's more than a uniform. It's a lifestyle. Start your Emirates Cabin Crew journey, and see where it takes you! Apply now on the Emirates Group Careers website. Send in your resume today." Who Emirates Is Looking For: Candidate Requirements Emirates has set clear and specific criteria for applicants interested in joining their cabin crew team. To be considered, candidates must meet the following requirements: Language Skills: Fluent in both written and spoken English. Additional language skills are a plus. Personality & Teamwork: A natural team player with a vibrant personality that stands out. Physical Requirements: Minimum height of 160 cm and the ability to reach 212 cm high. Age & Eligibility: Must be at least 21 years old and meet the UAE's employment visa requirements. Experience & Education: At least one year of hospitality or customer service experience and a minimum education level of high school (Grade 12). Appearance: No visible tattoos while wearing the Emirates cabin crew uniform. These requirements ensure that Emirates maintains its high standards of safety, service, and professionalism. Training Process: Intensive Preparation for Excellence New recruits at Emirates undergo a rigorous training program lasting seven and a half weeks . Training takes place at Emirates' state-of-the-art facility in Dubai, designed to instill the highest standards of safety and exceptional service delivery. This immersive training prepares cabin crew to confidently meet the demands of a dynamic aviation environment. Pay and Benefits: More Than Just a Salary Emirates offers a comprehensive compensation package that goes beyond basic pay, reflecting the airline's commitment to rewarding its staff fairly and providing a unique lifestyle. Starting Monthly Salary (Grade II – Economy Class): Basic Salary: AED 4,835 per month Flight Hourly Pay: AED 66.30 per hour, based on an average of 80-100 flying hours per month Average Total Monthly Pay: Approximately AED 10,802 (~USD 2,940, EUR 2,755, GBP 2,330)* Note: Meal allowances for night stops are credited in arrears the following month. Additional Perks: Hotel accommodation and transport to/from the airport are fully provided. Staff enjoy concessional travel benefits on Emirates and other airlines through inter-airline agreements, making it easier to explore new cities. Accommodation and Transport: Comfortable Living Made Easy Housing: Furnished accommodation is provided free of charge, including utilities such as water and electricity. Room Sharing: Two or three colleagues (of the same gender) share an apartment, each with a private bedroom but sharing kitchen and living areas. In some cases, two people may share a second bathroom in three-bedroom apartments. Flexibility: After completing the probationary period, crew members can request to move to another apartment, subject to availability. Visitors: To ensure security and respect occupants' schedules, visitors are not allowed past 1:00 AM unless they are Emirates crew. Two family members may visit and stay twice a year for a maximum of 30 days per visit. Transportation: The company provides transport to and from the workplace and the Training College. Leave, Travel, Medical, and Insurance Benefits Leave: Cabin crew receive 30 calendar days of leave annually. Travel: One firm free annual leave ticket to the crew member's country of origin is provided. After three years of service, this ticket can be changed to any Emirates destination. Medical & Insurance: Emirates offers worldwide, 24-hour life insurance and personal accident coverage. Comprehensive medical and dental services are available at Emirates Clinics. End of Service Benefit:Emirates provides a non-contributory end of service benefit (EOSB) (a lump sum of money assessed according to salary scale) on completion of the term of your contract. Career Progression and Assessment Details Emirates offers career advancement opportunities, from delivering exceptional service in Economy Class to leading teams as pursers. As skills and confidence grow, so do the roles and responsibilities. Assessment Day: Applicants without a passport can bring another form of photo ID such as a driver's license or national ID on the assessment day. Selected candidates will be required to provide a passport later in the recruitment process. Currently, Emirates does not offer online assessment days. Candidates are encouraged to attend in person and check the Emirates Group website for upcoming events in cities near them. FAQs: Q: How do I apply to be Emirates cabin crew? Apply online through the Emirates Group Careers website. Q: What are the main requirements to join? A2: You must be 21 or older, speak fluent English, be at least 160 cm tall, and have 1 year of customer service experience. Q: Is training paid and where does it happen? A3: Yes, training lasts 7.5 weeks and takes place in Dubai with pay and accommodation provided. Q: Can I move to different Emirates apartments after starting? A4: Yes, after probation, you can request to move if space is available.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store