Between the Assassinations: Character Mind Map & Summary
The key characters of Aravind Adiga's Between the Assassinations (2008), grouped into branches, with the key episodes, a quick summary and the exam facts that come up again and again in UGC NET.
The Character Mind Map
Tap any name to open the details.
Kittur
A fictional town on India's south-west coast, shown in the seven years between the assassinations of Indira Gandhi (1984) and Rajiv Gandhi (1991), like a guidebook arranged over seven days.
The town's poor remain trapped👑 People of Kittur
Characters to rememberZiauddinA Muslim boy
Role: Works at a tea shop near the railway station.
AbbasiA shirt-factory owner
Role: Fights corruption and bribes.
ShankaraA mixed-caste student
Role: Explodes a bomb at his college.
Xerox RamakrishnaA bookseller
Role: Sells pirated books, including a banned one.
ChenayyaA cycle-cart puller
Role: A poor labourer, full of rage.
George D'SouzaA mosquito-sprayer
Role: Works for a rich woman.
Key Episodes
The turning points examiners love to ask about.
Quick Summary
The story, stage by stage.
Stage 1Day 1
- The railway station.
Stage 2Days 2–3
- The bazaar and the factories.
Stage 3Days 4–5
- The schools and caste.
Stage 4Days 6–7
- The poor and the rich.
Must-Know Exam Facts
Quick points for UGC NET, SET and PGT.
Structure
Fourteen stories arranged as a seven-day tourist guide.
Theme
Class, caste, corruption, religion.
Time Frame
From Indira Gandhi's assassination (1984) to Rajiv Gandhi's (1991).
Style
Realist, satirical.
Additional Revision Notes
Further plot, character and exam-focused literary insights.
Linked Stories
This is a collection of interconnected short stories, not a single continuous novel. The recurring setting of Kittur connects people across class, caste and religious divisions.
Meaning of the Title
The frame refers to the years between the assassinations of Indira Gandhi (1984) and Rajiv Gandhi (1991).
Social Panorama
Different viewpoints reveal a town marked by sharply unequal opportunities. Adiga uses everyday lives, irony and local detail to expose the contradictions of economic and social change.
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