Chetan Bhagat is a household name these days after his books portraying down to earth characters have become a massive hit especially among the youth population in India. The author has the reputation as the highest selling Indian author after his books Five point someone, One night @ the call centre, The 3 mistakes of my life and 2 states hit the market. Recently during the first week of October, his fifth book ‘Revolution 2020’ released with a bang.
The book ‘Revolution 2020’
comes with a catchy tagline ‘Love, Corruption, Ambition’. Every book of Mr. Bhagat comes with a number and this time it is 2020. Why is the name of the book ‘Revolution 2020’ rather than just ‘Revolution’ or any other number? Like how certain people have fixed that 2012 marks the end of the world, it is etched in most Indians’ minds that by the year 2020, India would be a developed nation. So what is the book all about? “I am a motivation speaker now and travel around the country. As part of that, I visited several small colleges and noticed the rampant corruption in the education sector. I thought this affects millions of youth so I should do something about it. Hence, ‘Revolution 2020′ was born,” Chetan said in reply to what the book is all about.
Through the protagonists Gopal, Arti and Raghav, the author portrays a love triangle. Triangular love stories always do kindle interest among the youth. The survival of the love through all the hardships forms the backbone of the story.
Destiny plays a vital role in the book. One guy gets whatever the other wishes for but he throws away the comforts of a normal life to pursue what his nation needs. The other guy whose life is almost ruined by his relatives finds an easier way in the society by having acquaintances with corrupt politicians and bribing his way through till the end. Ultimately, who survives the love game is the story.
For the first time, the readers feel like taking the side of the wrong men. The story is set in Varanasi, the so called holy city that is strewn with dead bodies and travels to Kota which is the main centre for entrance exam coaching and comes back to the good old Varanasi. The first half of the story is about school life, entrance exam preparations, rigorous coaching and career selection. Through this we are able to see how hard the system of education and the competition for professional courses can come upon so hard on the youngsters.
The second half of the story focuses on how an engineering college gets established. It makes people wonder on seeing the courageous attempt of Chetan Bhagat in bringing light as to how corrupt today’s politicians are and what it takes to make a Director of a professional college.
There is the usual twist in the story and a little drama as expected, almost at the climax of the tale. It is not unexpected for readers who have read the previous books of Mr. Bhagat. But from the title till the end, the book talks about a massive revolution but there is no revolution in the book except for a few feeble attempts by the journalist Raghav who stops at nothing though.
One more thing I would like to comment upon is the narrative. Today’s youngsters do live in a fast track world and they prefer the narrative style of Mr. Bhagat. Eventhough this style is liked by many, the vernacular effect of blending Hindi over conversational English stinks as it is overly done. This genre of books does become popular and massive hits but to take the shelves like the evergreen classics, it requires a powerful command over the English language.
Chetan Bhagat’s target audience is the Indian youth and he definitely reaches his target with ease. In one of the relaunch of the book programs in Chennai, a reporter asked a girl why she thinks that Chetan Bhagat is a good writer. The girl said, ‘He’s the only Indian English writer who writes reality’. It’s high time the youth of India wakes up to light. Our country has so many celebrated writers like Arundhati Roy who is not only a writer but also an active social activist. She has created revolution through her words and she is also a part of the revolution. For elite people who pass out from the institutions like IIT and IIM, it is so easy to talk about a revolution but to live a revolutionary life is not possible.
So, why are his books earning more accolades than usual? That is where the promos come into play. After the release of his every book, he visits a few cities to ‘relaunch’ the book. The advertisements and the hype surrounding his books are so high and it is natural for the youngsters to fall for all this glitz. It has become almost a cult.
For a writer, the words are his weapons. So even if Chetan’s writings earn a lot, it’s only the real English skill that is going to be etched evergreen in people’s hearts and cherished.
The book ‘Revolution 2020’
Through the protagonists Gopal, Arti and Raghav, the author portrays a love triangle. Triangular love stories always do kindle interest among the youth. The survival of the love through all the hardships forms the backbone of the story.
Destiny plays a vital role in the book. One guy gets whatever the other wishes for but he throws away the comforts of a normal life to pursue what his nation needs. The other guy whose life is almost ruined by his relatives finds an easier way in the society by having acquaintances with corrupt politicians and bribing his way through till the end. Ultimately, who survives the love game is the story.
For the first time, the readers feel like taking the side of the wrong men. The story is set in Varanasi, the so called holy city that is strewn with dead bodies and travels to Kota which is the main centre for entrance exam coaching and comes back to the good old Varanasi. The first half of the story is about school life, entrance exam preparations, rigorous coaching and career selection. Through this we are able to see how hard the system of education and the competition for professional courses can come upon so hard on the youngsters.
The second half of the story focuses on how an engineering college gets established. It makes people wonder on seeing the courageous attempt of Chetan Bhagat in bringing light as to how corrupt today’s politicians are and what it takes to make a Director of a professional college.
There is the usual twist in the story and a little drama as expected, almost at the climax of the tale. It is not unexpected for readers who have read the previous books of Mr. Bhagat. But from the title till the end, the book talks about a massive revolution but there is no revolution in the book except for a few feeble attempts by the journalist Raghav who stops at nothing though.
One more thing I would like to comment upon is the narrative. Today’s youngsters do live in a fast track world and they prefer the narrative style of Mr. Bhagat. Eventhough this style is liked by many, the vernacular effect of blending Hindi over conversational English stinks as it is overly done. This genre of books does become popular and massive hits but to take the shelves like the evergreen classics, it requires a powerful command over the English language.
Chetan Bhagat’s target audience is the Indian youth and he definitely reaches his target with ease. In one of the relaunch of the book programs in Chennai, a reporter asked a girl why she thinks that Chetan Bhagat is a good writer. The girl said, ‘He’s the only Indian English writer who writes reality’. It’s high time the youth of India wakes up to light. Our country has so many celebrated writers like Arundhati Roy who is not only a writer but also an active social activist. She has created revolution through her words and she is also a part of the revolution. For elite people who pass out from the institutions like IIT and IIM, it is so easy to talk about a revolution but to live a revolutionary life is not possible.
So, why are his books earning more accolades than usual? That is where the promos come into play. After the release of his every book, he visits a few cities to ‘relaunch’ the book. The advertisements and the hype surrounding his books are so high and it is natural for the youngsters to fall for all this glitz. It has become almost a cult.
For a writer, the words are his weapons. So even if Chetan’s writings earn a lot, it’s only the real English skill that is going to be etched evergreen in people’s hearts and cherished.
Bottomline: In the making of a prosperous nation, everyone should contribute a little by sacrifices. So what is your sacrifice Mr.Bhagat?
Good Start. Welcome to the world of blogging. Ways to go.
ReplyDeleteThank you :)
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