Chetan Bhagat

I just finished 3 of Chetan Bhagat’s fictions back to back in a bit more than 4 days. The Three Mistakes, Five Point Someone and 2 States, in that order. I hope the numerological elements in the titles do not suggest the order in which the novels are to be read. It is not that anything motivated me to engross to them, but yes, once started it was intoxicating beyond the will. I had heard much about the writing skills and more of the author’s intellectual background of being alumni of IIT-D and IIMA, but that was not enough of a provocation for the reader in me. It was a delayed flight and to join the show off reader’s club of the fellow co passengers, “The Three Mistakes” made a dig at my wallet. I must admit the price tag of the book also played a role in making the choice. But the initial choice paved way for the others. Only the wheeler stall at the next railway station didn’t have a copy of the One Night @ the Call Center, which has escaped my reading till now.

I started with the Three Mistakes, graduated with the Five Points Someone and settled with the 2 States with an inquisitiveness of finding the events of the Night @ the Call Center. The characters portrayed in the books were so dramatic and yet so real. I cannot help but to believe that they were derived out of the author’s own experience or at least have been carved out of through his witness and observation of people and events. And if one decides to contradict me fully, I have no choice but to admire his alma-matter to extract such an enormous amount of creativity and imagination. Well, to clear doubts, my admirations have no conditions as such and they are just beyond any medium of expression.

I do not know if it is a universal fact that I liked the books because I could associate myself in a way that what I could not achieve and what I aspire of at this stage of my life. Between these “have not”s and “have”s; somewhere there were the desires which could not be fulfilled. These could be as weird as visiting Australia to promote a cricketer or having vodka and grass with Pink Floyd in the background on a dark roof top or venturing into Prof Cherian’s room for the paper or proposing girl friend amidst her job interview. There are situations which may have actually happened but may be in different background. I along with two of my class mates were once caught stealing window panes from our school building for our project work. The school guard chased us, got hold to one of us, locked him and called the Principal. I am too scared even now to describe the subsequent events. Therefore I could actually feel the trauma that Ryan, Hari and Alok went through after being captured and locked in Prof Cherian’s room. Getting numb at interviews is another striking similarity between me and Hari.

I am deliberately leaving any comments on the intimacies of Govind, Hari and Krish had with Vidya, Neha Cherian and Ananya Swaminathan respectively for obvious reasons. As it is evident from the prologue and epilogue of the “2 States”, this fiction is inspired by his own family and experiences. I won’t put my money on Vidya and Neha, but Ananya was surely inspired by Anusha. I must admire the patience of Anusha to let Chetan off in a single piece till now even after taking so much of liberty and all the mockery he had made of her paternal origination. The Punjabis too wouldn’t have been much amused.

I would not comment if the “Three Idiots” did judgment to “Five Point Someone” or not but few similarities and dissimilarities were very catchy. What I feel while the book allows you to form an image in your own way while a movie superimposes a pre-empt image. I have not seen Hello yet and precisely for that reason do not plan it as it may distort the picture I have made after reading the fiction. I also wonder if the ‘longest day’ in “Five Point Someone” had so many actual events in reality. And if that was it and had I been Alok, I would not require the jump off the cloud 9 (thankfully the 3 Idiots made it to the 3rd floor), but my arteries and vessels would have done it easier for me.

I found in symphony with the characters in a big way. IIT was always a dream for me which eventually was not accomplished. Hostel life always fascinated me but it eloped out of me. IIM was a desire which remained unfulfilled even in the dreams. The affairs (if I can call them so) evaporated even before it reached the heartbreaking stages. Nevertheless, I made it to a PSU Bank and at this stage being paid sufficiently to feed me and my family nutritiously. The experience of Chetan’s banking jobs so well contributed in “2 Stages” that again sometimes I wondered if it was his autobiography. I could relate many aspects with real myself or my hidden desires and thus found the book extremely interesting. The toppings were the simplicity of language and the interesting way the entire thing has been served. The ingredients were perfectly measured except that some dough of salt and spices remained somewhere here and there. This made it all the more attractive.