I’M IN A trance. Its one of those rare ‘the-world’s-such-a-beautiful-place-to-live-in’ ecstasies, when you fall in love with almost everything you stumble upon — from the hideous Sweety next door who appears to be India’s best contender for Miss World to the grumpy uncle downstairs who resembles Father Christmas. But what’s most surprising, I suddenly find Punjabis and Tamilians the two most lovable communities like never before.No, I haven’t snorted coke. Nor have I experienced any spiritual awakening. I’ve just finished reading a novel. A Chetan Bhagat novel, to be more precise. Four hours at a stretch, and Bhagat’s latest book has once again left me spellbound. Aptly titled 2 States: The Story of My Marriage, Bhagat’s humorous take on the institution of marriage in India makes an immensely enjoyable read. Smart, funny, pacy and refreshing, 2 States makes you break into peals of laughter while at the same time keep your fingers crossed to see Krish and Ananya finally getting married. This man surely knows how to strike a chord with his readers!
2 States, based on Bhagat’s own inter-caste romance and marriage, is about a Punjabi boy getting married to a Tamilian Brahmin (yes, you read it right). As expected, there are a lot of jokes thrown in about these two at-loggerheads communities, which keeps you captivated till page 269 (that’s the last page, silly!). But at the same time Bhagat has authentically portrayed the Punjabis and Tamilians, never letting them look caricaturish. My visits to Chennai and Delhi have given me a glimpse of both their worlds and it’s amazing to find how detailed Bhagat has been in his observations.After Five Point Someone Bhagat is back to what he do best — unadulterated humour, and this time his pen is more mature. I’m a huge fan of his writing although I felt Bhagat’s last two offerings failed to reach the high benchmark set by his debut novel. One Night @ the Call Center was engrossing but the ‘call from God’ stuff gave it a far-fetched feel. The 3 Mistakes of My Life turned out to be grimmer than I had expected. However the greatest shock came with the Salman Khan-starrer Hello that was the film adaptation (!) of One Night @ the Call Center. Honestly, it’s one of the shittiest films I’ve ever seen. But what saddened me the most was Bhagat’s name as one of the screenplay writers. Why on earth did he let his star novel be filmed by an obscure Atul Agnihotri?
Thankfully 2 States is nothing of that sort. It’s vintage Bhagat. Krish and Ananya stays with you long after you have kept the book back on the shelf, just like Hari, Ryan, Alok and Neha. Even the other Punjabi and Tamilian characters are so endearing that you fall in love with them almost instantaneously. However, I longed for some more ‘IIM moments’ in Krish and Ananya’s life. They seemed too brief! Also, as a friend of mine rightly pointed out, the transformation of Krish’s father was too abrupt to be believable. His sudden visit to Chennai and convincing Ananya’s parents for the marriage looked irksomely filmy. But then the heart of the book is so much in the right place that you don’t take the flaws to heart.
Ever since this former investment banker forayed into the world of Indian books, he seems to have transformed the country’s literary landscape. People often complain about Bhagat’s bad English, hackneyed plots, filmy endings, but buy him in enormous numbers. He is panned by the critics as merely a ‘popular fiction’ writer — someone who doesn’t deserve to be placed in the Ivy League of literature. His books are for entertainment not for the intellect, they claim. I agree. But what’s wrong with that? I enjoy reading Bhagat for the simple reason that I can identify myself with his characters. His simplistic writing makes you crave for more. In fact, I would prefer a 2 States anyday than some pseudo-intellectual stuff that would piss me off halfway.
Bhagat is called the ‘youth icon’ of today. Is it because he tells our stories in our language? Or is it because he makes everyone — right from the rich Mumbai college kid to the gawky teenager of Bastar — get absorbed in his books? Whatever may be the answer, Bhagat’s stories have succeeded in doing something that many highbrow novels fail to achieve — bring a smile on your face. Is that too trivial an achievement?
Image courtesy: http://www.chetanbhagat.com/
