The Grey Revolution

Chetan Bhagat: The blue eyed boy of The Indian Literature Industry, (he doesn’t have blue eyes of course), has done it again. He never disappoints us, reason good enough for him to have left his high paying Investment Banking job in Hong Kong, to become a storyteller. Wise decision I must tell u. He has come up with his new book, Revolution 2020, and I hope, it DOES bring about the revolution, that he is talking about.(On an entirely diff note, he will be called “Father of the GREY revolution”). Like his work, and his style, the message is out there in black and white. His USP, of writing for the masses and creating a change, is what that drives him to come up with stories like these, truth or fiction, this is a moving one.

One thought that after the brilliant “2 States-The story of (his) Marriage”, this guy would probably come up with a witty novel, or one that’s light, and makes u smile all along, but this one, Man, he came up with neither. This one will make u frown, groan, smile, laugh, all at the same time as u turn red with nostalgia, reminiscing your own struggle (if you’re an engineer), to become one. I respect Chetan Bhagat for his writing style, no frills, no verbosity, plain English, good enough to get the message across and boy, he is good at making the message stay.

So, enough praise for the guy and lets delve into the book “Revolution2020” now. It is centered in Varanasi (witty choice, considering, he is targeting people to wash away their sins and start on the righteous path, away from corruption), where three lovers (nopes!! no classical love triangle), play with each other’s lives (yes literally!!!). The Book does look a little less researched, probably because it is not his own story to tell, but nevertheless, he describes the plight of students today, with ease. He mixes the love story with finding flaws in the “Great Indian Educational System” so well, that it becomes difficult to decipher when he is thrashing whom. The book has its tidbits of humor, but this is a serious one. I feel, this book is the first among many to follow on societal evils, however, considering that we read his books for the brilliant wordplay in Five Point Someone and 2 States, both rich in wisecracks and retorts, that’s something you’ll miss in this book, if I’m honest.

The book begins with the childhood of the Protagonist, Gopal (Gopi) and Aarti (his bachpan ka pyaar) and Raghav (the stud). He loses out on the girl because of his underperformance in JEE and AIEEE(how lame?), but then he goes on to become the director of a college he builds from scratch, in 3 years(with help from some unscrupulous people, of course) and eventually wins the girl back from the JEE AIR 1123. Meanwhile, Raghav is hell bent on making the society corruption free, through constructive journalism, and eventually is about to fail, when Gopal turns up, sacrifices his love for the Nation and the bigger picture, and helps the cause. Don’t despair if it doesn’t appear to intriguing. Trust me, and give this book a shot. You’ll love it for the images he builds in your mind, with each passing scene. It is sheer brilliance.

So now, what would happen if all of us, just for once did our bit, to save our nation from going down in the dumps because of corruption. “The average income in the US is 50 times that in India, does that mean their people work 50 times us, or they are 50 times our intelligence?” Think about the millions rotting away in Swiss Bank Accounts, and how well that money could be utilized to create a change. I could offer a billion solutions to the problems our country faces, but the question is, whether I will stand up for it, when the need arises? Will you, is the question.