Curiosity is only vanity. Most frequently we wish not to know, but to talk. - Blaise Pascal
And talk I will!! I was caught unaware of his latest release – 2 States: The story of my marriage. I spotted this piece of unabashed criticism perched precociously at the front of a book store and my hands went out to claim my prize; more out fear and curiosity than anything else. Fear, because I had still not forgiven CB for the distorted picture he had painted of Australia in his last outing – Three Mistakes of my life. Portraying Australia as a naked beach haven with eyes of perversion being put to good use. Believe me; you don’t get further from the truth. Still, there was an ounce of curiosity in me which wanted to know what was it going to be this time? Grabbing my copy, I came out like a boy clutching his present.
All said and done, CB is a brilliant marketing analyst. He knows his target audience extremely well and puts this knowledge to good use. Instead of seeing himself as some literary autocrat with command over the English language, he projects the image of the Neolithic messiah of Indian literature who is there to ‘save’ the fate of Indian literature. Whether this image is true or a façade, that notion can be debated. The new millennium has given rise to budding authors like Dan Brown, CB etc who know the ‘pulse’ of their audience and write accordingly. Remember, a book is always judged as a “bestseller”. A book might win critical acclaim but there is nothing such as “best read”. So, marketing strategy in the new age is as if not more important than literary writing techniques.
You saw the book, you read Chetan Bhagat and you bought/read the book. Even if you hated it, you still bought it! That counts as a copy sold. The Bible is the best selling book on the planet! You just need to make other people believe that what you’re selling is what they want to read. Of course, to showcase that, CB has his incredibly personal style where he personalises the protagonist and portrays the incidents through his/her eyes. This narrows the gap between reader and writer and bridges the ‘fourth wall’. However, tainted a picture he may paint, there are always certain key elements which the audience (in this case youth) can relate to.
Plot:
The backdrop, once again, is a high profile institution (IIM –A). The protagonist (or should I say “hero”, lest this novel too is turned into a flop silver screen franchise) is Krish Malhotra from Punjab. A rich spoilt brat whose home economics is in turmoil. He is the fallen hero – whose family is at loggerheads. Then there is Ananya from Chennai. In real life, she would be seen as a geek – with huge braces and not so lavish facial features but since this is a CB novel, he can afford to take some liberties. Ananya is the beauty with brains, the perfect combo. She is the Virgin Queen – everyone pines for her but nobody can have her. After a few circumstantial meetings which were dangerously close to bring Krish to bed malfunctions (read ‘wet dreams’) eventually they both fall in love. This a progression from the ‘just friends’ phase.
Relax, this was just the trailer. Picture to abhi baaki hai mere dost (The story isn’t done yet). Now begins the huge task of convincing parents for them to get married. But wait... What’s this? This is sacrilege! How can a boy from the North and a girl from the South get married? (And no, I am not referring to the difference in skin colour only!). So our fallen hero does a DDLJ and comes all the way to work in Chennai to impress the girl’s parents. Through the course, he gets more than he bargained for. Before there is the big fat Indian wedding, Krish realises the disparities and similarities between two distinct cultures and this is where the backbone of the book lies.
Themes:
Amongst all the political incorrectness, CB hits a chord which raises some alarming questions. The bare bones of the plot may be another c**k and bull “boy meets girl” love story, but it is these minute observations which raise the readability factor. The IIM – A campus is a hive full of studs and nymphomaniacs. This depiction of ‘sex starved beasts’ might not be accurate or authentic but hey! Who doesn’t like some spice? This is a prime example of the awareness of CB towards his audience. The majority of youth do not want to ‘waste their time’ in trying to decipher literature. They want some colloquial lingo. I am not sure but explicit depiction of sexual encounters does make for some ‘page turning’ reading.
Another important point to keep in mind is that the issues raised by CB in his unabashed, tainted way are still a taboo in Indian society. Aspects like sex, cultural heritage, influence of family and swearing aren’t something that Indians are comfortable to talk to in the open. Of course, these topics are raised in the respective social circles but repression is still the norm. We still live in a society where parents will change the channel if there is an ad promoting condoms when there are kids in the room (call me ignorant at your own peril). Thus, people, especially the younger generation find other via medias to gain access to such privy information. This is one of the main reasons of the success of CB. Use swear words sparingly and you are good to go.
One area where CB hits the nail on the head though, is the communal differences issue. India is a deeply divided society. These differences might not be evident on the surface but they do exist. There is Indian. Then there is North Indian, South Indian. Maharashtrians get a separate mention (all thanks to the marathi manus ideology). I am not saying that all people support these differences, but they don’t object to it either. Sitting on the couch and slamming the ‘society’ and ‘system’ isn’t objection; it is cribbing! If you are really concerned – take a stand and stand by it. Yes, change won’t happen overnight (Rome wasn’t built in a day) but if no one leads, there won’t be any followers. This is probably the important aspect highlighted by CB and I commend him for that.
This is a book for self reflection. Yes, there are faults and distortion (mainly exaggeration of situations for cinematic drama) but deep down as an individual, you know what is true and what is not. CB has tried to move away from technical flair and depict Indian society in colloquial and contemporary terms. He stumbles and falters, yet hits the mark in his own sweet way. As Ellen Parr said:
“The cure for boredom is curiosity; however, there is no cure for curiosity.”
So go ahead and satisfy your curiosity if you haven’t already. This one is another masala fare that has its moments, only sparingly. Nothing more, nothing less…