The second book written by Chetan Bhagat, “One Night at the Call Centre” revolves around six people who work at “Connexions” which is a call centre in Gurgaon, Delhi. The author tells the story through the eyes of Shyam, one of these six employees. As the name implies, the whole book is based upon what happens during one night. The author manages to keep up the interest of the readers by introducing flashbacks and narrating incidents while at the same time maintaining the continuity of the story.
People have always been curious about how life is for the call centre employees in India. They work night shifts and all they do the whole night is take calls. We often wonder, how do they live a normal life like the rest of us? Don’t they also have to care for their families? Do they miss out on the things we do in the evenings and the parties we go to at night? Chetan Bhagat explores these topics and tires to answer these questions.
The book is more or less realistic. The only unrealistic part is that these six employees receive a call from God. The author himself explains the reason for this unrealistic inclusion at the end of the book – “There are a few issues that I think readers would have with this book – the conversation with God”. The author conveys a lot of things in this book. Apart from the main theme, there are a few underlying themes as well which the author brings out subtly.
The author says that we, as Indians, have a lot of untapped potential. Our youth population is enormous and is growing at a fast rate. Every year, more people are educated and more Indians have the opportunity to compete globally. This locked-up potential can be given free expression only if the youth have someone to act as their role-model. A person who can organise and guide the masses towards a common goal. Someone who can inspire people and motivate them to give their all and reward them for their success. “Everyday I see some of the world’s strongest and smartest people in my country. I see all this potential, yet it is all getting wasted. Bad bosses and stupid Americans are sucking the life blood out of our countries most productive generation. We have to do something about it.”
The author also delves into the personal lives of the employees. They all have problems in their life and ultimately, they deal with them. God’s call makes them realise that they will be happy only if they do what they love doing the most, irrespective of how much money they earn by doing so. Ultimately, they must listen to their hearts and forget about what other people tell them to do. By becoming an engineer or doctor, you can’t guarantee that you will be happy forever or that you will have a satisfying and successful life. They must respond to their “inner calling” in order to lead a happy and fulfilling life.
Shyam feels that he is not good enough for Priyanka, his ex-girlfriend. He hates his boss and hates having to do all the donkey work and getting no credit for it. Vroom (or Vikram) isn’t interested in a call centre job. He loves pizzas, drinking, riding bikes, and dating. He wants to do what he likes to do and is, in his heart, a patriot who wants to do something to bring pride to his country. Esha is an aspiring model who sleeps with a designer to get a break in a major fashion show. She doesn’t get her break and regrets this decision all her life. Priyanka is about to get married to an NRI who she has never met, who works in Microsoft. Radhika has to deal with a demanding mother-in-law and an infidel husband. Mr Military Uncle had a tiff with his son because of which he had to move out of his own house. Through these characters, the author addresses other issues that we face in our day-to-day lives.
This book has given me a completely different perspective. The characters are completely different and they affect the reader in different ways. I can relate to almost all the characters in some way or the other. Even though most readers may not be able to connect with the “call-centre” job, most readers will definitely connect with these characters and their hatred for their boss! The characters share a deep friendship and help each other solve their problems.
I recommend this book to those who would like to read something different and refreshingly original. It gives you a whole new perspective and also gives you an insight on the feelings of the youth of the present generation. Enjoy!
Chetan Bhagat has also written ’’Five Point Someone’’ which is also a great book.