DESIRES
Chetan Bhagat’s ‘Reinvention’
arindam arindam 12 Aug, 2012
The writer said that he wrote the articles in his latest book to ‘rock the boat’
Years spent as a pariah in literary circles seem to have caught up with Chetan Bhagat, India’s largest-selling fiction writer. He’s excited that he’s moved on to some “meaningful” writing as well. “The charge against me is I’m too flippant,” he says. The author, who sees himself as a spokesperson for India’s youth, has just launched his latest book, What Young India Wants, a compilation of his essays on issues troubling the country, mainly corruption and discrimination based on caste and religion. He’s hoping that it will gain him some credibility as a writer. And what are his thought-provoking views? Well, here’s one. He urges his readers to stop voting on the basis of caste, religion or region. ‘We have to consider only one criterion—is he or she a good person?’ Deeper still are his insights on youth aspirations. After years of interacting with youngsters in educational institutions, and in his new avatar as a motivational speaker, he’s drawn the conclusion that the only thing Young India is interested in is “naukri aur chhokri” (employment and romance). If you think girls don’t figure in his own scheme of thoughts, you’re wrong. In an essay written as a paean to Indian women, he tells his readers to imagine life without these lovely ladies. ‘There would be body odour, socks on the floor and nothing in the fridge to eat,’ he warns. The book, according to his publisher Rupa & Co, sold half a million copies on the first day of publication. Bhagat says that he wrote these articles to ‘rock the boat’, but says that he decided to steer clear of anything—ahem—too “radical”.
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