Bibliophiles and book lover out there…this is of your interest and to stir you being lost in the world of books and literature. We all might have seen books written on various subjects as there are books that rattle nations and force them to confront their prejudices and hypocrisies. Some books have been written on the subjects which evoke a sense of loss, predict disaster, death and dystopias, some of which help us to discover us and our aim in life. Then, you can also find some of the books which will disturb, amuse, instruct, entertain, move, provoke, breathe, play, and resonate. And in the world of books, there are books by the celebrated figure Chetan Bhagat.
In compliance with the World Culture Score Index, India stands among the top nations when it comes to literary knowledge and people’s intention of spending hours on reading per week. This celebrated Indian writer in the contemporary world is considered as the biggest selling English language novelist in India’s history and is crowned with the title 100 Most Influential People in the World in Time magazine’s.
In this write up, I am going to tell you, like a modern day Cassandra, the reason predicting doom for Indian women, especially in Bhagat’s world, might be little exaggerating it. As in all the five novels published by him, which includes Five Point Someone, One Night @ the Call Centre, The 3 Mistakes of my Life, 2 States and Revolution 2020 are explicitly and unapologetically written focusing over the life stories of men. Their goal, their dreams, their forge bonds of friendship, their rivalry with other men, their mistakes, their efforts to overcome obstacles, their fun and their lives. Gosh…what about women? Mr Bhagat seems to be quite self obsessed with masculinity and has portrayed female characters with painstaking creatures, yet loving crafted from gossamer strands culled from every tedious nightmare that feminists have ever had. Undoubtedly, the female characters in his novels are invariably beautiful as making them ready for a movie, but when compared to the clichéd male characters in his fictions, these female characters settle for less. The women are described in regard of their relationships with men only as mothers, girlfriends, wives, girl-who-refuses-to-be-more-than-friends.
Like in his debut novel Five Point Someone, Neha Cherian exists solely in her competence as girlfriend of the protagonist (an IITian, surprise surprise) and the story incorporates male-bonding and male aspirations.
The 3 Mistakes of my Life, the female character Vidya similarly serves the function of the prohibited and, therefore, all the more attractive romance, seeing as she is best friend’s sister, all about male friendship and male aspirations. Then in One Night @ the Call Centre and 2 States will also give you with the narration of men out to achieve/consolidate, in Bhagat’s words, their “naukri and chokri” (job and girl).
Most exasperating of them all is Revolution 2020, which is incorporated with movie-script full of bad stereotypes, wishy-washy clichés, routine analysis of modern society and the vaguest plan for a revolution aside, the most alarming feature is the book’s whole-hearted acceptance and propagation of the ‘friendzone’ concept. Friendzoning, every victimized innocent man in Bhagat’s world will tell you, is when a deceitful female refuses to sleep with her ‘nice-guy’ friend, despite leading him on (by doing all the things that ordinary friends do).
4665The three quarter of Revolution 2020 is filled with brood male having a platonic relationship with his childhood companion Aarti who, by the way, is in a relationship with their common friend. Through the book, the author has portrayed his assumption for the woman she owes you sex for doing for her what every decent friend in the world does is a patriarchal concept which will be given an air if writers and readers continue to think and write about it.
Bhagat’s women characters are wretched spirits, forever hemmed in with their femininity and sexuality, less than a soul in their one-aspect personalities and not to mention that the central male figures have always been awarded with the trophies.
Here below I have mentioned quite a few quotes from his novels that will help you to determine about his notion about women.
“Why should any guy want to be only friends with a girl? It’s like agreeing to be near a chocolate cake and never eat it. It’s like sitting in a racing car but not driving it.” (2 States: The Story of My Marriage)
“Pretty girls behave best when you ignore them. Of course, they have to know you are ignoring them, for otherwise they may not even know you exist.” (2 States: The Story of My Marriage)
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