FOUR MINUTES ON TWO BOOKS
(By Subbaram Danda)
Having heard a lot about the works of Chetan Bhagat, the much
acclaimed Indian author, I wanted to read at least one of his novels,
though very late in the day. To my great
surprise, I found that two of his books are available online legally free of
charge – “Two States” and “Three Mistakes.”
So, I downloaded both of them and started browsing the first one. I followed it up with the other.
My instant opinion is that by way of a storyline none of them
offers any awfully awesome fare. But,
certainly, they come in handy to while away one’s time in a carefree manner.
What bristles in the stories is that they pack a series of bouts of funny
punches, delivered in the tongue-in-cheek style.
Here are some such quotes that reflect on the realities
of life:
“Most IIM girls are above shallow
things like makeup, fitting clothes, contact lenses, removal of facial hair,
body odour and feminine charm.”
“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.)”
“She had changed into black track
pants and an oversized full-sleeve black
T-shirt. She was covered up enough
to go for a walk in Afghanistan.”
“Marble flooring is to a Punjabi what
a foreign degree is to a Tamilian.”
“Corporate types love to pretend their
life is exciting. The whispers, fist-pumping and animated hand gestures are all
designed to lift our job description from what it really is - that of an
overpaid clerk.”
“The only time grown-ups get
excited about young people is when young people are getting married and the old
people control the proceedings.”
“It is a favourite haunt of
stylish Chennai ladies and couples so madly in love, they feel a hundred bucks
for jamun mixed with soda was OK.”
“The waiter brought us our drinks. The
contents looked like water after you’ve dipped several paintbrushes in it.”
“I think it is only in my
generation that Indian women started slamming their husbands.”
“People on the street gathered
around as there is nothing quite as entertaining as a street fight.”
“I love maths. I love logic and those subjects have no
place for emotion. I think human beings waste too much time on emotions.”
“Without dad around, it was amazing how much say I had in
the house.”
“Mama's mouth remained open. I
had dreamt of this expression for months.”
“A
girl's 'nothing' usually means 'a lot'.”
“The crying had made her eyes wet and face pink. She
looked
even more beautiful.”
I am waiting for Bhagat’s latest creation—“The Half
Girlfriend.” What does it mean? What does it offer? Your guess is as good as mine.
Chetan has an uncanny love for numbers. Most of his titles start with a number : "Five point someone," "Three Mistakes of my Life," "Two States: the Story of My Marriage" and "One Night at the Call Centre." The latest "The Half Girlfriend" is also on same lines.
Incidentally, are you intrigued by the heading of this write-up? Let me explain. It takes four minutes to go through my write-up and appreciate it. Truly it is a lighter vein size-up of the two books. Hence the title in Bhagat’s own style!
Incidentally, are you intrigued by the heading of this write-up? Let me explain. It takes four minutes to go through my write-up and appreciate it. Truly it is a lighter vein size-up of the two books. Hence the title in Bhagat’s own style!
(Ends)
October 01, 2014
