The other day i met my cousin and as usual i decided Bollywood was the safest topic to talk about, because it generally puts most people at ease in a conversation.He was no exception,in fact he fell right on the central tendency line.After katrina kaif he started about aamir khan..and asked me "Is 3 idiots based a lot on this book people talk about...what is it ...5.something?
i wanted to answer ..then suddenly it struck me .I asked "have you not read five point something?"
He said "No,I am not into books".
(Chorus from the background-"Oh- My- God")
People who put "text books and magazines" under the books heading in orkut also would have read chetan bhagat.But Here was actually somebody who had not read chetan bhagat!!!!.
Add to it, that he lives in bengaluru,and is in last year of his computer science engineering,i had my Ripley-believe-it-or-not moment of 2010.
It also later occured to me how chetan bhagat has become the essential reading of our times.His books are like oliver twist and david copperfierlds of this generation.(do excuse the comparisions.. but i dont think dickens would mind it too much if his books were read as much, at all).
50 odd pages into 2 states,i am rather liking it.Especially if you consider that i am simultaneously trying to read albert camus' insightful essays into the associations between the the perception of the absurd and the forsaking of life.
You have to concede,Mr Bhagat chooses his plots and curves carefully and makes sure you have smiled a few times before you put down the book.Which is not that bad ,isn't it?
