Chetan Bhagat’s latest offering exactly takes off where he last left with 3 Mistakes of My Life.By now you as a reader would have settled into a familiar rhythm with this fellow. From the mandatory number in his title to his sense of humor you must have seen it all.But the reason why he clicks is also the reason why rom coms are a hit-its fun. His latest book is perhaps the best one after that much promising debut. Its tailor made for a movie and I want to see one by Imtiaz Ali.The story is about cross cultural differences and their significance in a love marriage.His sense of humor is at its easiest best.By now we know his books are always semi autobiographical and Hari,Shyam,Krish are all same at some level. He takes on the vibrant Punjabi culture and the more conservative tamil counterpart with a perfect sense of familiarity and alieness combined. His mockery as he says in the prologue is laced with liberal doses of affection.
So if you are a tam bram or a punjabi you would all the more enjoy this book if you have the ability to laugh at your own community Some of his one liners are just on the dot like the one where he says there is absolutely no love left between a couple by the time you convince both the families for an amicable marriage.Another one where he says what a marble is to a Punjabi is the same as a foreign degree to a Tamil.Or his poking fun at the quiet tamil households and fat punjabi aunties is equally fun.
He gets most of his facts right from the various tamil ceremonies involved to the lifestyle of the people. Thus he notes all that would be familiar to the people from the community-the idlis in the morning,quiet lunches,carnatic music,hindu,even Bay Area in US,obsession with IITs and IIMs and so on. The only place where he slips is when he confuses a nakshatram or a star with a jaatakam and the name manjunath is hardly a common tamil iyer name more likely to be a kandu one.
When you read a bhagat you read it because its entertaining not for literary value, so grab a hot mug of coffee,recline on a sofa or bean bag comfortably ,put on some good music and munch along a bag of chips as ypu read his latest book. Its fun,light hearted and entertaining!
Sumanth Said:
on October 13, 2009 at 4:00 pm
It was fun reading ‘five point someone’, but ‘one night at a call center’ was pretty boring and after that i lost enthu in Bhagat’s writings…
maybe i shud try this one…
wanderlust Said:
on October 13, 2009 at 4:37 pm
i don’t know about ‘quiet tambrahm families’….. my (extended) family is a boisterous bunch who’ll have our punju tenants run all the way downstairs to say ‘please keep down the noise’.
whenever i think of a tambrahm granny, the image that comes to mind is of a fast-talking, loud-voiced woman… and any gathering has multiple such grannies…. the level of noise is generally quite high.
and now i live with a northie roommate who can’t for the hell of her comprehend why my gult roommate and i are so loud all the damn time.
that sort of generalization is the same pandering thing he puts in just as something that validates people’s [read amit_123, his target audience] mostly misguided ideas… just like IITians are all nerds, they don’t know to live.
sudarshna kalyanraman Said:
on October 14, 2009 at 5:07 am
@sumanth,
do try it,its the best yet after 5 point someone and it costs only 95 so not much of a money loss anyway:P
sudarshna kalyanraman Said:
on October 14, 2009 at 5:10 am
@priya,
really what do you expect? a profound insight into the functioning of the tamil brahmin community ?Bhagat caters for the masses and he accepts it and he does a decent job this time around.But seriously, I personally feel tam brams are in general a quieter class as compared to a lot of other communities. Exceptions are always there but it wont make a good read.
The guy works well within his ability,I like him for it.
wanderlust Said:
on October 14, 2009 at 6:49 am
ah, modified expectations. make life so much more bearable.