Review: One Indian Girl

One Indian Girl by Chetan Bhagat
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Having read all of Chetan Bhagat's previous novels I was pretty much prepared about what to expect from this one. His stories have a few fixed elements. The main characters are based in real world settings, urban, usually belonging to middle class families, and academically and professionally successful. The problems or conflicts they face arise through their interaction with social or personal circumstances. Eventually they overcome these obstacles and find happiness or redemption. Bhagat's stories tell very personal and intimate tales. This novel is no different from the Chetan Bhagat template. However, despite the presence of the common elements, there was a first with this book, unlike CB's earlier books where the main characters were usually male with minor exceptions, here he attempts to tell the story from the point of view of a female and thus the title 'One Indian Girl'. This coupled with the fact that Bhagat had openly promoted his book as a kind of never before insight into an Indian girl's mind and her life, almost a demystification of an Indian girl's thoughts, desires, aspirations, struggles and so on had me intrigued and somewhat raised my expectations.

Now, having read this let me put things straight. Contrary to my expectations about this being some sort of a study into the female mind, this book hardly reveals anything new or revolutionary about the female psyche or her struggles that is not already known or written about. Insecurities about looks and body shape, the constant struggle to prove themselves more than mere trophies for men to showcase, ambition to succeed professionally, the conflict to choose work over home or vice versa, the social pressures of marriage and settling down, relationship issues and the need to conform to social norms regarding how girls must behave and act are issues that the protagonist of 'One Indian Girl', Radhika, has to confront and overcome in this story. These are issues that have been cannon for woman oriented literature for years and Bhagat barely breaks into any new territory on that front. The only thing he deserves credit for perhaps is bringing these issues into mainstream, mass literature. It is perhaps an attempt towards sensitising his huge reader base about issues faced by women on a constant basis and thus creating empathy and better understanding. If that was the intent than it is an attempt worth appreciating.

Beside the intent though, the execution remains fairly average and run of the mill. The clichés and stereotypes that have become part of Bhagat’s style are revisited here. The big fat Punjabi wedding in all its glory, featuring nosy relatives, naughty bachelor parties, Sangeet functions, the flirtations between the boy and girl and the chaos and confusion are all present here. The Punjabi mother’s fixation with marriage and her concern about girl being coy and subservient are well described. But, as is the case with Bhagat’s books the book reads more like a screenplay for a Bollywood family melodrama than serious literature. It is marred by the plot and the protagonist Radhika who is one confused and slightly annoying character. She has major insecurities about her looks yet men are falling for her left, right and center. Is that a comment on what goes through a girl's mind or on men in general is open to interpretation.

So, to sum up my views, let me conclude by saying that while this is a reasonably entertaining and breezy read, the plot is convoluted and too outlandish. The story takes too long to unfold and becomes exasperating by the time it reaches the climax. It has its bright moments but overall it is an average read which brings nothing new to the table but only serves as a break from life without leaving any impression or a lesson to take home.


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Review: 1984

1984 by George Orwell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

1984 is a Classic, so there's not much to add. I will only say that in his most admired novel, George Orwell presents an extremely disturbing, terrifying, gloomy and bleak view of the future with absolutely no hope or redeeming qualities that could make it otherwise. He paints a dystopian world where an individual has been stripped of all free will and is merely a subject of the ruling regime. She has no rights, no power to decide; even her words are not her own but of those who shape her world and control her mind. A world where past only exists to be amended as and when it suits the ruling class, where even a single flawed or rebellious thought could lead to termination, where love, lust and passion are considered malignant, and humans are no more the masters of their destiny but puppets in hands of the mighty. This is a cold world, bereft of thought, feelings, emotions and perhaps most importantly, human touch and empathy. It’s a future where privacy and intimacy have no home, where men and women live under the prying and unrelenting gaze of the ‘Big Brother’, the charismatic symbolic representation of the regime and its philosophy.

Regimes change, philosophies change, systems change but the hunger for power and ultimate and complete control remains the same. This is what drives the world and George Orwell’s masterly work is an exaggeration of the consequences of such hunger.

1984 is a book that makes you think and while you are at it makes you wonder what if someone could read and scrutinize every little thought in my mind. What if someone somewhere is constantly looking at every little gesture I make, at every turn of expression on my face, and waiting to judge me and persecute me for it. What kind of a world will it be where not even a thought is your own, where not a word is your own, even your body and its movements are to be guarded every living second? Well…it would be a miserable world, but if ever you wish to visit a land like that, George Orwell’s 1984 will be your place to start.

An interesting, engrossing read that challenges your boundaries of imagination, that informs and at times educates but as is the case with most creations this one too is not without a blemish or two.


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Review: A Game of Thrones

A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars


An adventure of epic proportions, a journey spanning kingdoms far and wide and an experience bursting with emotions and characters of all color and kind, in my opinion is a fitting way to describe this book called 'A Game of Thrones'.

A rich, enjoyable, thrilling and at times disturbing book, A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin captures the dark struggles, strife and politics of power in the fictitious medieval age. It adds drama and spice to the grim settings with supernatural elements in the form of Dragons, the undead, the direwolves, black magic and so on. But, despite these incredible, fantastical elements the struggle and conflict between the various kingdoms and the men at the centre of these conflicts is brutal, intense and sometimes horrifying, particularly in the way lives are taken without mercy and without emotion, none is spared, not man, not beast and not even children. The battle for the crown is bloody to the end and there is no real winner because the one with the crown can never rest easy in this atmosphere pregnant with betrayal and lust for power.

Full of impressive characters and witty, memorable lines, A Game of Thrones is a treat for the fans of fantasy and mythical fiction. There is honor, gallantry, loyalty, villany, love, betrayal, cruelty, naivete, treachery and so much more here, making this a truly fascinating read. There are twists and turns that would shock and stun and leave the reader with a plethora of emotions.

Having gushed over the bright points, let me dwell a bit on the lesser aspects of this book. The writing to be honest is bland at times, despite some beautiful lines and a few memorable ones, the writing is more or less plain. The descriptions of castles and the locations could be overwhelming and at times tedious slowing down the pace of the book. I must say I am extremely thankful to HBO for adapting the book and making it easier for the reader to imagine and comprehend the scale and structure of the massive world created by the author. Also, some of the sub plots particularly Bran’s story angle even though it would lead into something more relevant in the books to come, detracts from the action and slows down the otherwise fast paced narrative. These are probably the only minor problems I have with this otherwise satisfying read.

To sum up, this is a book that entertains, intrigues and at times horrifies with its range of events, characters and situations. It has an epic feel and a raw, brutal intensity that simply hooks you.

‘In the Game of Thrones you either win or you die!’


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