Pyaar ki jeet: 2 States Chetan Bhagat's new book

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(Free-Press-Release.com) December 28, 2009 -- Reminiscent of the 1980s Bollywood blockbuster Ek Duje Ke Liye, 2 States has a predictable plot. But Bhagat compensates predictability with racy prose that keeps the reader hooked.

The boy in the book (Krish) is a hardcore Punjabi and the girl a beautiful Tamilian (Ananya). They fall in love and want to get married, obviously against their parents’ wishes.

So, with the firm resolve of seeing their parents smile on their wedding day (had they eloped, the book wouldn’t have run into 270 pages!), the two set out to bring the families together. But, it’s easier to fight and rebel than to convince.

What ensues is a gripping Bollywood-style tale -- schemes and plans to win over the parents, and how the respective parents try to keep their respective children within the bounds of their respective traditions.

But, as the saying in Bollywood goes: Hogi pyaar ki jeet (love will always triumph). And so it does, at the end.

The pull of 2 States isn’t the plot, it’s the author’s writing style. Right through the book, Bhagat gives us the sights, sounds and taste of the story. Like his other three books, he writes in a style that instantly connects with teenagers.

But for all the fame Bhagat has earned, he also has his share of critics. Many veteran writers believe that Bhagat’s writing skills aren’t a credit to his popularity. They say his ‘incorrect’ writing influences young minds to adopt the same incorrect English as his.

Even Bhagat’s sternest critics, however, cannot deny that the author has brought about a revolution in writing. His short, crisp real life stories with their various twists and turns keep readers glued to his books.

After reading 2 States I could not help but feel that after 60 years of independence, India remains divided when it comes to people from different parts of the country. Why are north Indians considered cousins of ET down south? Why are south Indian traditions and languages a laughing matter to north Indians? Are we not all Indians, part of the same country?

The cultural divide in India is more than what meets the eye. Industry, infrastructure, transportation, modernisation… in the last six decades our country has grown faster than was ever imagined. Villages have grown into towns, towns into cities, and cities into metropolises. Three decades ago, telephones and cars were luxuries that many could ill-afford.

Finally, I would like to quote from the book: As Krish holds his twin sons for the first time outside the operation theatre, a nurse sidles up and asks him, “You and your wife are from different states right… so which state are these two (pointing to the infants) going to belong to?” Krish answers emphatically: “They’ll be Indians.”

Infochange News & Features, December 2009
www.infochangeindia.org

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