Innovative Thoughts International Research Journal pISSN 2321-5143 eISSN 2347-5722 Volume 1, Issue 6, June 2014

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Innovative Thoughts International Research Journal pISSN 2321-5143 eISSN 2347-5722 Volume 1, Issue 6, June 2014
Retrieved from: www.itirj.naspublishers.com/

THEMATIC STUDIES OF CHETAN BHAGATS NOVELS

Dr. Dinesh H. Patel1
Abstract
Chetan Bhagat has been acclaimed as one of the best-selling novelists of the popular literature. He
takes upon the sensitive issues which concern to the society in his novels, ranging from the romantic love story to
a deplorable condition of the present educational system. He has started a crusade against eradicating the evils
of the society by his sugar coated novels. Chetan Bhagat, in almost all his novels, highlights the problems
faced by the youth. He presents before us a world which is full of optimism and comic elements. Chetan Bhagat
has acumen of giving comic treatment to a very serious theme. The main objective of this paper is to bring out
the thematic style of Chetan Bhagat's writing along with the way in which he presented his characters. This
paper will also discuss the concept of social reflection and concept of modernity and how through the
delineation of the various characters he portrays the contemporary reality.
Keywords: Modernity, Exploitation, Corruption, Ambition, Alienation, Religious, Political and natural
Calamities.
INTRODUCTION
Chetan Bhagat has merged both highbrow and lowbrow genres into one, which is now approved as
best-seller genre of the Indian English literature. He has endowed the genre with healthy humour and sanguine
approach to life. Like R. K. Narayan, he does not create Malgudi village and pick up the characters from here.
He chooses the personnel from the real-life metropolis. His novels go around the lives of the youth. He exactly
depicts their real-life pictures and entertains all class and cadre of people. Bhagat writes about the youth and
specifically for the youth. However, the people of all age groups love to read him. Everyone feels as if Bhagat
writes to him. He writes so simple that everyone likes him. It is reported that Bhagats Five Point Someone is
prescribed for some tribal children. Perhaps, this has happened first time in the history that an English novel
referred to the youth has been prescribed to teach English, the tribal children of the primary school. First time,
Bhagat has exposed the rubbish coated with so-called wisdom-cream of the top institute of the country, IIT.
Unlike Tagore and his contemporaries, Bhagat is in favour of realism in art. His artistic truth lies within sensory
perception. It guides his readers to obtain self-enlightenment. Unlike Tagore, Bhagat wants both man and truth
in literature. Character is the soul of Bhagats novels. The plot i.e. the story is the second important ingredient.
Therefore, character is prior to the plot. His novel Point Someone was published in 2004 and is still on top
selling list. It won him the Society Young Achievers Award in 2004 and the Publishers Recognition Award in
2005. His characters are social rebels who remind us the Angry Youngmen that dominated English novel in the
1950s. His female protagonists remind us the female characters of G. B. Shaw for their vitality viz. natural
female instinct. Place of action of his novels is set in the hustle and bustle of Metropolitan Indian cities where
life moves at fast speed.
The aim of literature is to represent the society as it is. The simple meaning of literature is the reflection
of society. In this connection it is observed that the writer, Chetan Bhagat is an author of todays era and his five
novels dealt with the real picture of a campus life and grading system, the real aim of life and how to live a good
life in this fast growing world, how to improve our blunders and mistakes, love is remedy of all the troubles and
difficulties and finally how to fight against corruption and lead a good and healthy life. Chetan Bhagat born on
22nd April 1974 is an author of Indian origin, popular and eminent speaker. His best five novels are, Five Point
someone (2004), One Night @ the call centre (2005), The Three mistakes of my Life (2008), 2 States (2009),
and Revolution 2020 (2011).
Donald Greenless, a critic observes that , Chetan Bhagat might not be another Vikram Seth, Salman
Rushide or Arudhanti Roy, but he has authentic claims to being one of the voices of a generation of middle class
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Head, Dept. of English, B. A. College of Agriculture. Anand Agricultural University, Anand, Gujarat

Innovative Thoughts International Research Journal pISSN 2321-5143 eISSN 2347-5722 Volume 1, Issue 6, June 2014
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Indian youth facing the choices and frustrations that come with the prospect of growing wealth. In all the five
novels of Chetan Bhagat, it is observed that the middle class youth facing the choices and frustrations. All the
five novels are the echoes of the todays young generation problems. The novel Five Point Someone presents
the truths of IIT in remarkable manner. His extra-ordinary combination of humour and fun makes this novel full
of sensation. His criticism of ragging in the most prestigious institutes of the nation, futile grading systems and
false vanity of the IITians is of full authenticity. At the same time, the story of Hari, Ryan, Alok and Neha is told
with exceptional clarity and candidness. It is a fascinating book deals with the hopes and aspiration of Hari, Alok
and Ryan who are typical as well as strong individuals having different aims and ambitions and at the same time
they also represent the broad community of the prestigious institutes of the nation.
Thus, in this novel Five Point someone the writer has presented the darker sides of the IITians and
tries to show the presents unfair means. Chetan Bhagat has shown the real picture of IITians students and how
they try to solve the difficulties and problems. One Night @ the call center is the second interesting novel for
several reasons altogether. The entire action of the novel takes place in the night. The Night may have some
symbolic implications her. Throughout the night Shyam, Vroom, Radhika, Eash, Priyanka and Military uncle are
not in the state of peace and harmony. Throughout the night they strive about betterment, satisfaction,
contentment and settlement, they struggle hard and there is panic and chaos in the night everywhere. The night
shift of their job also symbolizes bewilderment, restlessness and timeless in their life. The problems of night
have been beginning of new life of all the six characters of the novel. Apart from several thematic implications
of the contemporary life, this novel also throws lights on some of the burning issues of modern age. The
problems of placement and settlement of the educated youth, formation of various kinds of human relationships
and above all, the impact of materialism on humane relationship and discussed her with great pain and vision.
In One Night @ the call center all the six characters have some unwanted desirers and they all want to
fulfill the unwanted desires and for that they have to undergone the traumatic problems and after the final call
from the God all the problems of all the characters are solved. They set their goals and they promise to follow
the goals according to their desires and finally all the characters attain the peace and their stress is decrease to
some level. Thus, the writer has succeeded in presenting the problems of todays era in a very refectory manner.
The Three Mistakes of My Life is a remarkable hat trick by Chetan Bhagat after his debut Five Point
Someone and second novel One Night @ the call center. Bhagat seems to continue the same passionate zeal in
presenting hopes and aspiration as well as failure and frustration of his generation in remarkable fashion. The
novel ironically unfolds some of the bitter truths of human life which is now more influenced by passion rather
than emotion and ambition. Chetan Bhagat is more vibrant in this novel because of his growing maturity and
sharpening sensibility. The Three mistakes of My Life studies the passionate ambition of three growing boysGovind Patel, Ishaan and Omi. The narrator of this sensational story is Govind himself. Govind is more obsessed
have occupied with different life- style. Ishaan has passion of cricket while Omi more concerned with religion
because of his parents attachment with city temple. So, business, cricket and religion seem to govern the life of
these growing people. Bhagat studies the characters of these three with ironic detachment because he never takes
the sides of any one. The novel also contains some real incidents like- earthquake on the Republic Day, The test
match between India and Australia at Eden Garden in which India wins marginally. These portrayals give a
unique kind of realistic touch to the novel. So, Bhagat blends the sociopolitical motive of Anand with the
psychological realism of Narayan in this novel with his brilliant way of storytelling.
Two States is love story novel in which the writer shows the love story of Krish and Ananya. The
main characters of this novel are much indulged in love. Both characters of this novel belong to different caste
and creed. They want to marry but the respected parents are not in position to allow the permission of their love
marriage. And these characters do not believe to elope and cheat to their love marriage. And these characters do
not believe to cheat their families by run away. Actually, they both belong to the different states, one from Delhi
and other is from Chennai. This is a love story of Krish and Ananya. As their love story proceeds, their parents
stand against and then their love story puts emphasis on how they get themselves married. The novel is a semiautobiography of the writer himself. It reveals how the todays young generation indulges in love and finally it is
said that love is the remedy of the entire problem.

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Innovative Thoughts International Research Journal pISSN 2321-5143 eISSN 2347-5722 Volume 1, Issue 6, June 2014
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Revolution 2020 is foremost a love story, in fact a love triangle, as both Gopal and Raghav love the
same girl. Corruption particularly in the education sector is the back drop of the story. Like all his novels the best
selling writer tries to show the problems of the young generation and finally he also suggests the best ways to
solve it. The writer tries to show the present condition of the three friends. In this novel both the characters
Gopal and Raghav strive to achieve love, fame and success. Both the characters are gifted intellectually but have
ambition that is people apart. Gopal is running after money and the other nourishes bigger ideas and wants to
create a revolution. The most common thread in their life is Arti, whom they love. But for Gopal and Raghav
their goal looks far more beyond their reach as they think that the society they are in promotes only corruption.
But the tragedy is that Gopal Mishra surrenders to the situation and Raghav the brilliant boy who chooses to
fight back. Corruption is the burning problem of the world. All the countries of the world are facing the problem
of corruption in some way or the other way, but todays youths are opposing the corruption in all walks of life.
At the end of this novel Gopal the most corrupted man becomes the good man and tries to give up the corrupt
practices from life and want to lead the good life and understand the meaning of the life and also the feelings of
his friend Raghav. The writer also shows the main problems of the Gopal, Raghav and Arti and this problem of
the whole young generation. On the surface, the novel looks similar to any Bollywood film but in its deeper
sense, Revolution 2020 unearths two characters that are faced with Indian political system that harbours corrupt.
Thus, the writer has the power to show the characters that represent the entire society in one way or the
other way. By introducing the different characters in all his novels, the writer has created the real situation of the
present society. Because the youth have the power to grab any problems of the society. The writer has shown the
problem of the students in the Five Point Someone, The unnecessary desires in One Night @ the call center,
the greed of todays youth to become rich in no time, in The Three Mistakes of My Life love problems of the
lovers and their solution in, 2 States and lastly the corrupt practices in Revolution 2020. In this way, the
writer Chetan Bhagat has presented the total picture of the young generation and tries to solve the problems of
the young generation in detail.
REFERENCES
3 Idiots retains the soul of Five Point Someone, Chetan Bhagat interview, One India.
Neha, Sharma. (2009). Chetan Bhagat feeling cheated?, Hindustan Times, 27 December.
Bhagat, Chetan.( 2005). ONE NIGHT @ THE CALL CENTER. Rupa & Co. New Delhi.
Bhagat, Chetan.( 2008). The 3 mistakes of my Life. Rupa & Co. New Delhi.
Bhagat, Chetan.( 2009). 2 States the Story of My Marriage. Rupa & Co. New Delhi.
Bhagat, Chetan. A. R. Rahman. // Time;5/10/2010, Vol. 175 Issue 18, p99
50 Power people: Rank 41 to 50. // India Today;4/29/2013, p15