I liked Revolution 2020. And all those creepy critics/non-critics-just-messing-around,
trying to analyze the terrific book – write one yourself and sell at least 500
copies. Then talk about it.
In one word, yes, it was TERRIFIC. It made me cry.
Call me an emotional fool but I think if a book can induce highs of senstivity
in even one person, that author is awesome. I admit the initial pages bored me
a little. They kind of dragged too. But as it progressed, it didn’t fail to
stun me (except the corruption part - happens everywhere, doesn’t it?).
The story revolves around three friends Gopal, Aarti
and Raghav. It is mostly Gopal in the picture and the story has been written
from his point of view. Aarti makes considerable appearences while Raghav – and
this even disappointed me – in spite of his being Gopal’s best friend, is known
only through Aarti and makes few appearances. The story is indeed about love,
corruption and ambition. But one more thing – sacrifice. The power to give up
what you wanted the most. Gopal is a twice-failed engineering aspirant and has
love yet doesn’t have it because the girl he loves calls it ‘best friendship’,
the most dreadful word ever used by a girl. So, this failed student decides to
start an engineering college without a degree and with corruption – lots of it.
What follows is his ambition to get the girl he loves, money and power – so that
he can rise above the tag of ‘loser’ that was automatically attached to him
after his best friend Raghav got an IIT rank in the 1100s.
My friend said it was a filmy end. Well, sacrifice, as
long as it is not you who’s doing it, sounds filmy. And yeah, it might be taken
as very dramatic but it managed to break my heart. Don’t we have enough writers to
write about sad endings and sacrifices? I recently read The Kite Runner and A
Thousand Splendid Suns, both by Khaleid Hosseini. I was expecting lighter work
from Chetan Bhagat; that’s what the best part is: the climax totally flips you
over. One moment you’re smiling for their future and the next, you’re almost
devastated.
Each book by Chetan Bhagat has a different story to
tell. Even though Five Point Someone remains a favorite, this one hasn't failed to
amaze me either. It’s Chetan Bhagat as usual – peppy, cheesy at places and fun. His
writing style is casual. He writes as though one would speak. It’s almost the language
the young people of today use and I’m sure a lot of us also relate to his use
of words a lot. And no, I’m not talking about the swear words here. Stop
comparing him to classics and you will get the feel of emotions. To each his
own, right?
Read it for fun and read it with your heart.
