It’s another Bollywood script!!!

BOOK – REVIEW

Name of Book: The Three Mistakes of My Life

Writer: Chetan Bhagat

Novel / Fiction

Publisher: Rupa.co

Cost: Rs. 95; Paper Back Edition

Chetan Bhagat, author of two blockbuster novels – Five Point Someone(2004) and one night @ call center(2005), brings another Bollywood script into publication. Witty tale about modern India, pulls out the ethos and isolation of an entire generation to the fore.

In late 2000, a young boy in Ahmedabad, Govind, dreamt of owning a business. To accommodate his friends Ish and Omi’s passion, they open a cricket shop. However, nothing comes easy in a turbulent city. To realise their goals, they will have to face it all – religious politics, calamities, unacceptable love and above all, their own mistakes.

The story is narrated by Govind. Its about his life which is full of people- his mother, his friends, his love and the top most being his dream of making it big. Govind is a born businessman with a gift for calculations. His friend Ish is an splendid cricketer with no future, discouraged by the Stereotyped Indian parents who want their son to earn! Omi the son of a priest who does not want the same path but has been brought up in that environment incorporating the deep rooted religious sentiments! Vidya - Ish’s sister, behind the naive innocent worthy girl fighting for her dreams and wishes under the veil of a worthy reputation!
The plot follows.. A new business selling sports ware shop in the temple complex by three friends. It builds up with good business and extra cricket as well as math coaching. Ali - a child prodigy in cricket pops up to throw Ish out of balance. Teaching Vidya is no easy job because of her blossoming age for Govind. Omi is caught up with religion based politics because of his uncle. Then there are the usual ups and downs and the emotions related to the huge earth quake that hit Gujarat in 2001. A loss is well survived and is pushed to the past. There are visits to Goa as well as Australia to get Ali into the top rung! Behind all this is a love story brewing up between Vidya and Govind. Then comes the religious politics and Godhra riots which the common man never wanted nor accepted but was thrust into. Horrendous killing of innocent people on religious basis with no humanitarian thoughts, by a select few! This is how the plot throws various questions to the readers. It culminates into facing religious politics, natural calamities, unaccepted love and one’s dreams!

Showcasing the everyday life of some of the most common, unassuming and inconspicuous people of India. Titled 3 Mistakes of my Life, but disappointingly, has nothing to do with Mr. Bhagat’s life in itself. Anyway, its something fictional, but an entertainer in all.

Just like his older books, he chose a batch of people who truly represent a good proportion of urban India. This book pictures in the older and slightly lesser developed part of Ahmedabad, Gujarat and features loads of Gujaratis. Although no vernaculars could be observed in the book to make it funny in the slapstick sense, the very style of writing makes it really funny and entertaining.

Making the Indian youth vigilant and aware of some of the biggest problems that plague its society, Chetan covered the following problems in his book: Expensive Education, Lack of development in smaller towns ,Conservative mentality, Extremism in politics ,Religious extremism ,Bias towards agnostics and atheists ,Poverty amongst the brighter lower-middle class youth ,Lack of sports education/infra-structure in schools, etc ,Completely study oriented schools, Small-scale businesses are extremely risky ,Drift between religions, castes, etc, Conservative mentality of parents, Hypocrisy among public, politicians, and everyone alike ;Lack of awareness, foresight and ideas due to lack of quality education ,Smaller schools lack funds and money in everything, just bigger school students get everything ,Bad quality contraceptive devices that don’t allow Indians to get bold early.

Altogether the narrative has been very juicy and content suited the choice of youngsters. Chetan Bhagat have always been famous amongst youth. This book, though not much different from the other two, provides stuff to keep his fan following intact.

All in all a good read. A simple narration.

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