Not Quite a Revolution

Just finished reading Revolution 2020 by Chetan Bhagat. Not a bad read, especially because it's not very long. But it is predictable. Warning : Spoilers ahead!

It's a story about a boy, Gopal, who lives in Varanasi, and the life he lives as he grows up to his present day age of 26. He has two friends in Raghav, his childhood buddy, and Aarti, the person he is closest to and indeed the love of his life. As they grow up, Gopal starts drifting away from Raghav and increasingly closer to Aarti, upto a point where he can't imagine life without her. Unfortunately for him, Aarti doesn't feel the same about him. The book goes on to explain the emotional turmoil he faces as his numerous attempts at gaining Aarti's affections don't succeed, his failure to get a seat in either IITs or even(!!) the NITs, while Raghav manages to secure an excellent rank in both the exams. The way in which the writer captures the change in the behaviour of Raghav, as well the contrast in the attitude of the neighbours and relatives towards the two boys  is praiseworthy. The subtle cynicism cannot be missed in almost every sentence. He goes away to Kota for a year, to make his father's dream of him becoming an engineer come true. In the process, he loses Aarti to Raghav, loses interest in his studies, and fails to secure a good engineering college seat a second time round. Soon after this disappointment, comes the tragedy of his father's death, the huge loans left for him to pay, the failure to get admission in any private college(the harrowing events at the career fair are downright sickening). Then comes the twist. The story shifts gears as the small time boy with absolutely no experience in plunged into the deep end as the Director of an upcoming college on the outskirts of his hometown with the "Blessings" of the local MLA Shukla-ji. he has to employ methods which are not what one would call ethical, methods which at first shock him, but very soon he takes them in his stride, for the good of his venture. His hard work of three years finally pays off as he is able to open his college to the world. Luxury cars and huge bungalows follow. But all this doesn't come without hitches either. On the day of the college inauguration, the MLA is accused of a scam in the local newspaper. The reporter of this article is none other than Raghav. Gopal overcomes this setback and his college takes off at full pace. The MLA's influence costs Raghav his job. He however has the last laugh in this matter as he publishes proof of the scam in his own newspaper called 'Revolution 2020'. This results in the MLA's resignation and subsequent arrest.
By this time in the story, Aarti and Raghav had been drifting apart. Gopal, who had shown tremendous restraint in keeping away from Aarti all this time, found this as the ideal oppurtunity to try one last time to regain his lost love. And he succeded, almost. Aarti had reached the point where she had made up her mind about leaving Raghav for Gopal. But then, Gopal's visit to Raghav's office, ironically to tell Raghav that Aarti wanted to leave him, brought him face to face with a poor farmer and his sole surviving boy. This chance encounter changed something inside Gopal, who went from the money loving ambitious man back to the simple small town boy he used to be. In the end, conscience wins over ambition.
Truly speaking, this isn't my favourite Chetan Bhagat book, just for the fact that he could have made it more intriguing. His last book, 2 States, still remains his best work. His work on the language aspect, for which he has received the most flak, hasn't really shone through here as much as it had in his previous installment. But I will say this, the characters are quite real. It is not hard to imagine Gopal, Aarti or Raghav as someone we know. The situations which the protagonists find themselves in, are also quite reflective of the times we live in. Ok, maybe there are some exaggerations along the way, but all in all, the research work done is commendable. So do pick up the book if you are a Cheatn Bhagat fan, or someone who likes a light read. People who are more interested in novels and the sort might not find it up to scratch.

My Verdict : 6.5 out of 10