Nothing revolutionary. Review on Revolution 2020 - Chetan Bhagat

Hello All,

I have no clue how to review a book and this is my feeble first attempt at it. First things first, I was one of those lucky guys to have got the book shipped to my residential address exactly on the day of its launch. All thanks to Flipkart for not only shipping the book on time but also for letting me own a book worth Rs. 140 at just Rs. 80. I got very excited to read a book on the day of its launch. CB's Five Point Someone - What not to do at IIT! was the first novel I had read in my life and the novel Revolution 2020 : Love. Corruption. Ambition (only book I have read on the day of  its launch) from the same author was not that interesting to read as his first book. I consider either movies or books stale if I don't watch/read them on the day of its release and yet hardly watch/read them on day one.

I had a lot of expectations from this book as I loved the title and thought of it to be a novel that will make a phenomenal, provocative read and not just another detailed filmy script from CB. I would be lying if I say I am disappointed but neither was it that serious to provoke me to bring in the best in me to do anything revolutionary. I will have to say that this book no doubt will become one of the best-sellers for the author's style of writing and narration. I primarily love the way Chetan comments on people, places and things through his characters. I also enjoy reading conversations and will quickly be able to relate to many a things that unfolds in the story.

Revolution 2020 : Love. Corruption. Ambition is a very simple, yet interesting story of two guys, Gopal (the narrator of the story) & Raghav and a gal named Aarti. One of my greatest strength (or should I say my weakness) is my strange, inexplicable ability to connect with almost all the characters whenever I read any book. With the kind of brilliant characterization that Chetan does in this book it was easy for me to relate to many elements of all the chief characters in the book. I was able to feel for all of them. The book takes you from Chetan's encounter with Gopal and Gopal's narration of his story involving his friends Raghav and Aarati. Through the story we understand how the characters evolve based on their circumstances, opportunities, goals and desires.

Gopal is in love with Aarti and struggling to get a good rank in IIT-JEE to get a seat in the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology as his father aspires to make his son an engineer. His friend Raghav is intelligent enough to crack the exam and secure a rank and does secure one, yet chooses to aspire to  be a reporter and passionately write to change things around him by doing his regular engineering course from BHU. When Gopal fails to get a good rank and motivated by his father to move to Kota to get coached for the tough exam, Aarti gets close to Raghav which irritates Gopal and makes him a crazy student. In spite of whatever efforts he puts in he fails to clear IIT-JEE and get a seat in the IIT's. His father passes away after all his efforts to make his son an engineer and Gopal is now planning to do a part-time job and also some course in a private college. Chetan brings out how corrupt education system can have far reaching effects on a student and through his narrator makes us understand how Gopal meets some of the people in his life and faces circumstances to which he falls prey for and gets into the corrupt system himself.  Raghav, an honest young guy fights all odds to make a decent living and Gopal on the other hand becomes rich through exploiting and making use of his father's and his uncle's  disputed land. Aarti is now with Gopal and treats him as a friend and slowly drifting apart from Raghav. When Gopal has it all - Love, Money and Power he meets a young guy who makes him feel for the kid in himself and decides to change it all. He understands that he is corrupt and bad and sacrifices his gal to the good guy Raghav in spite of all the love for Aarti. He also decides to fix the system slowly and steadily, bringing in change, by sacrificing whatever bit he can.

Here are my favorite liners from the book :

Love makes us do stupid things.

She didn't just loved me, she owned me.

Regret - this feeling has to be one of the biggest manufacturing defects in humans. We keep regretting, even though there is no point to it.

When people achieve something, they become self-obsessed.

Sometimes the only way to get rid of an unpleasant feeling is to replace it with another unpleasant feeling.

That's what human relationships are about - selective sharing and hiding of information to the point of crazy confusion.

Girls don't like reality that much.

How can god give girls so much power? How can they turn productive, busy and ambitious men into a wilting mass of uselessness.

Money, status and power - however evil people may say these are - get you respect in life.

They say men withdraw after sex. But I wanted to draw her close, cuddle and keep her with me forever.

There's something about male-female conversation. I don't think one side ever gets what the other side intends.

Girls cannot be understood. Period.

Sometimes losers get ahead in life. Never forget that.

(I, in fact, loved every comment Chetan passes on gals and relationships)

Thank you for reading my review.

Regards,

Guru Shastry