2 States by Chetan Bhagat.

Warning : Might contain spoilers.
I am not a big fan of Chetan Bhagat books but I have read all the four by him and it is a light read which anyone will love, as most of you might agree his books are normally kind of a masala movie with all the ingredients for the same. I had heard mixed reviews for his new book 2states and was reluctant to buy it. But I got a chance to read it.

The story is about Krish of Five Point Someone who is now an IIMA P.G holder. He unfolds his story for us in front of a psychotherapist as a flash back. He meets his to-be-girlfriend Ananya there and the story follows on with the usual friendship turned to love with combined studies turned to sleeping together. Later he is appointed by Citibank in Chennai despite giving his place of preference as Delhi/Chennai (Delhi where his family is and Chennai where Ananya is) with equal priority. After winning over his would-be inlaws he gets a transfer to Delhi. Ananya also gets into good books of his relatives by solving a dowry problem of Krish’s cousin sister. Finally when all hopes were thrown out after the conflicts in Goa , Krish’s dad meets Ananya’s parents and arranges everything leading to their marriage in Chennai.

On a deeper analysis Chetan addresses a few issues in his book. The protagonist’s mother is a victim of an abusive or not so happy marriage. Whose ex-army husband not giving a caring or consoling word and by showing his anger by throwing things around the home. And as most of wives do, she doesn’t complain and moves on with life adjusting with everything and striving for the well being of her son. Krish loves his mom and his girlfriend and he is not able to decide whom he has to support and be with, though sometimes he gets annoyed with her for her behavior and when she doesn’t approve of Ananya he is so much attached to his mom and want to provide her a better facilities and home. This helps us DILs/MILs understand a lesson that a mother and a wife are both important in a guy’s life and he cannot at most times select one over the other.

It also shows us though India being one country how reluctant we Indians are of when our children get married to someone of another state. The story is being told in a period of time when mobile phones were a luxury. But in my opinion India has not changed much at least in this perspective. We are still reluctant to accept someone from another state to our family citing cultural and lingual differences. He gives a brief idea of Chennai and tamilians but personally I feel it is a bit exaggerated or unnecessarily emphasized or generalized. I am not a better judge since am not a tamilian and have not been an outsider staying in TN. Overall the book is a good read, simple and interesting.

 

Sree Dear thanks for coming here and giving me the very first fb. Yeah its been made into a movie 'Hello' even I havent seen it and no plans too see it.

 

Hi Amrita yeah I too liked this the best more beacuse this had more humour compared to other stories. I was smiling/laughing all through the book

Sowmya thanks for the comment...other books too are a time pass read.

Hi VK, It is an interesting one of courseJ I read FPS long back when it was published, so don’t remember the character’s name but the storyL