I am in my late 30s and had read 5 point someone when I was a first year student of a government engineering college in a relatively unknown branch of metallurgy in the underdog town of Ranchi.
It was those days when Dhoni was still playing state cricket with long hairs. One of our batch mates who used to live in Dhoni’s colony would tell us the stories of how Dhoni hits huge 6s in local cricket tournaments . Initially, I used to think he was just showing off as Dhoni was from his locality but who knew The Legend of Dhoni was in the making, slowly building up ball by ball,shot by shot .Each of his 6s,stumpings,catches just added to THE LEGEND which mesmerized our nation for a full decade and a half.
At that time , Dhoni was our local hope to find a place in Indian cricket team. He would be the first one from our state ,bihar /jharkhand which were split apart only 2 years back .So ,we considered him a bihari pride anyways during those days .So, Dhoni was giving us biharis what most humans seek all their life which is rightful respect as a individual, community or nation . Indian cricket team always had this issue of a good wicketkeeper who could contribute consistently with bat and thats how dhoni legend was started.
Oh, sorry for a bit of deviation from the topic but my heart still wants me to be in those days while my mind warns me to focus back on completing this article. Let me come back to Chetan Bhagat, his book and my relationship with Chetan as a student fan.
Chetan Bhagat love story
Have feeble recollection of the characters of 5 Point Someone but my memory cells intuitively still tell me that I was able to relate to what his characters in the novel were going through .My younger self related to fears, angers ,dilemma, future plans and conflicting voices within and outside his characters just like as it happens perfectly in his stories. He makes us want to be one of his characters of his book while we read it. Isn’t it ? That’s the beauty of the man who understands the pulse of his audience.
Why I adored Chetan Bhagat as a student?
5 point someone was a new thing and first of its kind for us, thin enough to generate confidence of completing the book and feeling like a achiever. That sense of silently showing off without boasting about it, you know!!
The book was written in a English which I could easily read without needing a physical dictionary to find meaning of words. Yeah I still remember, we used to pay Rs 10/hour for internet café access.
I was aspiring for IIMs as a student and he was popular IIM Grad who left his job to write novels. That sounded really cool for someone in late teens as it gave hope and inspiration to be like him. This hope must have made him even more popular in youth of those times. Subconsciously and deep within, he was the destination most middle class youth wanted to reach.
For us he was simply a famous name with a better college but anyways he was just one of us .That’s how a engineering student preparing for CAT relate to Chetan even if we are or were not there academically or success wise later on. Our mind does not want us to feel less in anything (knowledge,background ,effort, grades, communications and many other factors )when preparing for a competitive exam like IIT, IIMs, Medical, or any other field exams.
My apologies one more time for this deviation from the subject, silly memories keep dragging me to those golden college days.
Chetan bhagat was Inspiration because he was relatable to us as students. Why so? IIT hangover does not go so easily as a student and so when you know someone elder from IIT, your logical cells ask you to respect them and be inspired. So,perhaps the foremost reason for him being an inspiration then was, he was an old IIT guy while we were young and wanted to be like him without an IIT tag . Had he been from same batch when i did not qualify IIT, what my mind would have thought then ? He was just a bit LUCKY than hardworking or talented.
Most students (IITians or others ) know the importance of IIT brand which gives instant recognition of being the best in your breed of student preparing for engineering college competitions. He was already the alpha male ( with iiit +iim background )of middle class youths ,yet not trumping about it
Let me try to explain the other perspective for Chetan Bhagat being WOW GUY during my college days.
I guess when I read 5 point someone, I think, I thought that it was his own real life story, Years later came to know that actually he was a topper of his class in MBA and engineering ( this also not verified to be honest but read on some portal ) .
So, the main character of 5 point someone gave me a hope, that if a academically poor guy like Chetan can make it to IIMs, why not we ? We were guys with better grades than him, so that gave us edge than him for IIM interviews. Perhaps, our mind did not want to give him extra point for IIT degree to better our chances of making to IIMs. He already had been there where we ( IIM aspiring students )wanted to go. Why? Perhaps for sense of respect, accomplishment which got missed out after unsuccessful attempt at IIT JEE .
Third reason will give you more hope being a middle class
He was a middle class guy, neither a super rich background or someone from extreme hardships of life. Both categories don’t actually relate with students’ mind from middle class. So, he became the role model for a kid from an average middle class family. He was just a few years earlier. That is it .Perhaps ,that was going on in our mind and still goes in all middle class students’ mind who want to be like him. He is relatable in truest of senses with such success by doing all those things which a middle class student was supposed to do 30 years back or is supposed to do even now . That’s why his journey becomes incredible and is relatable if you are 20 or 40 or in between.
My Work life balance ruined my relationship with Chetan Bhagat books
Years passed and during this last 15 years or so, Chetan has been on a roll . He was rolling out books after books and all of them were one hit after another . Don’t remember which one of them I read during MBA days or after I joined corporate world. But, unknowingly or subconsciously ,my relationship with my then Role model of my engineering days was gone from my thoughts as I got busy in MBA college, work, struggles of work life balance and being in that race of a successful middle class man.
In the meantime, Chetan was focused, he was sincere , he was rightfully getting all the name ,fame,moolah . All of his success could have easily made him to stop,relax, chill in life 15 years back and do whatever he wanted to do without any need for a focus to write a book almost every 2 year . Money can change the class of a man economically, but a man of class remains same at heart in all situations
Chetan Bhagat : Incredible mix of focus,sincerity and success
When I now look back at last 15 years of Chetan journey, his achievements look far bigger than his initial success or first bestseller in 5 point someone , Not due to money and fame but for other reason.
His attitude towards writing and sincerity makes me admire Chetan even more.
Its easier to be focused when you want to succeed but when you get success, ability to be sane, sincere modest, focused like ever before, logically is a more challenging task. Chetan always had this option of avoiding the rigour of ideation, writing ,deleting, rewriting and again deleting, coordinating with editors, feedback sessions, publishing, marketing after the success of his first 3/4 books . He could have always opted to enjoy the money, fame, success from his previous work.
But Chetan is a focussed man with a plan and execution to give him success what he has got.
He seems to be a machine of words ,stories,plots with a mechanical precision of rolling out books. Goes on to show his devotion ,discipline for writing despite all distractions of fame, money, personal problems,family issues,national and international issues, trolls etc. He was and he is still the same man, the storyteller.
Now after 15 years of my own work/business experience after college, I admire chetan bhagat,the employee of his company called CHETAN BHAGAT BRAND. Every company dreams of an employee like chetan bhagat who deliver successful projects year after year without loosing focus due to earlier success.
As a mid aged man myself ,I see him carefully shifting his focus to being a cool career,life coach to younger generation . He is trying to ignite,motivate ,inspire young students( who think they are quiet young now and they have enough time to be old and succesful like chetan bhagat ). I think Chetan bhagat is following his conscience of being useful to others in a more meaningful way ,that inner desire to give back without any expectation.
Being a father, perhaps Chetan relates to the pressures of parents,being an elder brother ,he relates to the issues of younger brothers, being an aware citizen, he relates to the problem our country is facing . He tries to highlight all those issues from time to time in the form of news articles,lectures,blog and recently he seems to have started his own youtube channel. Pls check below.
His focus on younger audience needs a special mention
Perhaps he realizes the distraction technology is bringing in our life. We as species are not trained, prepared to deal with new byproducts of technology be it smartphones,computer games,apps. All of them are so easily available and as addictive as any other drug for a human mind. When you take the drug, you temporarily feel good but in the long run ,it damages you in every sense. Similar will be the impact of such technology byproducts.
So, he seems be trying to guide these kids ,with his best effort of not sounding like a preachy uncle, or some knowing everything teacher,parent or anyone with whom students dont identify.
Chetan is on your face with the carefully contained emotions and words to still establish a connect with young generation. One needs to realize that he is a public figure and he just cannot say as we may want.
True love rekindles despite the dirt of time
Lately , i was speaking with one of my old enginerring friends and he told about his new venture of creative writing platform . He was trying to spread the awareness of creative writing contest on his platform and in the due process, he connected with Chetan bhagat team.
As per my friend, he was wowed by his team and their approach to hear my friend’s proposal of a relatively young budding venture. His team was equally excited to help in my friends writing contest initiative. Chetan and his team is supporting in whatever best possible way they can. Here is a proof.
Chetan and his team could have easily said NO to my friend as my friend’s venture is no big name to which Chetan would have gained anything out of any asccotion.
But Chetan, the middle class guy, had other plans to help the underdogs who have desire, passion and sincerity to carry out their work with focus.
This great ability of Chetan to relate to middle class individuals, understand their aspirations and then help out with all energy and focus has left me in awe.
This was perhaps the biggest motivation for me to write this article.
Perhaps, now i appreciate his famous line even more
Don’t be serious, be sincere
Do check out on the link for his latest novel 400 days
By: Amit Gupta
