Skip to main content

Chetan Bhagat Says...



Touted as “one of the 100 most influential people in the world” by TIME magazine, writer, speaker, Chetan Bhagat certainly doesn't mince his words when he says, “Youth who are not politically conscious, do not know the importance of voting, are not interested in the decision-making process, are as good as a bunch of illiterates.”
Bhagat, who was in the city at the launch of Canada-based Mad Science, a science enrichment provider for kids, in India and Sri Lanka, said, “Both rural and urban youth are aspirational. They want to change their circumstances, which is good. But, they are not very politically conscious. I would say, kids from rural areas are more politically aware as compared to their urban compatriots. But, on the whole, youth today are not interested in decision-making process, they are disenchanted by democracy, which isn't a good sign. All of them can't become activists. They have to be a part of the socio-political fabric of the country.”
Bhagat, who's considered as youth icon, opined, “There's lot of good in today's kids, but there are some trends which are worrisome too. They are focused about their career and education, which is a good thing. But, most of them are so drawn in the world of social media that they stop thinking and end up reacting to the stimulus.”
This, Bhagat warns, could lead to more and more people with poor leadership skills.
When asked for solution or way out, the popular writer says, “A balanced approach is must. There's no space for extreme views, a middle-way out is must.”
Bhagat, who makes it a point to meet youth wherever he goes, says, “I am there wherever English is. Since more and more people are seeking education in English, I am reaching out to more people. By meeting and talking to them, I am trying to get them involved in the process of national development.”
When we ask, “how?”, Bhagat explains, “My books are popular because they are written in a simple language. These readers are then influenced to read my columns and then join my twitter page where I air my views on national and social issues.”
Bhagat admits that he's yet to make an impact in rural areas, but he claims that he's known to youngsters in tier-II and tier-III cities/towns in the country.
Why doesn't he consider also writing in Hindi besides English, since English of letters is yet to make a dent in rural areas?
“I don't think I can write in pure or Sanskritised Hindi, but I am working on the translation of my novel, 2 States: The Story of my Marriage, in Hindi. It's going to be in colloquial Hindi peppered with English,” he says.
Bhagat also adds that there will be a Marathi translation too.
“There's demand for good literature in regional languages too. But, as I said, English is an aspirational language and more and more people are speaking it.”
Besides translations, his two books (Five Point Someone and One Night @ Call Centre) have also been adapted to the big screen. He's now one of the four screenplay writers, who's working to adapt, “The 3 Mistakes of My Life” for Abhishek Kapoor of Rock On fame.
“The film will go to floors in a few days time. We are shooting it in Gujarat, and no there's fear of any backlash because we have the blessings of the state government,” adds Bhagat. The book is a blend of religion, politics and our obsession with the Gentleman's Game.
Bhagat will also be involved with the promotion of the movie. Once bitten, twice shy. Eh?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Valu and more

Visited Poman Pimpale village where Marathi picture Valu was shot. --- Documentary la chala… came the shout and Poman Pimpale villagers slowly started gathering at the village square. The children were already there, jostling each other, eager to see the ‘documentary’ – Marathi film Valu, which was shot in this village, some 14 kms away from Saswad. On the occasion of the film completing 50 successful days, the cast and crew of Valu, decided to host a special screening for the villagers on Saturday as a tribute. As Umesh Kulkarni, the director of Valu says, “ The movie is a collaborative venture of the villagers and myself. Valu is theirs as much as it is mine.” You just need to mingle with the crowd to find out what Umesh says is true - it’s their movie that the villagers have gathered to see. Pradeep Poman, a village elder, says that they enjoyed the whole film making process. “It had become a past time for us. Whenever we had some time to spare, we just went to see the shooting. ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Portrait of a poet

This has already been published in the Sunday supplement. Krishnaji Keshav Damle also known as Keshavsut --- Poetry never really appealed to me. And, so it was with great reluctance that I agreed to my husband's plan to visit Keshavsut Smarak – a memorial raised in memory of 'Father of Modern Marathi Poetry', Krishnaji Keshav Damle – in Malgund. We were in Ganapatipule at that time and decided to go to Malgund, a 10-minute drive (a kilometre) from the popular tourist destination. A sign-post told us to take a left turn and what greeted us, at the end of the lane, was tranquil silence. No security guards, no tourists, just a plaque announcing that Damle, popularly known as Keshavsut, was born in the red-roofed house, surrounded by green shrubbery. Keshavsut's house in Malgund  A poem by Keshavsut  The house, renovated in the old style, was near-empty, except for Keshavsut's portrait that was hanging from the wall in the front room. In the...
Post a Comment
Read more

Many ideas of ‘self’ (Review of Pratibimb, Marathi play)

With Mahesh Elkunchwar’s name as a writer associated with Pratibimb (Reflection), you know nothing in the play will be at face value. Nothing is what it seems. It is difficult for commoners to get into Elkunchwar’s mindspace, which is precisely the subject of the Marathi play, which was staged earlier in August and will now be performed again on Friday, September 15 at Sudarshan Rangmanch, Shaniwar Peth. While watching the play, it’s evident that the viewer has to peel various layers to get to the core of the story — Who are you? What does ‘self-identity’ mean? Is it so bad if your reflection goes missing or if you have no identity? Thokale (a white-collared office goer) wakes up one morning and finds his reflection missing. Enters Bai, his landlady, who tries to assure him that nothing is lost. In fact, it could be a ‘breaking news’ for the newspaper. This perhaps could have led to a lot of chaos physically. Instead, we are led to the darkness looming large in our dystopian minds...
1 comment
Read more