Chetan Bhagat (born 22 April 1974), is an Indian author, columnist, and speaker.
Bhagat is the author of four bestseller novels, Five Point Someone (2004), One Night @ the Call Center (2005), The 3 Mistakes of My Life (2008) & 2 States (2009). All four books have remained bestsellers since their release and two have inspired Bollywood films (including the film 3 Idiots). In 2008, The New York Times called Bhagat "the biggest selling English language novelist in India’s history".Seen more as a youth icon than just an author, this Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi and IIM Ahmedabad graduate is making India read like never before. Time magazine named him as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World.Bhagat also favoured the forming of a system similar to the Lokpal as early as January 2011 through his articles.
Bhagat writes op-ed columns for leading English and Hindi newspapers, including Times of India and Dainik Bhaskar, focusing on youth and issues based on national development. Many of the issues raised by Bhagat's columns have been discussed in Parliament and among the top leadership of the country. Bhagat is also a popular motivational speaker and has given talks in leading MNCs and other institutions. He quit his international investment banking career in 2009, to devote his entire time to writing working for change in the country. Bhagat lives in Mumbai with his wife Anusha Bhagat, an ex-classmate from IIM Ahmedabad, and his twin boys, Shyam and Ishaan.
Now let's have a brief description of his novels:
- 2 STATES
Love marriages around the world are simple:
Boy loves girl. Girl loves boy.
They get married.
In India, there are a few more steps:
Boy loves Girl. Girl loves Boy.
Girl’s family has to love boy. Boy’s family has to love girl.
Girl’s Family has to love Boy’s Family. Boy’s family has to love girl’s family
Girl and Boy still love each other. They get married.
Welcome to 2 States, a story about Krish and Ananya. They are from two different states of India, deeply in love and want to get married. Of course, their parents don’t agree. To convert their love story into a love marriage, the couple have a tough battle in front of them. For it is easy to fight and rebel, but it is much harder to convince. Will they make it?
- 3 MISTAKES OF MY LIFE
In late-2000, a young boy in Ahmedabad called Govind dreamt of having a business. To accomodate his friends Ish and Omi’s passion, they open a cricket shop. Govind wants to make money and thinks big. Ish is all about nurturing Ali, the batsman with a rare gift. Omi knows his limited capabiltiies and just wants to be with his friends. However, nothing comes easy in a turbulent city. To realize their goals, they will have to face it all – religious politics, earthquakes, riots, unacceptable love and above all, their own mistakes. Will they make it? Can an individual’s dreams overcome the nightmares offered by real life? Can we succeed despite a few mistakes?
- ONE NIGHT@THE CALL CENTRE
In winter 2004,the author met a young girl in a night train journey.To pass time she offered to tell him a story on a condition that the author makes it into his secong book.The author hesitated but asked what the story was about.She said that the story was about 6 people in a call centre.One day they recieved a phone call and that phone call was from god.
- FIVE POINT SOMEONE
Five Point Someone is a story about three friends in IIT who are unable to cope.
The book starts with a disclaimer, “This is not a book to teach you how to get into IIT or even how to live in college. In fact, it describes how screwed up things can get if you don’t think straight.”
Three hostelmates – Alok, Hari and Ryan get off to a bad start in IIT – they screw up the first class quiz. And while they try to make amends, things only get worse. It takes them a while to realize: If you try and screw with the IIT system, it comes back to double screw you. Before they know it, they are at the lowest echelons of IIT society. They have a five-point-something GPA out of ten, ranking near the end of their class. This GPA is a tattoo that will remain with them, and come in the way of anything else that matters – their friendship, their future, their love life. While the world expects IITians to conquer the world, these guys are struggling to survive.Will they make it? Do under performers have a right to live? Can they show that they are not just a five-point-somebody but a five-point-someone?
