Friday, July 08, 2005
Naked Feet on Metal
Title: Five point someoneAuthor: Chetan Bhagat
Genre: Fiction
Year of Publication: 2005
I am surprised how a book that has more or less become a cult icon, has escaped the scrutiny of most of the blog members. It has been the best Indian seller for months now and is soon on its way to become a major film too. five point someone by Chetan Bhagat has probably been the cleanest and most gripping tale about IIT geeks. And it shatters a lot of myths about the hallowed schools of India too.
The story begins as a first person narration…the events as seen by Hari, the main protagonist of the story. It is all about 3 guys who make it to the IIT after 2 years of toiling and then just when they think that life is now a bed of roses, reality strikes. None of them ever manages to get more than a 5-point grade in anything, which is what explains the title. Soon, hell breaks lose and they realize they are trying to drink water from a fire hose. The pressure climbs and until a moment when it no longer hurts them. They try to do everything that one should not do at an IIT. Booze, drugs, sex (with the Head of Dept. daughter), you name it and they have done it all. The story culminates quite unpredictably and sometimes you feel happy that not all books end like a Jurassic Park, where the good guys always escape without a scratch.
However, the high point about this book is not its story but the language. A very direct and well-understood dialect. Of course, it is not Queen’s language and Rudyard Kipling would be turning in his grave at the usage of some of the terms. However, all is well as long as the point is conveyed. Makes a very easy read, often a 3-4 hrs read. The narration is very friendly and I believe he has done a good job in turning a first person narration to his advantage. And most importantly, the way of recording subtle moments in words. “Naked feet on metal can be enormously sexy”. The vivid image that a single sentence can conjure up is amazing. A lot more of such subtle, sweet, sometimes funny moments that have been so beautifully captured by Bhagat. Be it the ice cream parlour dates Hari has or the heart wrenching moments with Alok’s family, Bhagat sure knows how to weave a web of images in your mind.
A must read for every engineering student, a must read for all college goers, a must read for all IIT aspirants, a must read for all teachers, a must read for every parent and a must read for every person who has always felt that he messed up his college days and could have done better. Have I missed somebody?
# posted by KAD @ 1:12 PM 
Comments:
<< Home
Hey kanishka,
I was thinking of writing on this one! But, I havent yet finished it..started yesterday :)
I think I will post my review as a comment on this one anyway once I do.
I was thinking of writing on this one! But, I havent yet finished it..started yesterday :)
I think I will post my review as a comment on this one anyway once I do.
Beg to disagree. No substance, no style - that kind of sums up the book for me.
I've been in an IIT for about a year now, and i don't think the story "represents" life at IIT. In a novel about college guys, one does expect there to be talk about booze, drugs and girls. But one does not expect these to be glorified. The book ends on a "all's well that ends well" kind of note. The lesson that these things at the wrong time (or maybe even at right time) can spoil your life, may have been learnt by the characters, but is not driven across to the reader.
(One issue that was sensibly handled was that of Ryan's research)
Apart from these "serious" objections, the main question - Why does Neha fall, and fall all the way, for Hari, is a big gaping hole in the story.
Whoa! That is some scathing criticism! I guess being a girl, my prejdices worked all the more against the story. If you feel like you want to strangle me or something, arjun is to blame :)
I've been in an IIT for about a year now, and i don't think the story "represents" life at IIT. In a novel about college guys, one does expect there to be talk about booze, drugs and girls. But one does not expect these to be glorified. The book ends on a "all's well that ends well" kind of note. The lesson that these things at the wrong time (or maybe even at right time) can spoil your life, may have been learnt by the characters, but is not driven across to the reader.
(One issue that was sensibly handled was that of Ryan's research)
Apart from these "serious" objections, the main question - Why does Neha fall, and fall all the way, for Hari, is a big gaping hole in the story.
Whoa! That is some scathing criticism! I guess being a girl, my prejdices worked all the more against the story. If you feel like you want to strangle me or something, arjun is to blame :)
Sometimes having no style can be a great asset in itself. Chetan Bhagat has no style, agreed and that is why the book stands out. You cannot typecast it. And it is a fast paced read, written in a langauge that most relate to. Something similar to Snapshots from Hell, a book that is written by Peter Robinson, a Stanford MBA grad and is similar to FPS. (Will review that someday)
None of the stuff they do is glorified. Afterall, they do get punished by the institute and none land up with great jobs either.
However, like any review, this one too is quite biased. Individual opinions may differ and I welcome the same.
None of the stuff they do is glorified. Afterall, they do get punished by the institute and none land up with great jobs either.
However, like any review, this one too is quite biased. Individual opinions may differ and I welcome the same.
When I read the book, I put it down with a feeling of intense disgust. Not only does it mislead the audience with a false picture of the IITs, it is unentertaining, non-captivating, messageless, and amateurish in writing style.
I would have forgiven everything if it at least captured IIT life realistically and vividly, but that is far from the case. Hard to believe Chetan Bhagat is an IITian, given the level of the drivel (hey, that rhymes!) in the book.
I would have forgiven everything if it at least captured IIT life realistically and vividly, but that is far from the case. Hard to believe Chetan Bhagat is an IITian, given the level of the drivel (hey, that rhymes!) in the book.
Hear, hear! Some IITian absolutely MUST come up with a better book about IIT life. We deserve better than to be typecast as miserable 2-D cretins thanks to an atrocious book.
The style he adapted was tooo simple..... I meant...not wat u call it the IIT range...but I feel the instances he'd mentioned....happens to many Engg. students...Dunno whether the same is true with the IIT'ans!
Mr Prashanth, this book is giving you a perfect picture of the life of an IITian. If you are of the opinion that people in IIT are geeky mugging chaps, you are mistaken. We freak out a lot and booze parties and affairs with profs' daughters are common.
Also, einsteinophile, get back to me on IIT range. What fdo you think, IITians have two horns or something?
Well, all that has changed after the 90's is the attitude toewards studies. We do not study at IIT until the last day of the exam and we have a lot of contempt for our profs, who know nothing.
This book stands out because of its simple language and because it is easy to understand. You do not expect a college story to contain all the big words, do you ?
I am surprised at vinaya's remarks. I can say that you are definitely a post graduate at IIT (the story is of B.Techs) or among the 1% muggers.
Well, krithika, the author is not one, who wants to win a Nobel prize in literature. He wants to project his IIT life. He still remembers the days, when he was in college. It's a kind of nostalgia.
Sorry, if any of you are offended. These are just my personal views.
You can reach me at ganeshravi[at] gmail[dot]com.
Cheers
--Ravi
Also, einsteinophile, get back to me on IIT range. What fdo you think, IITians have two horns or something?
Well, all that has changed after the 90's is the attitude toewards studies. We do not study at IIT until the last day of the exam and we have a lot of contempt for our profs, who know nothing.
This book stands out because of its simple language and because it is easy to understand. You do not expect a college story to contain all the big words, do you ?
I am surprised at vinaya's remarks. I can say that you are definitely a post graduate at IIT (the story is of B.Techs) or among the 1% muggers.
Well, krithika, the author is not one, who wants to win a Nobel prize in literature. He wants to project his IIT life. He still remembers the days, when he was in college. It's a kind of nostalgia.
Sorry, if any of you are offended. These are just my personal views.
You can reach me at ganeshravi[at] gmail[dot]com.
Cheers
--Ravi
Well who says that this book doesn't come close to an IITians life. Well believe me , I have spent 4yrs down there and if not a 100% match ..the author did very well in portraying the characters. And again, if you look really close ..then this kinda junta only team up to about 5 - 10% of us. So my feeling is that the author did a great job in portraying only a select group of IITians ..so I would say this is strictly a book meant to be read by ex-IITians ..who could pick on the lighter vein..and definitely not meant for IIT aspirants.
- Vishy
Post a Comment
- Vishy
<< Home
