Is he an author, a critic, or a ‘corporate’ guy searching for meaning? He is all that, and three things more. Whether you laud or lambast him, Chetan Bhagat has won some Indian hearts with his naukri-chokri stories and algorithms
Introduction To the Secret Life of Chetan Bhagat
Allegedly his novels appeal only to the first-time reader.Allegedly, his columns—criticised almost ritualistically by the English press for being too simplistic—are typically for readers who are firsttime entrants into the arena of socio-political and public discourses, newbies still searching for ‘direction’ and attempting to ‘negotiate’ a country that is hard to thrive in. Allegedly, he does not have a clue about real India. All this ‘alleged’ talk, Chetan Bhagat both accepts and dismisses with a nod. Then breaks into a grin and says, “I really do not care what others think. I am my own critic.” There is a niggling thought, he might actually not...care, i.e.
This life and identity of his—a writer—came at a price (instability). It was a gamble he took in 2000 and worked hard to not lose. For whatever reasons, the gamble paid out. So, no one, not even the fiercest critic, can take all that hard work, and the sheer magic of formulaic writing, away from Chetan Bhagat. In 2000, Bhagat was living what he labels the “perfect NRI life”. He had just landed a great job at an overseas bank, had married his long-time sweetheart (fellow Indian Institute of Management classmate) after a familial battle of sorts, and he was living in one of the most exciting cities in the world (Hong Kong) that, too, in a “sea-facing apartment”. Things were picture perfect. Only it didn’t feel thus. “I remember taking a post-dinner walk in the park one night and thinking to myself, is this it? Is this all my life is ever going to be? I had seen a documentary on ‘human life’ which said to be happy, we needed goals. I had met my goals. In fact, for 10 years before that night, that was all I had worked for. I needed a new set (of goals). I gave this one (writing) to me. I decided to write.” Bhagat was to write about these goals much, much later in Times Of India columns. They were to be clubbed as the naukri-chokri equation; which he pegged as the universal aspiration of the youth.
However, a question remains; why of all professions in this big, bad world, did Bhagat choose one that took that much effort and yielded so little reward?
Bhagat confesses that the writing bug had bitten long ago—in junior school. The first piece he had penned was a modest joke. It was printed in the first edition of the Army Public School Magazine. The two to three lines were signed off by his name—Chetan Bhagat, Class IV(A).
“Those were the days when print outs were expensive, there was little internet interference. And so, seeing your name in print was rare. I saw my name in print for the first time. I must have been 10 or 11 years old. Can you imagine seeing your name in print? Your own name on paper,” he says with a childlike smile which reaches his eyes.
Fortunately, I can agree it is one high (and high it is, as there are no other words to describe the joy of see-ing one’s byline for the first time) which is unparalleled. From then on he became a regular contributor.
While the middle-class family’s stereotypical product (his words, not mine) pursued a meaningful (read; financially viable) career path, there was a secret life of Chetan Bhagat which was running parallel. Throughout school and college, he continued to write. In college, he introduced a newsletter, wrote for the college magazine, and most importantly, wrote skits and plays on behalf of his House. People who knew him should have sniffed out a bit of that genius genie right then.
It seems that as the IIM youth, Chetan Bhagat, had a pretty strong reading of what his audience wanted. “I needed to entertain, that was the end game. If your play wasn’t entertaining then there was a strong possibility that the audience from other Houses (IIT residences) would pelt you with rotten fruits. They would always try to heckle you. As a writer my job was to put bits and pieces of our shared lives in skits and plays, keep my peers connected to the play so much so that it became more fun to watch the show than disrupting it. My style and intent remains the same; I wish to keep my readers’ attention hooked.”
And boy, is he good at that task! Bhagat’s books are everywhere, in every region of this diverse country of ours. Bhagat has changed how the Indian youth perceive Indian English writing since Five Point Someone first came out in 2004. His fans are part of a demographic which includes (a mind bogglingly diverse group of) people across regions, age groups, and different educational qualifications. His novels have sold six million copies overall. And a larger portion of pirated copies have proliferated. He has done to India’s reading habit what a J.K. Rowling managed to do with the children (and some adults) across the world. He is universal. He is ubiquitous.
Seems that Bhagat has managed to do something that writers who followed in his wake, failed to do; he managed to uncover the one big secret of writing, an universal formula for page-turners.
The Revenge of the Popular Indian Writer
“In May 2014, it would be 10 years since Five Point Someone came out. A lot of publishers rejected the book outright. Even when it was published, it wasn’t an overnight sensation. It took a year or year-and-a-half for it to get traction. It was a different era of Indian English writing. There were literary writers, who are still out there, but at that time they were dominating the scene. A lot of people who knew that I was getting into popular English fiction writing warned me. They said that my ‘fancy’ would be the death of me. But I grew from book to book. Then I branched into films. Finally, a strange thing happened. Today, I have a whole set of readers who have never touched a book written by me but have read my columns. They possibly subscribe to the newspaper, they react and comment when I write. My political views, whether they are right or wrong, is leading to more visibility.”
Ten years is a long time; does he still possess the magic wand that allows him to connect to the Indian youth?
“It is getting harder. When I was younger it was so much simpler because I belonged. I don’t anymore—I am going to be 40 soon. It is not easy to enter the mind of an 18 or 20 year old, especially since generations are changing faster nowadays. At the same time there is that confidence. I have done it five times before this, you know,” he says with a smile.
Bhagat might fancy himself to be “older” now, but he keeps the certain nervous energy of the youth, especially when it comes to his process of writing. He admits that at a singular point in time there are hundreds of ideas buzzing around his head, those which can potentially lead to hundreds of page turners. However, not all of them manage to excite him. The one that does, is the keeper. Once the idea is there, it is followed by back-breaking, exhaustive research. For Revolution 2020, Bhagat met private education leaders, college owners, and vice chancellors, to have endless discourses on the private, higher education space in India. Honest writing requires elbow grease. “The internet is a big help,” he admits.
But how does the average day in this prolific writer’s life go? Well, there are no average days anymore.
“I am afraid that I might have diluted myself by taking on too many things. But I confess, when I write, like I am doing right now, I focus completely on the process of writing. I don’t do any interviews, media appearances or talks. In fact, we debated the possibility of this interview for a long time. I become a recluse and start by retreating into a shell. One of my favourite places to write is the library at India International Centre, New Delhi. At a library you can find people reading. When you start wondering what the hell are you doing when no one else cares about books as much as you do, you need a library.”
His other favourite writing retreat is Goa. surprise me. He promptly picks and confesses that The Three Mistakes of My Life is the he is proud of. It wasn’t a “conventional Chetan Bhagat book”.
It was a departure from the usual Bhagat formula; there was friendship and romance, but it dealt with bigger issues. Recently, he collaborated with film director Abhishek Kapoor to make Kai Po Che; a silver screen version. The film put the spotlight on three Indian obsessions; cricket, business and politics. The film was an instant hit.
“I am very happy that I did it. It involved a lot of research. I am not an avid cricket fan, so I had to read up about the cricket bit and the politics...”
Not only the research bit, writing it required subtlety and a bit of courage. The book dwelt quite a bit on the Godhra train incident and its aftermath, quite the task for any writer let alone one who is accused of playing it “rather too simple” for everyone’s taste.
If he took a look around, he would find less people reading. But a whole lot of remaining readers are picking his books up. At the risk of sounding like a parrot—the ubiquitous and universal Chetan Bhagat.
My statement elicits an embarrassed thank you and quick change of topic. “When I am in the middle of writing, I try to set targets, finish a certain number of pages. I write in the morning or noon, till the time my kids are at school.”
“I can tell you that the process of writing is getting harder because of the mounting pressure. I know the stumbling blocks, however, I let the anxiety get to me. It’s like millions of people are going to read my book and there will be millions of different opinions. When the pressure mounts within I have to wait for it to subside. It leads to performance anxiety. (laughs) I still don’t feel like I’ve written five books which have been well received. In a way it’s great! I write as if it is my first time, every time.”
I put before him the hardest task of them all. Choose between your five babies and he manages to “I didn’t know that anyone would actually make a movie of it. But I believe the best is yet to come. Now, when I look back, I see that I could have done so much better.”
The Best Is Yet to Come
Pray but what is ‘better’ for him? A moment’s pause and he acknowledges that it is indeed a difficult answer.
“Just the writer being in control of the story, of his craft, that finesse cultivated over time; if I had all that, I would call it better. Right now, for me, better would be a story that is poignant, moving. I feel that I still hold back, I don’t let my characters feel enough or honestly enough. There is a time when I need to let my heart decide what to do rather than the head. It shouldn’t matter if the books sell 20 per cent less than usual. I seem to have this technique, this critic within me that holds me back. I need to throw all caution to the wind when I write. May be that would be better?”
“I don’t need more money. It is not practically possible for a writer to be more famous. So what is that I want? Or what do I have to lose? Why am I holding myself back? In a way I am greatly excited about my next book. It will be a different Chetan writing it. Either it will be beautiful or it would be horrible; at this point I do not know. I don’t want to be slotted in.”
Slotted and Fitted
The talk about Kai Po Che leads on to the two recent controversial Bhagat columns; one on Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, and another written on behalf of the Muslim youths. For the former he has been slammed as being a ‘right winger’ and a ‘Modi sycophant’. For the latter, a ‘majoritarian’. There are whispers that he might have joined the Modi coterie.
“People feel comfortable when they can put people into little pigeon-holes. It is easier for them to understand. I am pro-capitalism, proentrepreneurship, and pro-business. That way yes, I am right of centre. If I am being called a ‘right wing person’ because some people perceive me as ‘extra Hindu’ then that label frankly makes me uncomfortable. Here are some things that I will confirm. We need a to have a fair poll, a solid contest. We need to cast our vote. We need to come to a decision. We need to choose. And remember, because I cast vote for a person or party, it does not show complete abidance to either a party or a person. All I am trying to do, is connect the youth to politics. I am not endorsing anyone. I am using my ability to connect to India’s youth to talk of politics. Isn’t it time it got more attention than Bollywood? I did write The Three Mistakes of My Life, I did collaborate on Kai Po Che, and I did speak positively of a politician’s administrative rule.
“All three are me but I am on nobody’s side. My neutrality is my biggest strength. I am not going to be bullied by the so-called liberals who espouse that I have to hate Modi to be a liberal. Forgive me, I don’t love or hate political figures. I don’t think they are worth so much of my emotion,” he says quietly.
As we talk of the most conscientious issue of the afternoon, Bhagat remains strangely non-agitated.
He asks me to drink up my tea and pushes the cup-and-saucer towards me, along with the biscuits. He takes a break in between to change into a brighter blazer and shirt; yes, we have a demanding photographer. He informs me that his in-laws are from Calcutta, and that he has visited the city on a number of occasions.
Yes, Aamir Khan lives in the building behind his. Yes, he has to finish his TOI column by today and then attend a book launch; would I like to come if I am free? All the time, albeit impeccably dressed, he remains completely, utterly barefooted. When I comment that he is the first barefooted celebrity I have interviewed, he wiggles his toes and laughs as his child.
There are bits in Bhagat that are disarmingly simple. His answers swing from insecured to arrogant. He plays down his celebrity status by being there—totally and hundred per cent—while the interview is on. He makes insightful statements and then dismisses them. Bhagat may have found the secret formula to page-turners, but I am beginning to wonder whether anyone would be able to solve the puzzle that is Bhagat.