Source - amazon.in
‘You may not like me too much. One, I make a lot of money. Two, I have an opinion on everything. Three, I have had a boyfriend before. Okay, maybe two.’
‘Now if I was a guy, you
would be okay with all of this. But since I am a girl, these three things don’t
make me too likable, do they?’
‘One Indian Girl’
authored by Chetan Bhagat is a rollercoaster-of-a-story about love, dreams, career,
and feminism in the upcoming and modern India, from a girl’s point of view. Chetan
Bhagat, being a best-selling author, has a knack for engaging the youth with
his content, which is perfectly showcased in this novel.
About The Author
Source - Wikipedia.com
Chetan Bhagat is the
author of six-bestselling novels – Five Point Someone, One Night @ the Call
Center, The 3 Mistakes of My Life, 2 States, Revolution 2020, and Half Girlfriend
– which have sold over millions of copies worldwide, making him cult famous.
By profession, he is
an Indian author, columnist, and YouTuber. TIME Magazine named him one of the
100 most influential people in the world. Fast Company, USA listed him as one
of the 100 most creative people in business globally. Five of his novels have
been adapted into Bollywood movies.
Chetan Bhagat went to
college at IIT Delhi and IIM Ahmedabad, and worked as an Investment Banker for
a decade while knowing deep down that writing was his passion. His works are
mostly focused on youth and its issues. Chetan Bhagat has always tried to give
a voice to youngsters through his words; gaining him the popularity he has.
A Girl’s Point
of View
It is always
interesting to read what a man has to say from a girl’s point of view. That is
the first thing to make this book an interesting read. One Indian Girl gives a
raw and unapologetic view of everything through a girl’s eyes.
Starting from conventional
beauty standards to social expectations from a girl, the author has addressed
almost everything in this work of his. The readers, especially young girls,
might feel a connection with the protagonist of the story – Radhika Mehta.
Radhika Mehta –
The Plot Herself
While some books tend
to carry the story through many different characters and viewpoints, Radhika
Mehta, the protagonist tends to carry the whole storyline herself. Most of the
book is about her conversation with herself, trying to reason between her thoughts
and society’s opinions.
Those conversations act
like a bridge between the character and the reader, making the reader feel like
Radhika is talking to him/her. Also, the novel shows no villains or bad guys; characters
are addressed as ‘different’ rather than ‘good’ or ‘bad’. This point makes the
story more relatable and near to real life.
Boxed By The
Society
The story starts at
the point when Radhika is about to get married. But unlike common cold feet, she
is having real doubts about how she is stuck in a mess she doesn’t want to be
in.
The book shows near-to-reality
situations of a typical Indian wedding. The last-minute unavailability of
rooms, welcoming rituals of guests, the bright and beautiful bride, and tensed
parents of the bride. Radhika, on the other hand, feels how unnecessary this is
and societal pressures are what makes all this seem necessary.
A few small and
interesting moments and conversations tend to show the reader the reality of
Indian weddings; the more grand they are, the bigger mess is behind the
curtain.
Following that, the reader
is taken a bit back in time, when Radhika was in college. Radhika, unlike her
big sister, was studious and intelligent. In other words, she was labeled as
the nerd of the family. While her elder sister was popular, pretty, and fit the
conventional standards of beauty by society.
Radhika always felt
no matter how great she performs in her studies, she can never be near her
sister’s stature, let alone outshine her. This tends to communicate that however,
the society is growing in terms of modernity and technology, it still has the same
box in which they expect every girl to fit.
Her Choice – ‘Either’
& ‘Or’
One of the most interesting
concepts showcased in this book was how a girl tends to land up in an ‘either-or’
situation. Simply, she cannot have it all. As the book proceeds toward the end,
the main protagonist takes up this issue and asks to have it all; communicating
the true essence of empowerment.
Looking at her story,
the reader might also be taken back to situations when he/she was asked to make
a choice, even though they could have had it all. The writer communicated how
the conception that one has to always choose is what keeps us from reaching our
full potential.
While the book
revolves around ‘one Indian girl’, the lessons and issues are not gender-specific.
The twists and turns that Radhika goes through might be from a girl’s point of
view, but the reach of it is not exhaustive there.
In the end, anyone
reading this book will be rooting for Radhika as they see a little of
themselves in her.
This book is perfect
for a weekend read if you’re looking for something related to love, drama, dreams,
and feminism, all in one
Overall Rating –
4/5
Written By – Simran Mahon
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