I was brought up in an environment where there were not many voracious readers. Reading is a habit which not many Indians prefer (that is what the statistics suggest). “Listening to music”, “Watching movies”, “Surfing the net” is what one would find next to the Hobbies section of an average Indian CV. Personally I did not have an inborn penchant for reading. Till the tenth grade I could count the number of books I have read on my fingers. Some of them were a part of the ICSE syllabus.
I was sent to kota for IIT-JEE preparation. Kota was a heterogeneous town drawing students from all parts of the country. I met some guys who quintessentially belonged to the “Reading class”, connoisseurs of fine books. I did not have much to contribute to their discussions so I preferred scribbling expletives on classroom desks. Sometime in the middle of first year I was told about a book (by a member of NON-“Reading class”) which was a must-read for all IIT aspirants. Ironically it had a tagline “What NOT to do in IIT”. It was the “IN-thing” and had cult following similar to the “Sutta” song which was another prerequisite for IIT preparation. I succumbed to peer pressure and bought my copy of Five-Point-Someone (Popularly known as FPS). I let go of the DPP (Daily Practice Problems AKA daily pending problems) and started reading FPS. Due to my tardy reading speed it took me two days to finish it. It was a wonderful read. It was like my best buddy narrating a story to me. I was fascinated by the way in which CB described things which usually loiter in our minds but usually went unmentioned or spoken. One good book has the ability to usher you into a new world. I was looking forward to read more books. I suggested people to read FPS and also asked for their suggestions.
One fine day I met one of my “Reading Class” friends. I shared my experience with him. He remained indifferent and said “good for you”. Further he criticised the book, saying the author didn`t know proper English and lacked literary finesse. It infuriated me, I felt like dedicating all my scribbling work on the desk to him. What beleaguered me the most is that people and critics refused to acknowledge him as an author. The man had the talent to be able to connect to so many people. Despite of all these criticism CB`s book enjoyed an ubiquitous presence in all possible book outlets and remained the best seller in charts ousting big-shot NRI writers from the number one position. His books brought a wave of change. It marked the creation of many first time novel readers like me. It connected with people and people were able to relate their lives with the characters of the book. He became the lodestar to many aspiring writers who can now dream of writing a book.
Many Indian authors have published their books lately, some of them as young as 17. I have not read all of them but have heard really good reviews about some. But I am happy that at least the trend is changing. A WSJ survey reveals that Indians opted for stories which are based on India. And that is exactly what some of these Lo-cal writers write about. Rashmi Bansal`s “Stay Hungry Stay Foolish” is a delightful read. “Immortals of Meluha” by Amish Tripathy is another best-seller. Writing was a profession that was not very popular in our country but the equation is changing rapidly. It is a welcome change. Easy reading books will attract people who do not have significant command over the language. They will look forward to books of similar genre and gradually might adapt to books of higher literary content. The Publication houses have also undergone a sea of change. First time writers are no longer underestimated instead seen as potential bestsellers. Moreover, the number of publication houses has also increased who are willing to take risks and promote new talents. Apart from the intelligentsia of the reading fraternity the average Indian reader is also proving to be a lucrative market segment.
Since FPS I have read considerable number of books (I can no longer count the number on my fingers at least!). But Chetan Bhagat remains one of my favourites. I like reading his column in TOI (which had once published a scathing article on the Author`s writing) that deal in serious matters. Next time you visit a book store remember the old adage "Do not judge a book by it`s cover" and also consider not judging it by its author. You never know what it might have in store for you.
