2 States - An excellent light read

Chetan Bhagat is in the limelight for all reasons good and bad, and his book 2 states is probably getting the benefit of the publicity. I recently purchased the book from the online store flipkart.com from a superb price of 65 rupees, and for the price, it was worth every penny and minute I spent reading it.



I was surprised to see the book being lambasted in various online forums and popular review blogs. Some accused Bhagat of trying to write a bollywood script rather than a book. I don't think he had the Pulitzer or the Nobel in mind either. He remains true to the sensibilities of his fan base and has produced an amazing almost thrilling masala novel. It is great fun to read! Not only does it throw light on the state of relationships in business schools, but also sheds light on the placement process, though it is subtle. Yes there are millions of aspirants in the country who will read this book only because they wish to be associated with the IIT or IIM tag in their academics. I see nothing wrong with that, and it is no reason to critique the author just because he segmented his customers well! There is a market out there and he is capitalizing on their aspirations and dreams by selling them a fantasy. Its business!

He is not the first or only author to use his life at IIM to target a popular segment. He is obviously the most successful, and he is inspiring a generation of literary minds who did not take writing as a serious vocation a few years ago!

I suggest everyone should read this book, not only those associated with IIMs, but every Indian to realize the futility of our biases. The 'Madrasi' tag is a reality, and so is the binging Punjabi stereotype. We all have our quirks, but that we think we are right and the others are wrong. In fact the "We" and "other" categorization itself shows the biases that reside inside us, and this book makes you smile at your own foolishness and narrow mindedness.