Hello everyone,
This blog is about the research paper which i presented in PPSU - ONE DAY E - INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON CENTRE FOR LANGUAGE STUDIES LANGLIT TEACHING, LEARNING AND INNOVATIONS :Pedagogic issues & Remedies. I made research paper on Exploring the Use of Language in Chetan Bhagat's Selected Works.
Title - "Exploring the Use of Language in Chetan Bhagat’s Selected Novels"
Abstract:-
Literature is a reflection of society is a fact that has been widely acknowledged. Chetan Bhagat is a well-known figure in the world of fiction writing, and he has earned the reputation as a relatable role model for the contemporary Indian youth. His ability to connect with a wide readership sets him apart from many other authors. The themes in his novels often centre around the experiences and challenges faced by young people. He has authored nine highly successful novels and has earned a reputation as a prominent figure in 21st century India, reflecting the changes and developments of the country through his writing. Bhagat has an extraordinary ability to discuss very sensitive aspects on human relationships and religion, diversity and integrity, individuality and liberty, commercialising and corrupting the education system and modern themes of love, politics and corruption. Bhagat is a rising star of the nation who is serving the society through the means of his motivational speeches and the pieces of the art of literature and various articles in newspapers. His characters are modern in terms of values that suits to face the ailments in the modern society. India is a multicultural entity having people from all creeds, cultures and different tastes of values facing modern life challenges. This research endeavours to examine the prominent themes in the selected novels of Chetan Bhagat, providing an intriguing insight from an Indian perspective. The focus of this study is to examine the prominent themes in the selected works of Chetan Bhagat, and to understand the reasons behind his status as a bestselling author in India. Through an in-depth analysis of his novels, the study aims to shed light on the elements that have captivated a wide readership and garnered a large following of fans. This research, limited to Bhagat's selected works, is significant in uncovering the secrets behind his literary success.
Key Words ; Chetan Bhagat, Studies in Linguistic, Popular, Youth
Introduction:-
This paper is focused on the reading of the themes and use of language in Chetan Bhagat’s selected novel, and also about the fact that is why his novel is so popular in the digital era. Chetan Bhagat is a popular Indian author known for his novels that explore various themes such as love, friendship, and the struggles of the Indian middle class. His writing style is characterised by its simplicity and relatable nature, making it popular among a wide range of readers. A study of Bhagat's selected novels would likely involve an analysis of the language used in his books, including the use of colloquial language, imagery, and symbolism. This study also investigates the way Bhagat utilises language to communicate the central themes and messages in his novels. Bhagat is credited with having written five bestselling books, including "Five Point Someone," "One Night @ the Call Center," "The 3 Mistakes of My Life," "2 States," and "Revolution 2020: Love, Corruption, Ambition." The study takes into account the evolution of Indian Writing in English, from its origins during the British Raj to its present-day form. The research aims to highlight the remarkable progress made in this field.Chetan Bhagat is renowned for his depiction of reality in modern-day Indian society. Each of his works addresses social issues and unethical behaviour that hinder personal growth and development, as well as that of the broader society. As an Indian author, Bhagat has used fiction to bring to light the struggles and realities of contemporary Indian culture. Through his writing, he sheds light on the problems that exist and inspires readers to think critically about these issues. Bhagat delves into various aspects of Indian life, including its culture, challenges, and language, and provides a unique perspective on the experiences of the younger generation. He has become a prominent figure in the realm of fiction writing and is often referred to as a role model for the current generation of young Indians. Bhagat's reputation as a bestselling author of popular literature has made him a household name, both in India and around the world. Through his writing, he captivates audiences and inspires a deep appreciation for the complexities of Indian society. Bhagat's unprecedented success can be attributed to the resonance of his work with the young, middle-class population of India. His use of language, which is accessible and relatable to a reader base not familiar with Indian fiction, has allowed him to reach a wider audience. Only a few authors have managed to connect with such a diverse group of readers, and Bhagat's unique voice has made a lasting impact. The originality of his content is what sets Bhagat apart, as readers often feel as though they are experiencing their own stories through his writing. This connection to the reader has played a significant role in his success and enduring popularity. He is a phenomenon that has affected everybody, touched everybody’s life. Chetan Bhagat projects his readers’ viewpoints in his writings. He has always tried to touch upon something new in his writings. His writings have always been close to reality and presented a true picture of life in India. He has always expressed himself in a way that is understood by all and every generation can connect itself to it. His thoughts are worded in such a skillful way that they are understood by readers instantly. It has been one of the major reasons why his writings have captured the minds of the younger generation. Though he has written a handful of books, he has touched upon a variety of subjects from life at a call centre, secularism, pressure in today's education system, inter-community marriages, campus life, corruption, Job issues and many more. He has a large number of admirers all over the world. His novels have been translated into several Indian and foreign languages. He deals with the religious, cultural and educational issues of India. He portrays various religious communities with their clashes, cultures with their different ways of conduct and ever changing educational system. We find the view of Chetan Bhagat on religion, culture and education in his novels which are thought-provoking. Chetan Bhagat gives more value to life than anything else. To him life is for enjoyment not for repression. He feels that since human life is limited, seeking pleasure is not a sin. We cannot see this with other writers. They focus on the suffering and helplessness of the people. Bhagat manifests the untiring efforts of his characters to come out of the slough of melancholy. He portrays his men and women as the true revellers of human life and also we find that he always takes the side of the Young generation instead of the old generation. A study of Bhagat's selected novels would involve an analysis of the language used in the books, including the use of colloquial language, imagery, and symbolism in the novels -One Night @ the Call Center,
The Girl in Room 105
Attraction of writing style in Chetan Bhagat’s Books:-
Bhagat’s writings display the ambition of the youth, mixed with fears and tinged with tears. His men and women observe morality in the warm heartedness of human relations. They are epicureans in nature. They believe success comes to those who crave for practicability not for mugginess in life. Bhagat puts stress on the liberty of women. His female characters believe in absolute, perfect, pure and noble freedom. Hence Bhagat has purposefully employed a youth calling approach in his novels. For Chetan Bhagat, life is more valuable than anything else. Chetan Bhagat discusses a variety of social issues in his fictional discourse. His thematic concerns are undoubtedly multi-dimensional. All the novels of Chetan Bhagat depict a metropolitan reality that the young generation is more in favour of love marriages than in arranged ones. His novels depict an urban culture that the youngsters are more in favour of love marriage than arranged ones. Bhagat depicts life for enjoyment not for repression. Chetan Bhagat, since he comes from elite institutions, is probably more intelligent and sophisticated than his critics and may have consciously adopted a more free-going style to reach the masses. The topics he chooses are invariably the ones that a typical Indian middle class youth would associate with.
In the last few decades, books have been written in miscellaneous genres. Amitav Ghosh’s fiction, Salman Rushdie’s magic realism stories, Shashi Tharoor’s analysis on Indian civilization, Nehru, India of past and India of future marked unbound thoughts of a writer. Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things and Siddharth Dhanvant Shangvi’s The last Song of Dusk read stories of new age Indian life –love, sex and tragedy. The two books deal with stories of happiness and unhappiness, of people wanting to live in virtue but how they eventually succumb to violation.
Today there is a great awakening and a host of writers, male as well as female, are contributing significantly to life and literature by interrogating and exploring their society and even their own life. Latest to arrive on this horizon of realism is Chetan Bhagat. Chetan Bhagat began his journey as a writer in 2004 with Five Point Someone after graduating from IIT Delhi in 1995, and IIM Ahmedabad in 1997. He represents the new generation of writers of Indian writings in English about a mass of people living in highly urbanised settings, enjoying indefinite modern facilities and facing the pressure of hyper fast, competition-oriented life at one and the same time.
One Night @ the Call Center:-
In this novel Chetan Bhagat tries to elevate the human predicaments with a group consisting of six characters: Shyam Mehra, Varun Malhotra, Priyanka, Esha Singh, Radhika Jha and Military Uncle, all these six characters have chosen the profession at a call center for their needs and fulfillments. The narration of the novel starts with a prologue, while the writer is on a train journey from IIT Kanpur to Delhi where he meets a beautiful girl. She gives the stuff for his second novel One Night @ the Call Center with a simple story line! six characters - working in a call center receive a phone call from God. Though it seems to be simpler, the story line has so many inner complexities with each character.
The main story of the novel One Night @ the Call Center revolves around the six characters during the span of one night. The story starts with the scene when the characters are trapped in a crisis of death. They are discussing the horrible situation of their dead bodies. their description goes beyond their expectations, the vultures might have eaten their eyes and their body parts etc. This serious conversation happens between Vroom and Esha, and then the chapter is left over to its continuation with the flashback story of the novel. The reasons for this terrible crisis are narrated in the story.
All the six characters have been struggling with their obligations. They work in a call center "Connexions" located in the outskirts of the city Gurgaon. Their bay's name is Western Appliances Strategic Group (WASG); when they receive the phone calls from America for them they have to reply politely in an American accent. The story comes to us through the narration of the protagonist Shyam, who seems to be in fear and frustrations with terrible nightmares. In fact he doesn't like this call centre job, the only reason for his commitment is to get a better salary. He is ambitious to become a team leader but his boss Bakshi avoids with his conspiracy. So Shyam hates his boss as he always criticises and degrades him and opines he has to develop skills, he calls him go-getter. When Priyanka, his former girlfriend, gets a proposal of marriage from an NRI Ganesh; Mr. Microsoft, Shyam becomes upset. Priyanka's decision to marry a rich person makes him frustrated and comments, 'Girls are strategic Moreover, he has some inferiority complex as he is a call centre executive which is a lesser one among his relatives. He always feels insecure and feels himself a black sheep.
The Girl in Room 105
Novel is in the form of narration.The narrator Keshav Rajpurohit, a young IITian, recounts a story to Chatan Bhagat while they travel together on an Indigo flight. The story centres around a young woman named Zara Lone, a Kashmiri Muslim. Keshav first encountered Zara at the Rendezvous Fest at IIT Delhi, where she was a finalist in the Clash of Titans debate competition. Keshav was immediately captivated by her stunning appearance and made an effort to get closer to her. Through his persistence and charm, he ultimately succeeded in building a relationship with her. He busied himself to court her and was successful. As Keshav and Zara grew closer, they began dating, enjoying romantic moments together, and even making plans for the future. Keshav took Zara to meet his parents in Alwar, hoping to introduce her into the family. However, his father, Mr. Naman Rajpurohit, a senior member of the R.S.S., and his mother, were heavily prejudiced against Muslims and rejected Zara outright. "Have you lost your mind? You want to marry a Muslim girl?" they exclaimed. Keshav and Zara then approached Zara's father, Safdar Lone, to seek his blessing for their marriage. Unlike Keshav's parents, Zara had already spoken to her parents about her relationship with Keshav and had mentally prepared them for the possibility of their union. As a result, when the couple met with Zara's parents, the response was not as negative as it had been with Keshav's parents. The outcome of the meeting was that their union would have to proceed "their way." Safdar suggested, "We can do a nikah." Keshav responded, "Whatever." Safdar then added, "We can give you a shahada at a ceremony before or even during the nikah." Keshav was unfamiliar with the term "shahada" and asked for an explanation. Safdar turned to Zara and said, "Your friend doesn't know shahada, yet he loves a Muslim girl." Keshav asked, "Dad, what is this shahada business?" Despite the offer, Keshav ultimately declined, saying, "I can't convert, Zara. Please understand." This turn of events led to a break up between Keshav and Zara. Please understand. The irony in the novel "The Girl in Room 105" begins when Keshav, Zara's ex-boyfriend, finds her dead in her hostel room. Initially, Keshav believes that Zara is simply in a deep sleep and tries to wake her. He then thinks that Zara may be pretending to be asleep in order to spend more time with him. Keshav had previously told Zara, "I love your religion but I can't convert. My parents will kill themselves." This sets the stage for the tragic events that follow. Ironically, it is ensured that she is dead. When the police and then Zara’s father come; they think Keshav and Saurav are her murderers, of course, till then readers know the real fact that these two boys are innocent. This is a dramatic irony used here.
‘Who is Keshav Rajpurohit?’ Inspector Rana said in a rough baritone.
‘I am Keshav, sir,’ I said, extending a hand. He ignored it.
‘You called us?’
‘Yes, sir,’ I said.
‘I found my friend, Zara Lone, dead. Room number 105.’
The security officers looked at me, shocked.
‘Who are you?’
one of the security officers said. ‘A student?’ ‘Ex-student,’ I said. ‘2013 batch. Kumaon hostel.’ ‘2013?’ said the same security officer.
‘What are you doing here now?’
‘I came to visit her,’ I said and added, ‘It’s her birthday.’
‘But how can you come into the girls’ hostel?’ His voice got louder.
Both the boys are taken to House Khas police station where they are treated earlier as criminals but the event ironically turns when Keshav’s politically powerful father, senior RSS leader gets involved there.
‘Your parents called. They are trying to reach you,’ Rana said. His voice seemed calmer than before. …… ‘They are on their way from Alwar. Should be here in a few hours.’ …. ‘This case is big. National news,’ Rana said. …..
Chetan Bhagat‟s has a global theme that is the sense of failure to those young people who reach prestigious educational institutions with the high hopes and dreams to equal and surpass the achievements of students in the US and Europe. The mind of people is also divided into two different directions. One in which they want to have a place in the global world, and on the other side they do not want to surrender to the system. There is no denying fact that Chetan Bhagat in these novels mirror contemporary Indian social- cultural, political, religious and economic structures and substructures. But not only the dominating area there are many other aspects in these novels that present philosophical realities of life. Most of these are man's struggle to find meaningfulness, satisfaction and peace in life. The uniqueness of the fiction writer is that every novel is an island in itself.
According to the International Herald Tribune, Bhagat has touched a nerve with young Indian readers and obtained almost cult status. According to the Bookaholics survey, the most popular author in India was Chetan Bhagat “Most Popular Authors”. This shows the magnitude of Chetan Bhagat not only as a writer but as a person who has influenced a generation through his works. Chetan Bhagat is an efficient craftsman who is well versed in his communication tactics in such a way that he rose to the pinnacle of the most popular authors in India. Hence, Chetan Bhagat's books are taken up for study.
The purpose is solely to amuse readers. By presenting the recent phenomena of day to day life of middle-class people in an engaging manner, Chetan Bhagat has made readers take pleasure in. The plot, character, setting, theme and characterization all follow certain criteria designed exclusively to amuse the reader.
Chetan Bhagat has mostly discovered something new in his works. His written workstyles have constantly centred upon reality and introduced a genuine picture of life in India. Everybody can associate himself/herself to him the way he conveyed what needs be which is seen effortlessly. He introduces his thoughts in an exceptionally basic way in a manner that they are comprehended by readers instantly, this is a noteworthy reason, that the brains of youthful era catch his written work styles and along these lines, he has a colossal fan following.
Chetan Bhagat does not occupy a canonical place, nevertheless, he is what the young Indians are reading at the moment. It is true that he is not a literary writer, but, what is more, important is that he is a successful and popular writer. It is difficult to determine the relationship between what constitutes the popular and what is canonical or to find who ascertains and accords the status of a literary text. When language is only a matter of literary creation, language merits also become important, but the place of reality is also necessary for current trends and practical thinking when the present situation and its questions are presented. Some writers or critics have found that the writing style of Chetan Bhagat is not correct in comparison to other writers, but it is also true that Chetan Bhagat can make a safe place in the mind of his readers.
Any literary work is judged and qualified based on its language, style and story methods. They have been the pointers for the work to be named as "literary" or "commercial". Literary language on one hand, praises verbosity, simplicity is the ornament of the commercial language then again. Chetan Bhagat while writing his works religiously follows the standard of language for commercial fiction. Chetan Bhagat is a highly regarded name in English literature, known for rejecting grandiose writing styles. He places a strong emphasis on the importance of rethinking societal values and writes about India from an authentic, Indian perspective. Bhagat covers a wide range of topics in his work, including the culture, issues, and language of India, and provides a unique window into the lives of the country's young generation.
In short Chetan Bhagat proves that he is the writer of the young generation. He has the capacity to indicate the problems of youth by their mouthpiece characters in his novels. He is the new shining direction for youth by which youngsters felt to read their own stories. Youth and their ambitions, issues of love, attractions, dilemmas of choosing fields of education etc. are the major issues of young people. Chetan Bhagat presented such issues in his novels.
Conclusion:-
So on the off chance that the commercial creators are focusing on youth, at that point they have motivation to do that. In addition, the man alongside his counterparts has demonstrated his technique right and the publishing business is seeing a blast. As far back as Bhagat came into the writing scene the publishing business has been revolutionised from numerous points of view. Today, India is the third-biggest distributor of English language books. Chetan Bhagat has developed young generations in India that can read and write English. He has developed a flashy taste of reading among them. His readers feel comfortable with Bhagatised fiction and want to read more of that. The authors of their style may defend themselves that they are preparing the readers for literary fiction. The writing style, the theme of the story and the art of story-telling have all been changing with time. And with the new age writers gaining popularity, interest to pick up a pen and writing has become more widespread than ever. Maybe a decade later, we will have a set of new writers with new writing art altogether. “Chetan Bhagat is, of course, not a literary writer. But more importantly he is a successful and popular writer.
References
Bhagat, C. (2006). One night @ the call center. Rupa & Company.
Bhagat, C. (2018). Girl in Room 105. Amazon Publishing.
Dr. Aju Aravind. (2011, June). Representation of Terrorism in Indian Graphic Novel. Representation of Terrorism in Indian Graphic Novel, II(II). https://www.the-criterion.com/V2/n2/June2011.pdf
Dr. T. Deivasigamani, A. G. a. (2018, March 18). Social Imbalance in Chetan Bhagat’s Revolution 2020 and One Night @ the Call Center. Social Imbalance in Chetan Bhagat’s Revolution 2020 and One Night @ the Call Center. http://www.languageinindia.com/march2018/auseminar1/gayathrisocialimbalancechetanbhagat1.pdf
Jayan, P. (2015, December). Communication, New Media, and Popularity of. Communication, New Media, and Popularity of Chetan Bhagat’s Books among Youth, 02(6).
Mishra, A. (2017, March). LITERARY ANALYSIS OF WRITING STYLES AND THEMES IN THE NOVELS OF CHETAN BHAGAT. LITERARY ANALYSIS OF WRITING STYLES AND THEMES IN THE NOVELS OF CHETAN BHAGAT, V(III). https://www.academia.edu/32500238/LITERARY_ANALYSIS_OF_WRITING_STYLES_AND_THEMES_IN_THE_NOVELS_OF_CHETAN_BHAGAT
Sareen, R. (2015, November). Themes in Chetan Bhagat Novels. 2(11). http://ijetsr.com/images/short_pdf/1448950689_213-216_TSMI325_ijetsr.pdf
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