Book Review: What Young India Wants
Chetan Bhagat, that cheeky chronicler of young India, is back with a compilation of essays and columns and it is titled…What Young India Wants. That sexy SEO-friendly title is sure to get marketers in a tizzy because it pretty much states that Bhagat is about to unlock the secrets of our hopes, desires, dreams and ambitions.
We had hopes for this book, reader. We really did. And even though we didn’t care much for his last book, a fictional novel called Revolution 2020 about our corruption conundrum, we are eternally grateful to the Bhagat machine; that review remains one of this site’s most read posts. Now, with this foray into non-fiction, his first, he showcases his spectacular ability to graze and skim the surface of many a subject (as seen, no doubt, by his countless fans in his weekly columns for The Times of India from where most of these essays have been pulled and air-brushed with minor copy changes).
It is here through sections on society, politics and the youth that Bhagat gives us his opinion on the current state of things, though the book is really less an investigation into what the young ’uns of India want, and more a loosely gathered compendium of Bhagat-isms. That is, wisdom dispensed in the form of chapters that cover everything from education and terrorism to wealth and happiness, with each titled jauntily enough—“Ready For A Spring Cleaning?” goes one; “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” is another—to suggest India’s problems can be wiped out with just a bit of can-do cheeriness and peppering of platitudes.
Details, shmetails. Bhagat clearly could not be bothered to delve beneath the surface, and such is the beauty of his fast-flowing ruminations—that most politicians are greedy scums of the earth for instance or that our education system needs a serious overhaul—that they reflect popular sentiment broadly enough to elicit a “me too!” reaction from his readership. In short, if you’re hoping for depth of analysis, we suggest you look elsewhere. With each essay at a page and a half (or two, at the most), there is scant room for exploration of cause and reason, let alone suggesting a logical and viable solution.
Of course, Bhagat doesn’t shy away from offering panaceas of his own curious and callow making. Of the murky dealings between pols and corporates, he states grandly “Our laws need to be amended for corporate disasters” and that “politician-industrialist socialising should not be encouraged”. He is right, of course, but crucially, the how is conveniently missing, the details presumably left to the policy think tanks and wonks that he derides for thinking rather than doing.
The back cover of the book, however, promises answers to such questions as “Why do our students regularly commit suicide?” (the question itself a grammatical non sequitur), and “Why is there so much corruption in India?”, suggesting a decidedly Freakonomics approach to decoding some of modern India’s most perplexing and worrisome issues. But this is not even economics-lite, it’s Bhagat-lite, which is to say, an unnervingly flat offering from a writer whose hallmark is remaining firmly on the surface.
What Young India Wants by Chetan Bhagat, Rupa, Rs140. Buy it from Flipkart.com.
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I still remember the line “Big emotions, dont come from big words” from one night at call centre. I hated reading its because of Chetan Bhagat I started reading novel and now I fell in love with books. I recently read a novel “beaten by Bhagath” By S V Divvaakar. As a fan of Chetan Bhagath I found it pretty funny take on him and it also showed the harsh face of Indian Publishing house.
Pessimism is the worst form of jealousy
Judgement should only be passed When you can help improve the product
Otherwise SHUT THE HELL UP!!!!!!!!!
awesome book yaar , it charged me up !!
its awesome
ab itni badi book kaun padhe
so far i haven’t get chance to read !!! but i waiting frndz
Reading through the comments..
A dozen “ur the rockin sir, i liking your stories”, and one unrelated peddling of the Gita.
‘nnuf said about Chetan Bhagat’s fans..!
hello mounica first read the book and then say those words
ur book look like non ficyious u rock the world sir keep writing
Strictly for ‘Young Indians’, as always.
CB’s are like 2-Min-Maggi culture to me, nothing wrong in it, but don’t try to find good, either.
keep on writing such inspiring novel..u r always a gret inspiration fr the people.. this book is simply awesome.!!
after reading the novel I realize importance of everything in a life of youths.. dat how the problems should be solved!! n we must not commit suicide fr sily reasons..its such an inspirig novel!
which gives a lot of knowledge to learn about our life!!
idid not get the opportunity so far to read thisbook i am curious
i find the book monotonous after a few chapters…. he begins harping the same tune….
I love to read chetan bhagat book but i dont like to ending the story. I would like to keep on reading continuosly….
Think he should stick to ONLY fiction of the floozy kind. He’s part of the “intelligentsia” but really, doesnt quite cut the mark. Having said that, a majority of the “young, rising middle class with high salaries due to IT or Finance jobs, migration-prone” India has simply NO clue as to what the hell is happening around them. Think horses with blinkers on… In fact, strike the “think” part alltogether. Youth in India does not think at all. So for them, this looks like a good beginning. Even if the “What” is answered, we should be grateful to folks like Chetan Bhagat. Unfortunately, “ideation” carries more weight than “execution”, hence, the paucity of people who can answer or even atempt at the “how”, “why”, “when” and “who” bit. What my HRM professor called “Motherhood statements” are more easily churned out. Our loss entirely.
i m really agree with it because this book review has give huge knowledge for our life & how depend our life with people
Hi yes you r right started reading for the first time i find CB book very nice. I have read 3 mistake of my life,Revolution 2020, 2 States all of them are really nice we feel like reading once again.
good one i like it most is it sparks part
anu i agreee
chetan bhagat’s books are awesome
i have read ur books like revolution 2020 n 2 states they are really very nice n interesting sir
chetan tried to bring up some important issues (which is good) but half of the things he presented don make sense at all….!
some points r really good…but…disappointed wid this book a lil…
Whatever is written by Management Gurus are the excerpts from GITA . Nothing is more precious than GITA.
Gita is the mother of all tips which can save you to take correct decisions in uncomfortable time. Once you start practicing GITA ,you may feel like more or less you know every aspects of what is happening and what for is happening and is the answer to all queries like “• “Why do our students regularly commit suicide? “
grt fan of cb….i will read this book also…
another good attempt…..
koi padhe na padhe mein to bilkul nahi padhunga..
Students must read this book. It will motivate them by providing solutions over such issues which can help them to build strong pillars which our country needs desperately.
it is one of d finest book written by CB. Hats off to him
What Young India Wants
Must read book…for all Indians.
i love chetan story because…………………………………………………………………………………….. great stories and command on lines everythink will be inpinged in it
its nice i love dat book
ok..ok.. not bad but i like d question” y do students commite suicide?”
Nayantara I think you need to read the book again. or you have low perception of the reading between the line..
It did what it was meant for … I provoked the thought in my mind, your mind and others as well.. for Change.
i first read five point someone.By this book I really liked the Author Chetan Bhagat.Then I read revolution 2020,What young India Wants and so I wish to read the others because CB is a great author.
Each piece of writing by chetan bhagat has genuinely put an impact on my mind. Wt i truely like is his thought-proving style of writing thts too in the simplest jargon. ‘What young india wants’ is no doubt a sincere effort to wake up the present generation to understant the root cause of country’s impending disaster. The solutions suggested will no doubt prove handy in shaping our nation up upto a good extent. Moreover, what he has appealed is the propitious time has already come to overhaul oureself to respond to the nation with a sense of accountatibility and zeal. Otherwise, we ll ever remain as a banana republic.
truly, its one of those fine books I’ve ever read. The content shows his concern & views about the nation, India. He have provided all the necessary remedies for the corresponding problems.
Just go read it through, I believe you would love it.
i am a big fan of chetan bhagat and respect him very much. he is a good author and motivator. when i started reading hop book at first time , i was so excited and felt happy to see a author like chetan bhagat. now i want to buy a book , what young India wants .
Bullshit…wastage of time only…
If you start reading books for the very first time ,try with CB and then go for the standard books.It is just knowing the art of reading books but not upto the standard.