Monday, October 07, 2013

Review: What Young India Wants by Chetan Bhagat

How I came to Know about The Book: I bought this.

Format of The Book: Paperback

Genre: Non-fiction

Length of the Book: 181 pages.

A Short Synopsis: In his latest book, What Young India Wants, Chetan Bhagat asks hard questions, demands answers and presents solutions for a better, more prosperous India.

Why do our students regularly commit suicide?
Why is there so much corruption in India?
Cant our political parties ever work together?
Does our vote make any difference at all?
We love our India, but shouldnt some things be different?
All of us have asked these questions at some time or the other. So does Chetan Bhagat, Indias most loved writer, in What Young India Wants, his first book of non-fiction.

What Young India Wants is based on Chetan Bhagat's vast experience as a very successful writer and motivational speaker. In clear, simple prose, and with great insight, he analyses some of the complex issues facing modern India, offers solutions and invites discussion on them. And, at the end, he asks this important question: Unless we are all in agreement on what it is going to take to make our country better, how will things ever change? Non-fiction If you want to understand contemporary India, the problems that face it, and want to be a part of the solution, What Young India Wants is the book for you.

Review: 
Please note that this review is not written by me. While going through the reviews on this book on Goodreads I came across this review written by Subroto  (to view his profile on GR use the link given) and seriously there was not a single word to which I wanted to disagree. It was so well written and moreover, it says exactly the things I felt while reading the book. Hence, instead of writing a review myself, I opted for posting his on my blog. Here it goes:


"If this book does even 1/10th of the magic of what he has been able to do with his earlier books (brought reading back in fashion for a net addicted generation, inspired hundreds and thousands of indians to write, with his simple straight english reached hinterlands of india where english language reading was scarcely there ) - he would have made a much more significant difference to India than a lot of intelligent thinkers out there. 

This book will be remembered less for the exact solutions he's proposed for the problems of India (many might debate that they are too simplistic and also India is not that simple an animal) but more for what it stands for - his encouraging us to start thinking - and to start thinking in whatever capacity we are and to never stop thinking cos that is to lose hope - lose hope in our country ever getting better and thus letting the problem fester. He encourages us to be impatient and to try and use all juggad one can to solve the problems of this country :) 

Chetan through his own example leaves back a message for us to not just oppose and debate - but to propose a solution - however simple or rudimentary it might sound. He challenges us to have the balls to propose a solution on (as a lot of intellectuals / politicians would call) incomplete knowledge, even as a lot of other supposedly much qualified people (who have themselves not been able to solve it except cry foul and debate) knock you down with study and data. In such times, he makes a case for us to keep looking for solutions in his own inimitable style. 

Some of his own common sensical solutions make you whoop with joy - allow educational institutions to run on a for profit basis to encourage quality educational set up by private entrepreneurs, run a political party where young professionals are paid salaries /stipends so that people aspire to be one, cut defense expenditure by leveraging strategic defense partnership and astute foreign policy and divert those funds for education / health care set up. 

His style of writing remains what many would say high school. Simple sentences. No words for which you need to use the dictionary. It takes some time to get used to it but after some time you start enjoying his simplicity. Most appealing about this book is the part where he on his own confesses that he may not be right about whatever he's stating here - that's not the intent. There could always be many solutions to a problem. All he's saying is that lets not in all our analysis paralysis forget that the problem exists. Don’t let it drag to its own death or be pushed by another bigger problem. Debate is good for college hall rooms and year long research and theses are better suited for phd students - not to take decisions for a billion strong country. 
Chetan Bhagat haters be damned - I totally loved this book and will recommend it to each and every young man and woman I meet!"


Rating: 


My Reaction: 


No comments:

Post a Comment