Generally, you get to hear people saying they don't like Chetan Bhagat's books but I didn't find any reason why I should dislike his latest book One Indian Girl. This is one typical Chetan Bhagat book, with a simple story line, easy to read. Period.
One comment I have heard is that the protagonist, Radhika, stereotypes Indian women. She is just one Indian girl and there are many such young women in this vast country, and Chetan Bhagat has chosen to write about one such woman.
Another comment that I have heard is that she exemplifies the new Indian feminist. That's a term I am not comfortable with simply because I haven't really understood what that means, in spite of the best of my efforts.
Instead, I would say Radhika is typical of the new generation young Indian woman in a big city who has benefited from the comforts and advantages of these modern times to be independent, confident, devoid of inhibitions, determined and persevering to realise her goals in life.
The story is not just about Radhika as a successful banker, but also about Radhika as a woman.
Be it for a man or a woman, the pulls of the mind and the heart can be in the same direction or in different directions. When it is the latter, there is conflict, and life becomes complicated. Radhika summons the strength of her mind to settle a serious dilemma staring at her.
This is the first book where Chetan Bhagat writes as a woman. He said at the Bengaluru Lit Fest that he wasn't confident, and ended up showing the script to about 20 women before publication, and went on to incorporate some of their suggestions. At the end of it all, I don't think it is a bad job at all.
One Indian Girl by Chetan Bhagat
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
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