One Indian Girl by Chetan Bhagat- is a contemporary story about a girl with all she needs at her fingertips but a loving companion. Her goal is to find a loving soul partner, which she accomplishes after having a few affairs.
After “2 States” and “Half-Girlfriend,” which I read around a year and a half ago, I didn’t read Chetan Bhagat for quite some time, not intentionally. Just got involved with other books, but deep down, it was always in the back of my head that I had to explore more of Chetan Bhagat’s works, and this is the one I picked!
This book is simple yet intriguing. The narration is told from a woman’s perspective. Despite the story appearing straightforward and expected, its conclusions cannot be taken seriously in contemporary society, when hedonism is prioritized over love and other values.
Let’s learn more about this book. I want to term it one of the most connective books ever.
Book Review | One Indian Girl by Chetan Bhagat
About the Author
Chetan Bhagat
Chetan Bhagat is an Indian novelist, columnist, and YouTuber born on April 22, 1974. In 2010, Time magazine listed him among the top 100 most influential people in the world. Film versions of five of his books have been produced. Bhagat grew up in a traditional Punjabi Hindu home. He attended the Army Public School in Dhaula Kuan for his education.
His love of writing first took hold throughout his time in school. He used to contribute essays to the school literary journal, which brought him great joy to have his name listed as a writer. In the years to come, he was inspired to write more. Bhagat earned a B.Tech. in Mechanical Engineering with a 9+ point average from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi in 1995.
Bhagat continued on to the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIMA), where he eventually earned a 1997 Master of Business Administration in marketing. He received the “Young Alumni Achiever’s Awards 2018” from IIMA in Art & Entertainment in June 2018.
In 1998, Chetan wed Anusha Suryanarayan. He met her at IIM when they were both in college. One of his works, “2 States,” was inspired by his real-life love story. Shyam Bhagat and Ishaan Bhagat are their twin sons.
Book Overview | One Indian Girl by Chetan Bhagat
Full Title: One Indian Girl
Author: Chetan Bhagat
Genre: Fiction
Publishing Date: October 1, 2016
Page Count: 280
Main Characters: Radhika Mehta, Brijesh Gulati, Aditi, Avinash, Neel Gupta
Themes: Feminism, Female Friendships, Love Relationships, and Workplace sexism.
Setting: The story opens with Radhika finalizing the details of her wedding to Brijesh Gulati, a software developer for Facebook based in San Francisco. Later, she described herself as an intellectual, reserved, and nerdy girl from a middle-class family who spent her early years in Delhi.
Description:
This week, Radhika Mehta will get married. She is employed by the investment bank Goldman Sachs. She had two previous boyfriends, makes a lot of money, and has an opinion on everything. Now, one might be okay with it if all of this applied to a guy. Nevertheless, given that she is a girl, these three characteristics don’t endear her to you, do they?
Book Summary | One Indian Girl by Chetan Bhagat
Radhika Mehta is an accomplished woman. She works for Goldman Sachs in New York and makes well over a crore. She is in a relationship with Debashish, one of her coworkers who are cruel but still her boyfriend. Debashish rejects the marriage with her because he thinks one needs a homely and out-of-career kind of girl for marriage and also because he is paid less than her.
As a result, he walks away from her life. She is very career-oriented and totally content in her life. On the other side, Radhika plunges into sadness after having been rejected by Debashish.
Radhika Mehta accepts the transfer to Hong Kong and runs into Neel there. She finds him interesting, but he is about twenty years her senior and is married with two children. She encounters the same rejection as the relationship develops. Depressed enough to leave for another city once more. She is currently in London.
Given that her justifications are valid, Radhika’s mother persistently pursues her for marriage. Radhika is in her thirties, appears unattractive to attract the attention of guys, etc. Ultimately, she agrees to marry Facebook employee Brijesh Gulati on their terms. All the preparations have been made for the marriage, which will take place in Goa.
At the location, the bride and groom show up. She attends the wedding with her two former loves and many other guests. Then, one by one, they each make her a marriage proposal. She cancels the wedding because she is so perplexed by her alternatives for a life mate.
After a few months, Brijesh returns to propose to her and is willing to accept her despite being aware of her prior relationships. She agrees to the marriage and acknowledges him as her real love.
My Takeaway From the Book
This book is the ideal illustration of all the challenges a typical Indian lady must overcome in choosing her career as her life in the modern world, when most of our lives are increasingly career-oriented. The book illustrates the conventional thinking of Indian society, which holds that a girl’s marriage to a man more deserving of her ultimately counts.
All the girls in a society striving to realize Radhika, the book’s protagonist, exemplify their aspirations. Seeing how Radhika could dream big and use her hard work and perseverance to make those dreams come true is motivational. The novel illustrates how she must cope with all of the challenges in her personal life and how they all turn into her own struggles.
It demonstrates how an Indian girl struggles to redress her wrongs while contending with her society. By shattering long-held preconceptions, the book normalizes choosing one’s happiness and peace of mind above all else.
What Did I Think of the Book? One Indian Girl by Chetan Bhagat
I found this book to be mind-blowing and heart-touching. You can relate to it even though you haven’t been through so many heartbreaks and depression-states as Radhika in this book. Once you begin reading it, you can put it down once the book is finished. It has the kind of plot that will compel you to finish it in one sitting.
It’s like watching a light yet interesting and fun movie which you can binge several times, especially when you don’t feel like going through something new.
It is the tale of a woman with a pale complexion. She also encounters a lot of challenges due to the color of her skin. But by joining Goldman Sachs, this woman demonstrated her abilities. A woman from a regular background has elevated herself to the pinnacles of achievement. She handled her connection intelligently as well. Also, Radhika’s feminist outlook is incredibly motivating.
Ratings
This book holds a rating of 4 stars of 5.
Conclusion | One Indian Girl by Chetan Bhagat
So, what do you think? Now you will understand why I praised this book so much in the previous sections of this article.
It is a fantastic book that leaves you with a slight smile at the conclusion, and that is what matters the most. You may ask if one can truly discover inner peace after reading a straightforward account of a girl pursuing her goals and the world around her. This is the tale of a young woman who overcame setbacks.
Have read it before, would read it again! And it would be amazing if you guys read it too!
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