The Lost Symbol - Dan Brown

Impressed at the kind of information that was put into this book and the way it is put across.

Slow start, but good one, loads and loads of astonishing information about known things - go for it only if you are a Dan fan .

Bravo Dan, for the effort put in compiling this book.

2 States: The Story of My Marriage - Chetan Bhagat

5 Point Someone (released in 2004) is a cult book for the average Indian reader who sees a book as a medium of relief rather than a machine for time travel. There have been plenty of books which have tried desperately to cash in on its success, so much so that IITs have become the background for numerous books (Mediocre but Arrogant, Anything For You Ma'am and more recently Above Average). Such was the popularity of this book that when Chetan Bhagat released his next two books One Night @ Calling Center (2005) and 3 Mistakes of My Life (2008), they were unfairly compared to this book and labeled as failures (relatively, the author and the publishers laughed their way to banks is a different story). So the expectations of this new book 2 States: The Story of My Marriage were huge and the best part is, it lives up to these expectations and perhaps even surpasses them!

     The strength of the author is not his lucid style of writing but his ability to make even the most frustrating moments in life seem funny and this is exactly the USP of this book. The characters in this book are the ones we easily identify with and we relate to their trials and tribulations. As usual, the protagonist of the book is a male just like every other book of Chetan Bhagat but the pleasing part is the girl is not a supporting character of the story anymore and is an integral part of the story. The story is unofficially the sequel to 5 Point Someone because there are numerous references to the earlier story. The highlight of the book is not the humor used in generous amounts throughout the journey but for the basis on which the story is constructed - Cultural misunderstandings in our cosmopolitan society.

     For ages, there has been an invisible veil between the north and the south of India. Both have a baggage of preconceived notions about each other and most of them are, of course, not true. The author uses this as the underlying foundation for the story. There are stereotypical characters of each culture and the clash of these cultures is shown with hilarious consequences (for the reader, not the protagonist). Love marriages in India though more widely accepted now than before are still a major hassle for the people who go through it. But if the couple happen to be from as different cultures as Punjabi and Tamilian, then you know its an uphill task for the couple. No two cultures are perhaps more misunderstood than these two and the fact that these two cultures are in stark contrast to each other in terms of their lifestyles, makes it more vulnerable for them to be prejudiced.

     There are hilarious descriptions of Delhi and Chennai, the unofficial capitals of these two cultures (Delhi for Punjabi and Chennai for Tamilian cultures respectively, clarifying for people who know more about the dung beetle insect in Africa than their neighbors in the apartment). It is not easy to outdo something like 5 Point Someone but somehow, the author has managed to do that by picking up a subject which is more universal than the education system of the country (again subjective, the assumption comes from the fact that more people relate to a couple trying hard to convince their parents to give their consent for their marriage than to see a guy struggle in IIT). 

     This book is screaming to be exploited as a film, though the quality of the outcome depends on the film maker. But that is looking into the future too soon. If you haven't read the book already, take time out to go through it. Regular readers can finish it in half a day but the number of times you laugh would be enough to make your stomach ache. It is by far one of the best books I ever read though my personal favorite will still be 5 Point Someone, more for personal reasons than the quality of its storyline. This is worth its every penny and is a welcome break from books like Above Average which make you feel disgusted for your own existence for having read such books! 

     On a more serious concluding note, you don't need to know Carnatic music or Bhangra to respect the emotions of these cultures. Every culture in the country plays a major role in shaping who we are and if we are only a bit more sensitive than the annoying guy in my office who talks so loud on the work phone that we know the make of the bathroom fittings of his home and the number of times the carpenter has visited him to fix the creaking door of his bedroom (I even know the name of the nephew of this guy in my office who is in BITS Pilani and has had constipation problems on his trip to Goa last month! He gave his pearls of wisdom in consolation saying what goes in must come out. I was never more disgusted with Bell for inventing the telephone than that day), we will be more adept in understanding the feelings of the other person. Give the book a read, you might become more sensitive towards others. I even smiled at the irritating guy of my office last week :)
-- Rj