2 States is yet another bestseller by Chetan Bhagat, the author of Five Point Someone, One Night @ the Call Center and 3 Mistakes of My Life. Although similar to his other works in that the story follows events in the writer’s life, 2 States gets that little more personal as Bhagat opens up on the story of his marriage.
Krish is a Punjabi boy brought up in Delhi while Ananya is a Tamil Brahmin from Chennai. Even today, inter-cultural marriages are not supported by many people in India. The book draws on this theme by exploring how this couple had to convince everyone of their love and fight for their happiness. The story starts from the lunch line at IIMA mess hall where the two protagonists met. From here they become friends and fall in love. But the story really begins from the meeting of the boy and the girl’s family.
Although Krish keeps reminding Ananya of the fact that their love will not be easily accepted by their families, Ananya remains confident for she believes her parents will support her choice. As for Krish’s parents, she thinks they would accept her happily for who wouldn’t want an intelligent, smart and beautiful daughter-in-law? Not much guessing is required to know that the former was right. So, both of them have to take turns in persuading their parents to agree to their marriage, all the while keeping their love strong throughout all the chaos, misunderstandings and dramas.
The story is set in Delhi and Chennai and, as such, explores the social environment of these places. The Punjabi and South Indian lifestyle and culture could not have been more clearly expressed. It is indeed interesting to read how different two cultures from the same country can be.
Bhagat’s writing is simple and informal, which is not a new thing. There are no literary sentences that will strike you as beautifully written or leave you puzzled. Another thing is the story is predictable. From the first chapter, we can easily predict how the story will progress. As inter-cultural marriages are looked upon the same way in Nepal, this might not feel like a new or unheard story. Some readers might even be able to relate to the characters. No twists or turns are to be found as in other fictional novels. But, despite the predictability and the fact that it is not an absolute page-turner, you will not get bored or regret reading it.
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