2 States Book Review

2 States Book Review
Book Title : 2 States: The Story of My Marriage
Author : Chetan Bhagat
About the Writer: -
Chetan Prakash Bhagat (born 22 April 1974) is an Indian author and columnist. He was included in Time magazine's list of World's 100 Most Influential People in 2010.
Bhagat graduated in mechanical engineering at IIT Delhi and completed an MBA at IIM Ahmedabad. He started his career as an investment banker, but left it after a few years to pursue his passion in writing. He has written eight novels and three non-fiction books. His first novel, Five Point Someone, was published in 2004. His novels have been listed as bestsellers.
Five of Chetan Bhagat's novels have been adapted into Bollywood films like Hello in 2008 (based on One Night @ the Call Centre), 3 Idiots in 2009 (based on Five Point Someone), Kai Po Che! in 2013 (based on The 3 Mistakes of My Life); 2 States in 2014 (based on his novel of the same name) and Half Girlfriend in 2017 (based on his novel of the same name). Bhagat has also written the scripts for Bollywood films like Kick in 2014 and adapted his stories for the movies Kai Po Che! and Half Girlfriend. Bhagat won the Filmfare Award for Best Screenplay for Kai Po Che! at the 59th Filmfare Awards in 2014.

1. Book Review

Book Title : 2 States: The Story of My Marriage
Author : Chetan Bhagat
About the Writer: -
Chetan Prakash Bhagat (born 22 April 1974) is an Indian author and
columnist. He was included in Time magazine's list of World's 100 Most Influential
People in 2010.
Bhagat graduated in mechanical engineering at IIT Delhi and completed an
MBA at IIM Ahmedabad. He started his career as an investment banker, but left it
after a few years to pursue his passion in writing. He has written eight novels and
three non-fiction books. His first novel, Five Point Someone, was published in 2004.
His novels have been listed as bestsellers.
Five of Chetan Bhagat's novels have been adapted into Bollywood films like
Hello in 2008 (based on One Night @ the Call Centre), 3 Idiots in 2009 (based on Five
Point Someone), Kai Po Che! in 2013 (based on The 3 Mistakes of My Life); 2 States
in 2014 (based on his novel of the same name) and Half Girlfriend in 2017 (based on
his novel of the same name). Bhagat has also written the scripts for Bollywood films
like Kick in 2014 and adapted his stories for the movies Kai Po Che! and Half
Girlfriend. Bhagat won the Filmfare Award for Best Screenplay for Kai Po Che! at the
59th Filmfare Awards in 2014.
Writing Styles and Achievements: -
Simple with Vivid Story Telling. All his Books have a number in his Title.
“The bestselling English language novelist in India’s history”. He writes Colum’s for
newspapers. He quitted his banking career in 2009.
What is 2 States about: -
It is the story about a couple coming from two different states in India. They
face hardships in convincing their parents to approve of their marriage. This story
focuses on the love story of a Tamil girl, Ananya, and a Punjabi boy, Krish. This is the
second Chetan Bhagat book based largely on his life. Krish Malhotra, a fresh Engineer
from IIT Delhi, now a student pursuing his MBA at the IIM Ahmedabad, Gujarat,
comes from a troubled, rich family of Punjabi heritage. He meets his classmate
Ananya Swaminathan, economics topper in her college, who comes from a
conservative Tamil Brahmin family. Krish and Ananya, initially quarrel, but soon
become friends and start studying together. Soon they begin dating, and stay
together for their next 22 months on the IIM campus. Krish confides in Ananya that
his real passion is writing, which he wants to pursue a career in. They both have
become close to each other and fall for each other during the stay in IIM. Krish gets

2. selected in the campus drives for Citi Bank. He immediately rushes to the next room
and proposes to Ananya, in the middle of her interview. She accepts and then gets
selected for HLL .
Plot: -
The plot is basically Punjabi-Tamilian warfront.

Bollywood masala is the flavour for the book but still enjoyable. Krish(Punjabi
by birth) and Ananya (Tamilian) both fall for each other while completing their MBA
from IIM. After a no problem love story of two years ,a major problem is to be
confronted-PARENTS.
As we all know for all north Indians ,south Indians are madrasis & for all south
Indians ,north Indians are illiterates. Anyways Krish attempts his best to get the
marriage proposal accepted by ,not Ananya but her parents. Ananya on the other
hand does all sort of things to get absorbed into Krish's family. Ultimately what
happens we all know. No marks for guessing. But if you are a north-Indian in south or
a south-Indian in north ,you will connect to the story and will certainly enjoy. Most
of the situations are the one which can be found in real life. This book actually tells
you the thinking of Indians staying in India but still apart, still not accepting different
cultures in the same country. Some moments can really leave you giggling and
smiling for sure.

Character Description: -
Two main characters of the novel are Krish Malhotra, a north Indian Punjabi
boy and Ananya Swaminathan, a Tamilian Brahmin girl. Ananya, who is from an
economics background, is the most talked about girl at the campus of IIM
Ahmadabad, whereas Krish is an IIT graduate. Soon they become good friends and
their friendship turns into love and they start to live together. After the course both
of them get job in the companies they have wished. Then Krish proposes to Ananya
for marriage. While both of them were ready but not their families as, being from
different states opposition from the respective families is obvious in India. Both of
them irrespective of their own state and caste specific culture are not stereotyped.
They are liberal in their thoughts. In spite of all this, they pick to convince their
parents and take turn to win each other’s families. For this, Krish asks his company
for his placement in Chennai just to remain close to Ananya’s family. Finally, Krish
manages to convince them. Then he takes Ananya with him to meet his mother.
Except for Krish’s father rest of the family accepted her after an incident in which
Ananya saves the marriage of Krish’s cousin. Krish has a very troubled relationship
with his father so he tries to ignore him. Again, due to cultural difference the
marriage is called off and with this Krish goes into depression. Finally, Krish’s father
convinces everyone for the marriage and they both get married and are blessed with
twins.

3. Synopsis: -
The book very cleverly begins with the protagonist of the story - a Punjabi boy called Krish
Malhotra, in a shrink's office, doing a class Devdas act, trying desperately to come to terms
with the apparent loss of the love of his life- a Tamilian Brahmin girl called Ananya
Swaminathan. It then goes into flashback mode, where the love story begins "where all love
stories begin"- with Krish and Ananya meeting for the very first time at the mess counter of
the IIMA, where they both are fellow student-each with ambitions of their own and the
ambitions driven by their own reasons.

Krish, who shares a horribly impaired relationship with his father, also has to deal with an
overprotective overzealous mother, who wants him to marry the first Punjabi girl that
comes his way, strapped with a fleet of cars, house and money as dowry. The Malhotra
family is as dysfunctional as any family can get, with Mr and Mrs Malhotra on non-speaking
terms, Mr Malhotra with a fiery temper and unhindered rage and Mrs Malhotra's large
numbers of interfering relatives.

The vivacious and bold Ananya on the other hand, comes from a typical conventional, well-
educated and education hungry Tamilian Brahmin family in Chennai, completely contrasting
to her rebellious, outgoing, personality. Born to a quiet, reserved father, she is closest to
him, while she and her mother share a frustrating albeit interesting relationship. She also
has a bookworm of a sibling, whose only aim in life seems to be to become more of a
bookworm and possibly graduate from the top-ranking institutions in the country.

Amidst tumultuous family issues, irate professors, truckloads of study material and raging
hormones, the two meets, fall in love over many conversations, study lectures, chicken and
lots of chai. As they graduate and accept their respective placements, their relationship
progresses to one of complete commitment but corresponding non-acceptance from the
respective families.

Bhagat then plunges into knitting and weaving his way through their respective lives and the
various attempts they both make to please the other's family. After lots of emotional
upheavals and a breakup, he wonderfully gives the story a turn that I definitely wasn't
expecting. Suffice it to say, the novel ends in a happy Tamil-Punjabi marriage-a freakish
North meets South scenario, which brings a warm feeling to the heart and a smile to the
face.

As an author, Chetan Bhagat has taken risks with some language that may not go well with
the oldies, but then the book is aimed at the youth of India anyways. And they relate to him.
He has fast become a youth icon and his attempts to bring about a change in the narrow
mindset among our people, his entreating to young Indians to marry outside their caste to
promote the feeling of Indian-ness and not be bound to one's own caste, promises some
very positive change in the country. Based on his own life, his sarcasms about the Punjabi
and Tamil communities, as well as his own parents, in-laws and Citibank. But this is the very

4. reason for the original story which has a genuine, honest touch to it. That is something
every reader appreciates.

With this Chetan Ends like, Krish up in a hospital for Ananya’s delivery,
astonishingly they end up having twins, which goes up like Ananya saying ...
‘Twins?’ she said in disbelief, looking ready to faint.

‘Yes,’ the doctor said. ‘Congratulations.’

The nurse cleaned up the two babies and gave them to me.

‘Be careful,’ she said as I took one in each arm.

‘You are from two different states, right? So, what will be their state?’
the nurse said

and chuckled.

‘They’ll be from a state called India,’ I said............

Theme
Love - This is one type of love story of new generation. it’s a true story of Chetan
bhagat life. When he Study in IIM Ahmedabad Classmate Ananya
Swaminathan. In this story writer love with Ananya but the main Problem is
She is Belong to South Indian Family and he is belonging to Punjabi family.
Then after each other love. Family Problem Here writer indicate a what’s a
problem of love story. When he wants to marriage with Anaya Swaminathan
than his mom disagrees with him and then other side Ananya parents
disagree with Ananya because Ananya also wants marriage with Krish
Malhotra. So, in this love story writes bares a many problem to full fill his love
story. Marriage First of all Krish wants to marry with Ananya so when finish
his bachelor degree to IIM than he selects a job profile in Chennai but his
mom said he mostly select a job profile in new Delhi yet Krish select job
profile in Chennai. Then after he convince Ananya’s Family to engage with
whole family. But still some problem waits to in marriage so its idea is failed,
so in end of story Krish’s father convince to Ananya’s family and Krish’s mom.
And Last Krish and Ananya very happily to marry.