Thinking Activity : Revolution 2020
Hello Everyone! This blog is based on the novel Revolution 2020, assigned by Dilip Barad sir. In this blog i will discuss about questions which are mentioned in the task.
Introduction of Writer: Chetan Bhagat
Chetan Bhagat, born April 22, 1974, is an influential Indian author, columnist, and YouTuber. He gained recognition for his novels, many of which have been adapted into films. Growing up in a traditional Punjabi Hindu family with a father in the Indian Army and a scientist mother, Bhagat initially was an average student but discovered his passion for writing during school. He earned a B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering from IIT Delhi and an MBA from IIM Ahmedabad.
With thirteen books to his name, including bestsellers like "Five Point Someone" and "2 States," Bhagat's works have garnered widespread popularity. Beyond writing, he's been a judge on the TV show "Nach Baliye" and appeared in Netflix's "Decoupled." He's also active on YouTube, offering motivational content and hosting the podcast "Deeptalk with Chetan Bhagat," where he interviews successful individuals about their journeys. Additionally, Bhagat is sought after as a motivational speaker, inspiring young Indians with his straightforward approach.
His Novels:
- Five points Someone (2004)
- One Night at The Call Centre (2006)
- The 3 Mistakes of my Life (2008)
- 2 States (2009)
- Revolution 2020 (2011)
- Half Girlfriend (2014)
- One Indian Girl (2016)
- The Girl in Room 105 (2018)
- One Arranged Murder (2020)
- 400 Days (2021)
R{ƎVO⅃}UTION TWENTY20:
"Revolution 2020" by Chetan Bhagat, published in 2011, is a story about love, corruption, and self-discovery. It revolves around three friends: Gopal, Raghav, and Aarti. Gopal dreams big but gets caught up in corruption while trying to achieve success. Raghav, on the other hand, is passionate about fighting corruption through journalism. Aarti, the love interest of both, symbolizes their conflicting aspirations. The novel explores the complexities of relationships and the challenges faced by youth in contemporary India, questioning the meaning of success in a society plagued by corruption and inequality.
Five of chetan Bhagat's novels have been adapted into films :-
- Hello (2008) – Based on the book "One Night at the Call Center"
- 3 Idiots (2009) – Based on the book "Five Point Someone"
- Kai Po Che!
- 2 States (2014) – Based on the book "2 States"
- Half Girlfriend (2017) – Based on the book "Half Girlfriend"
Non - fiction :-
- What Young India Wants (2012)
- Making India Awesome ( 2015)
- India Positive ( 2019)
Q. 1 Social realism of curruption in the private education system.
Chetan Bhagat's novels often reflect issues in contemporary Indian society, especially focusing on themes like the education system, corrupt politics, and the challenges faced by young people. In "Revolution 2020," he highlights corruption in India's education sector, particularly in coaching classes for competitive exams. Bhagat's stories revolve around the lives and struggles of youngsters, shedding light on their experiences and the societal issues they encounter.
Thus, this core group of characters presents a Metro city from the filthy rich to the marginalized poor. Corruption is one of the major theme of this novel. The life of students at Kota is very hard. They spend a lot of hours on study. The realistic theme of students’ life is given here. Bhagat writes about a day in the life of aspiring students in Kota :
'I could call myself a true Kota ite a month into moving there. Like thousands of other students, my life now had a rhythm. Career Path resembled a school, but without the fun bits. Nobody made noise in class, played pranks on one another or thought of bunking classes. After all, everyone had come here by choice and had paid a big price to be here …'
'Lectures started at two in afternoon and went on until nine in evening. After that students rushed home to eat dinner, and do the ‘daily practice sheets’, a set of ten problems based on the current lesson … I went along with madness, not so much because of the zeal to prepare, but more because I wanted to keep myself busy. I didn’t want Kota’s loneliness to kill me.'
The novel is an ambitious with a bunch of characters and themes, set in Indian city. The story moves from Varanasi to Kota and again to Varanasi. Moving from place to place, Bhagat’s characters keep floating in the novel and do not stick to one incident. They keep achieving their goals, trying to link up plot of the novel but too little avail. Bhagat has tried to reveal the mind of his characters. The author in the novel has given minute details of corruption in Indian politics, administrative, and educational system. Corruption has burrowed Indian political, social, and educational system. Talking about corruption Chetan Bhagat says ;
'In India, one question is constant: why isn’t corruption going away? The question baffles the educated middle classes. Why is a reasonable, universal and noble demand for an honest society so difficult to achieve in a democracy? And why is it that corrupt parties win election time and time again.'
MLA shukla is a political leader and most corrupt man of Varanasi. He was the only one who helped Gopal in finding private institution and also taught him that how to pay people. On the other side, Raghav is the protagonist and Journalist who fights against corruption and wants India as the corruption free country. Corruption not only made hole in Indian political system but has also spread in educational system.
Indian parents are extra careful about the future of their children. Gopal’s father wants his son to be an engineer from India’s top most colleges. His father is a retired teacher and involved in a court case against his elder brother. Gopal in his first attempt for AIEEE fails to score the required marks. After getting known Gopal’s low score his father does not talk properly with him. Gopal tells his father that he wants to do B.Sc. His father cannot control his anger and says ;
Gopal, “who gives a good job to a simple graduate? ''
Parents and teacher who without seeing their son’s ability send him to Kota. Prateek tells Gopal.
“Most of us can’t crack these tests, basic probability. But who will drill it into our parents’ head?”
Raghav’s father is not interested in NIT and tells his son to do engineering from IIT. The hopes of Indian parents are bigger than their children. Chetan Bhagat makes Raghav’s character as one of the most idealistic characters among his all the characters as he has put his own views through this character. Raghav in the novel plays the role of an activist who wants to bring change in Indian society by eradicating the corruption. He for the sake of society declines his job offer of and joins as a reporter at newspaper agency. His inner desire does not keep him quiet so he starts his own newspaper, Revolution 2020.
'kota now had small coaching shops to coach you to get into the top coaching classes. from there, you would be coached to get into an engineering college.'
The novel criticizes how private coaching classes for courses such as IIT, JEE exploit aspiring students. Indian parents put their hope and desires on relying these private coaching classes that is why their children can crack tests and they bring change the fortune of their middle class family. The novel - Revolution 2020 explores the reality of the private coaching industry which thrives on corruption and scams. Ambitions or aspirations of youth is the important theme that the novelist handled in this present novel.
Raghav aspires for his desire that he wants to be social reformer. His aspirations to change the world through social reformation and movement. He wants to see the society as a corruption free society. He thinks that his article on Ganga cleaning scam brings somewhat changes in the political system. In the very beginning of the novel Aarti and Gopal love to each other but in the middle of the story, she was attracted towards Raghav who has cracked IIT JEE exam in his first attempt. But he does not want to do engineering. He wants to be journalist. Raghav said that 'Journalism is my passion.' Raghav attempts to change the world through his first article published in newspaper ;
What do you say about a society whose top leaders are the biggest crook? What do you do in a system where almost anyone with power is corrupt? India has suffered enough. From childhood we are told India is a poor country. Why? There are countries in this world where an average person makes more than fifty times that an average Indian makes. Fifty times? Are their people really fifty times more capable than us? Does an Indian farmer not work hard? Does an Indian student not study? do we not want to do well? Why, why are we then doomed to be poor?
In "Revolution 2020," Raghav aims to ignite change in Indian society through his writing. He sees corruption in politics, private coaching institutions, and colleges run by unqualified owners as major issues. Determined to combat these problems, he becomes a journalist. Chetan Bhagat explores social evils, political corruption, and the struggles of the youth in this novel, with a focus on love, ambition, and societal injustice. Through Raghav's journey, Bhagat sheds light on the aspirations of young people, the challenges of finding employment, and the prevalence of corruption in private education. Overall, "Revolution 2020" delves into social issues, realism, and the pursuit of change in contemporary Indian society.
Q. 2 Contemporaray relevance of Raghav's journalism. ( The Youtuber / Social Media Journalism )
“Revolution 2020” is an attempt to highlight the corruption rooted in India’s education system and bring out the anomaly of education. The fiery activism of Raghav who wants to bring about a change in society through journalism, despite having graduated as an engineer. He says that ;
“This has to stop. We have to clean the system. Che Guevara, the great revolutionary, once said, ‘Power is not an apple that falls from a tree into your lap. Power had to be snatched from people who already have it.’ We have to start a revolution, a revolution that resets our corrupt system. A system ,that shifts power back into the hands of the people and treats politicians like workers, not kings.”
Raghav, who gets admission to IIT, turns to be a sort of idealist. Even though he gets a job, he turns to journalism as the way to clean up the society. He gets a partial success, but has financially drained. He can only circulate his publication “Revolution 2020” less than 500 copies. Yet he can bring out the secret deals of Shukla and succeeds in sending him to jail. That affects the future of Gopal as his business deals are also closely connected with the politician. But Gopal realizes that Raghav’s path is right and sacrifices his love for Aarti and makes her turn away from him. She finally selects Raghav. The narrative is unbalanced because it is being narrated by Gopal, so all the characters that grace this novel are told as what they mean to Gopal. But Raghav ends the story still hoping for a bright corruption free nation. Raghav’s strength is that he is very intelligent, sincere and also ambitious. It is through him Chetan Bhagat tries to convey his message.
Life is not all about making and working just for the sake of earning money. One has to follow his dreams; this is the message brought out through Raghav.
Raghav is the most inspiring character in “Revolution 2020”. Though Raghav had good academic profile and is selected in many colleges he gave up all those offers just to become a journalist and through his writings he decides to root out the evils from his corrupted city or nation as a whole. He is ready to bring a revolution against everything corrupt and wrong happening in the society. He strongly believes that someone has to stand up against the system to reform the society. The character of Raghav wants to expose the corrupt education system, the profit making private education sectors and issues of bribes, etc.
“Revolution 2020. That’s his goal. That India must have a full-blown revolution by 2020. Power will be the youth. We will dismantle the old corrupt system and put a new one in place.”
Raghav is the most inspiring character in “Revolution 2020”. Though Raghav had good academic profile and is selected in many colleges he gave up all those offers just to become a journalist and through his writings he decides to root out the evils from his corrupted city or nation as a whole. He is ready to bring a revolution against everything corrupt and wrong happening in the society. He strongly believes that someone has to stand up against the system to reform the society. The character of Raghav wants to expose the corrupt education system, the profit making private education sectors and issues of bribes, etc.
“Revolution 2020. That’s his goal. That India must have a full-blown revolution by 2020. Power will be the youth. We will dismantle the old corrupt system and put a new one in place.”
Independent Journalist:-
karan Thapar:
Karan Thapar is an Indian Journalist, news presenter and interviewer working with The Wire. Known for his aggressive interviews with leading figures, Karan Thapar has navigated through various media houses since 1981. His unyielding questioning even made waves during an interview with the current Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, showcasing the impact of fearless journalism.
Ravish Kumar:
Ravish Kumar is an Indian Journalist, author and media personality. He was the senior Executive Editor of NDTV India. Ravish Kumar stands as a beacon of true journalism, reporting on the ground realities and issues faced by ordinary Indians. His sharp insights and integrity have earned him the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award, and his term ‘Godi Media’ has become a household term for media channels driven by political and corporate interests.
Punya Prasun Bajpai:
Punya Prasun Bajpai is an Indian Journalist. He has worked at several news networks in his career. An accomplished journalist and writer, Punya Prasun Bajpai’s in-depth knowledge of Indian politics is evident in his body of work. Notable for his program ‘Masterstroke,’ Bajpai left ABP News due to perceived government pressure, showcasing his commitment to unbiased reporting.
Abhisar Sharma:-
Abhisar Sharma is an Indian Journalist, Television news Anchor and Author. A seasoned journalist and anchor with a career spanning from 1995 to 2018 in mainstream media, Abhisar Sharma has since transitioned to freelance journalism. His outspoken and emotional approach to reporting, notably in instances like discussing the tragic death of a small Muslim child, reflects a deep concern for the country’s well-being.
Devanashi Joshi:
Devanshi Joshi is a Gujarati Journalist who is containing the spirit of independent media. she is also a senior producer of the company. Moreover, she runs a news- based youtube channel.
Rajdeep Sir Desai:
Rajdeep Sardesai is an Indian News Anchor, reporter, Journalist and Author.
Shyam Meera Singh:-
Shyam Meera Singh is an Indian Journalist and Youtuber. He was working with Aaj Tak, but was fired from Aaj Tak because he did tweet critical to PM Narendra Modi.
He was awarded with connecting alumnae of the year from Indian institute of Mass communication. He also started his own Youtube channel in May 2022.
8. Dhruv Rathee :-
Dhruv Rathee is an Indian Youtuber, Vlogger and social media activist. He is known for his Youtube videos on social, political, and environmental issues. He introduced the satirical "fake news" segment Pee News and, in 2020, initiated the Dhruv Rathee Vlogs channel for international travel vlogs.
Q. 3 Do You think that an opprtunity of a good novel is wasted because the story is wasted because the story is told from gopal's perspective? can it be better if narrated from raghav or aarti's perspective? How would it be better if it was narrated from raghav or aarti's perspective ?
Chetan Bhagat's novel - Revolution 2020 is told from the perspective of Gopal. He himself is the narrator of the story. Chetan Bhagat - Author of the novel is present as a character. Gopal belongs to poor family and his father was a Farmer. Gopal is a character who faces various challenges and moral dilemmas throughout the plot. By doing corruption Gopal becomes the director of Ganga Tech college. When we read the story from Gopal's perspective and point of view, the narrative may lack depth and seriousness as R2020 comes under the classification of popular literature and it lacks high seriousness and sincerity.
Raghav Kashyap is an idealistic character who is passionate about bringing change in society. He belongs to upper class family and cracked JEE exam in first attempt. But, followed his passion and becomes journalist as he wants to bring change and reformation in the society. If the story is told from Raghav's perspective, as a reader we might get a deeper insight into his motivations, struggles and societal issues.
Looking at the story through Aarti's perspective could given us a different view of the love triangle. Her character, even though important in the love story. Seeing things from her side could shown us more about her feelings, thoughts and the tough choices she has to make between two men who want her. But, In my views Narrating the story from Aarti's Perspective, readers can only know about her love relations rather than anything else. But, Three of these characters from Chetan Bhagat's novel Revolution 2020 Played very important role.
Gopal's Perspective - Corruption
Aarti's Perspective - Love
Raghav's Perspective - To Bring Revolution
Through these characters we can understand that they are connected with each other and presented the core concern of the novel in their own unique and different way.
Conclusion:-
To Conclude, Revolution 2020 is a thought provoking novel that explores the deep - seated corruption and lack of opportunities in India's education system and society at large. Through the stories of its main characters, Gopal, Raghav and Aarti, Chetan Bhagat highlights the struggles faced by the youth in pursuing their dreams and aspirations.
While the characters Journeys are fictional, the underlying issues addressed in the book resonate with the harsh realities faced by many young Indians.'Revolution 2020' is a compelling novel that leaves the reader with a sense of hope for a better future, if corrective measures are taken to the existing system.
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