Revolution 2020
| Revolution 2020: love.corruption.ambition | |
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| Author | Chetan Bhagat |
| Country | India |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Fiction, Love & Corruption |
| Publisher | Rupa & Co. |
Publication date | 2011 |
| Media type | Print (Paperback) |
| Pages | 296 |
Revolution 2020: Love, Corruption, Ambition is a 2011 novel by Chetan Bhagat.[1] Its story is concerned with a love triangle, corruption and a journey of self-discovery.
Background
The author has stated that the novel is based on the "rampant corruption" apparent in the Indian youth educational system, with the choice of Varanasi as a setting emerging through "a special connection to the city" following his visit.[2] He further said "it is one of our oldest cities, and people there now have modern aspirations. I thought the contrast would be interesting. The city also has a lot of character."[3]
Synopsis
Gopal loves Aarti who is his close intimate friend. His love is unrequited when she becomes Raghav's, his friend's, girlfriend. Gopal, who is poor and couldn't attend a top college because of his lower grades, builds an engineering college and becomes rich. Meanwhile Raghav after graduating from a top college campaigns for social progress as a journalist exposing scams. Raghav in his work neglects Aarti who starts to go out with Gopal. Raghav also by making enemies becomes poor. Aarti finally returns Gopal's love for her and they decide to marry. However, Gopal in the end destroys his relationship on purpose with the love of his life, Aarti, and helps Raghav with his career so Raghav can marry her. He did this so Raghav can become a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA), since Aarti's family has political clout and it was believed whoever Aarti married could easily become an MLA. He wanted Raghav to become an MLA to help him in his mission to reform Indian society.
Plot summary
Set in the holy city of Varanasi, Revolution 2020 is the story about two boys Gopal, Raghav, and a girl, Aarti. The story is narrated by Gopal, the protagonist of the story, and is chiefly concerned with Gopal's love for Aarti.
Gopal's mother died when he was very young, and he was raised by his father, who was poor due to a long running property dispute with his brother. Gopal and Raghav are school friends. Aarti and Gopal are very close intimate friends, and are very affectionate towards each other. While Gopal wants Aarti to become his girlfriend, she repeatedly refuses him saying she doesn't want to enter a relationship.
After failing both the IIT-JEE (Indian Institution of Technology Joint Entrance Exam) and AIEEE (All India Engineering Entrance Examination) exams, Gopal moves to Kota, the so-called "capital of coaching classes" to undertake them again, to please his father who is determined to make Gopal an engineer. In order to pay for the entrance coaching, Gopal's father spends all his savings and takes on many loans.
Raghav however had scored very well in his exams and joins the prestigious IIT-BHU to study engineering, though his real ambition is to become a journalist and affect social change. While Gopal is away at Kota, Aarti and Raghav become close and then started going out, which causes much strain to Gopal and Aarti's friendship. Gopal is distraught, and the novel explores the strains of unrequited love between intimate friends, which is a major component in the novel.
Partly due to the emotional difficulties brought on by his friends' relationship, Gopal again fails to pass the AIEEE. Gopal's father cannot bear his son's repeated failure and dies, leaving Gopal an orphan. Debt loaded, through friends he meets a powerful MLA, Shukla, who agrees to help start an engineering college on his father's disputed land. Shukla agreed to provide financial backing and political support to construct the new college, named GangaTech, with Gopal who will be its director. In order to build the new college Gopal leato handle corrupt politicians, bureaucrats and regulators, all of whom had to be bribed during various stages of planning and construction of the college.
Meanwhile, Raghav finishes his engineering studies and becomes a trainee reporter for a popular newspaper, "Dainik". He published a critical article regarding Gopal's college on the day of its inauguration in which he accuses Shukla of corruption. Gopal took this as a betrayal after agreeing to being interviewed by Raghav for the article. Shukla gets Raghav sacked but Raghav starts his own newsletter called Revolution 2020. He later published an article about a Ganga Treatment Scam and this time with sufficient evidence to prove that Shukla is a corrupt man. Shukla was forced to resign.
References
- ↑ "Revolution 2020: Chetan Bhagat". chetanbhagat.com. Retrieved 2013-11-16.
- ↑ "Chetan Bhagat's Revolution 2020 in the silver screen". The Times of India. Retrieved 2013-11-16.
- ↑ "Revolution 2020 inspired by Corruption in education system: Chetan Bhagat". Firstpost.
External links
- Reviews
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