2 States: the story of my marriage

The New York Times called Chetan Bhagat as the biggest-selling English-language novelist in
Indias history. With his first three books already being widely read in India, he released his
fourth book recently which generated a lot of anticipation. Chetan Bhagat released the new book
on Oct 8th, titled, 2 States: the story of my marriage.
The initial pages of the book are set up in IIM-Ahmadabad. Krish and Ananya meet in the
canteen for the first time and eventually over a few days of combined study, fall in love. Life is
great for them until their families meet each other. It takes sometime before they realize that they
may not be able to convince their families to support their marriage. The twist in the tale is they
want to marry with their parents consent rather than choosing the easy way of eloping. Intercaste marriages are still a taboo in India and let alone an inter-state marriage of a Punjabi and a
Tamil Brahmin.
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 meet, fall in love over many conversations, study periods, chicken and lots of
coffee. 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.

The first thing that strikes you is the endearing quality of the prose. Id clearly vote for Two
states as the most endearing work by this youth icon writer. Chetan has actually tried out an
entirely different layout for the book, quite different from the usual crop. So, we have book thats
written like the script for a drama or even a teleplay, for that matter. Yes, the chapters are divided
into Acts I, II, III, IV and V! The language is simpler, the descriptions are more vivid and the plot
is better-laid-out. The most spectacular feature of the book is the autobiographical element. It
all starts with the subtitle of the book the story of my marriage. Bhagat himself has admitted
that the story is inspired from his own life.

The cultural differences of north-Indian families and south-Indian families are portrayed very
well in a funny way. Humour is one of the best things in this book and is loaded with some really

good similes and metaphors. Though the premise is most realistic, it draws your attention to
cultural differences in diverse India. Some of them are as simple as boisterous, loud Punjabi
music versus quiet, mellifluous Tamilian Carnatic music. However, the difference in sensibilities
is predictable. Chetan Bhagath has made this one again a book for youngsters just like the other
ones. But what makes it different is cause of love in the story. Among the belly- laughs triggered
by certain humorous episodes, it also gives the picture of a romantic comedy movie, or a saansbahu serial. Of course, that means, even though with the laughter and smiles and good
heartedness, it cannot be consider as a work that have a classical or high level touch. But where
Chetan won is his embrace of the young world or the aspirations and dreams of the youngsters of
the age. The next triumph accomplished by the writer is his realistic approach towards the caste
as well as state differences that exist in our country. The title itself tells the reader that it is the
story of two states, why is it the story of two states, even though it just tell the story of two
families? Because Chetan Bhagat well knows that marriage in India is not between two persons,
but two families, and when the people involved is from two culturally different places, it sure is
the marriage of two states. The two states may also signify that the people are very much
distanced or has different state of mind.
Chetan Bhagat has done an absolutely outstanding job in dissecting the psyche of the modern
day Indian middle class family and brilliantly narrating in fiction the very real issues that people
go through when inter caste/creed/religious/state marriages take place. Relationships are built.
Lives are turned upside down. Humongous efforts are made to bring about even a semblance of
acceptance. Relationships are broken. Sometimes they stay broken and sometimes (thankfully)
things get sorted out and in the end love triumphs, as Bhagat's characters in 2 States witness. 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 county. Based on his own life, Bhagat has been fairly brave by not restraining himself in
his assertions about the sexual romps of youth and his sarcasms about the Punjabi and Tamil
communities, as well as his own parents, in-laws and Citibank. But this is the very reason for the
original story which has a genuine, honest touch to it. That is something every reader
appreciates.