Independence often means unilateral decisions. But the sad thing is that no decision one takes is only about one person. #Half Girlfriend
Hmmpph At Rathambore for the tiger sightseeing right now, tired.
It was a long journey driving through the yellow mustard fields with so many black and white pigs crossing the road!
I'm still drowned in the world of Madhav and Riya and their 'love story'.. I relate a lot to Riya- a lot. The escapist attitude, the I'm-not-sure-about-a-relationship behaviour, the sarcasm and principally the keeping-things-from people, not opening up easily and having trust issues. For most of the part all I saw was glimpses of my whole teenage evolution in her. My closest friend know that however jumpy, eccentric and grinnish I can be, I am the same distant, closed into herself girl I am to the acquaintances or strangers.
Initially, this whole half-girlfriend phenomenon was something I thought I was the only suffering from. But the fact that Chetan Bhagat has been able to pick thus scenario up and connect with the youth's romantic and sexual complexes, I think that's beyond fantastic.
This book has two main themes.
The first being the English/ Non-English scenarios and the second being Closer than close friends/But still not a girlfriend!
Commenting a little bit on the first theme: what I can from my four days stay in India is that this English/ Non-English type of scenario is actually very real in India.
You are considered way superior if you are fluent in English but a worthy to be a slave when you are not. Like Mr Bhagat placed it in one of the many interviews he gave, You may not understand one Newton's law but you are considered as a smart guy once you handle the Britishers' language properly. But mispronounce one word and you are made a fool for the rest of your life.
And I would agree with Controversial Bhagat over here.
See, what I have learnt about India so far from a generalised sociological perspective is that there isn't only one India. There are two.
One which is known as India and the other is Bharat.
This can be clearly seen when you make a round at Connaught place where posh people dressed in black leather jackets and boots are shopping using cheque books or bank cards and scantily dressed people outside asking for alms.
We are headed towards Jaipur and I know I haven't finished my feelings about Half girlfriend. Trust me, I'm truly keen to complete that. Right now, I have taken up The Palace of Illusions from Chitra Banerjee. It's the Mahabharata retold from the perspective of Draupadi hence it is filled with female angst, passion and psychological complexity. After all it is about a woman born in a men's world...
