Revolution Twenty 20

Revolution Twenty20 by Chetan Bhagat

Hello, I am Emisha Ravani, Writing this blog as a thinking activity which is assigned by Dr. Dilip Barad sir for the chapter of novel Revolution Twenty 20. 

“Once upon a time, in small-town India, there lived two intelligent boys.

One wanted to use his intelligence to make money.

One wanted to use his intelligence to start a revolution.

The problem was, they both loved the same girl.”

Character List – Revolution Twenty 20

Chetan Bhagat – Motivational Speaker / Self (author)

Gopal Mishra – Director, Ganga Tech Institute – Private Academic Institute

Aarti Pradhan – School classmate and friend -Working as Guest Relations Officer, Ramada Hotel

Raghav Kashyap – School Friend, IITian, Journalist, ran journal ‘Revolution 2020’, works with Dainik Media House

Raghav’s father – IITian, Engineer in BHEL (Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd)

Dubey Uncle – Lawyer, Gopal’s father land dispute legal case

Ghanshyam taya-ji – Gopal’s father’s elder brother + Neeta taya-ji – his wife; Ajay – his son; Bitoo – Ajay’s son

Anil Kashyap – Raghav’s father

Pratap Brij Pradhan – Aarti’s father, District Magistrate; His father (Aarti’s grandfather) – ex-politician – ex-CM Brij Pradhan

Simran Gill – School Teacher

Mr. Jha – Mr. Singh – Mr. Rai – JSR Coaching Class tutors – engineering entrance exams

Baba – Gopal’s father – School teacher – early retired due to ill-health, lives on pension in poor condition

Phoolchand – boatman friend of Gopal – Assi Ghat

Vineet – a Varanasi boy at Kota; he gets in private college after low rank in AIEEE – RSTC-Riddhi Siddhi Technical College – Sari business owner

R L Soni – Landlord – his house room is rented by Gopal at Kota

Manoj Dutta – a room resident at RL Soni’s house who hanged himself

Sanjeev sir ‘Mr Pulley’ – Physics teacher; Mr Verma ‘Trignometry-swamy’ – Maths teacher; Mr Jadeja ‘Balance-ji’ – Chemistry teacher – Shishir sir (partner-owner) at Career Path, Kota

Prateek – a friend at Kota (from Raipur)

Verma Family – Country Liquor business family – now opened a college.

Jyoti Verma – Dean of private college – Chintumal College

Mahesh Verma - Sri Ganesh College

Sunil – Manager, Sunshine Events - helps at an education fair – admission in private college & plans a college with the help of Shukla-ji

MLA Shukla-ji – Raman Lal Shukla; Nikhil and Akhil – his sons, studying in the US

Girish Bedi – experienced Education Consultant

Prof MC Shrivastava – retired prof to be dean of Ganga Tech Education College

Mangesh Tiwari – Vice Chancellor

Amar Trivedi – Marketing Head of Varanasi Times

Shailesh Gupta – sales manager – Dainik

Ashok Kumar – Editor-in-Chief, Dainik

Jhule Yadav – AICTE Inspector – ex-director NIT Allahabad

Bhansali – Inspector Member, AICTE Inspection Team

Nitesh – party worker of Shukla-ji – they ransacked Raghav’s office

Ankit – office boy in Raghav’s R2020 garage-run printing press-cum-office

Bishnu-ji and Keshav – poor old farmer and his son (asking Raghav to make story about sewage problem in Roshanpura)

Bela – Aarti’s colleague at Reception Counter, Ramada Hotel

Vinod – Shukla-ji’s aide – who supplied girls for ‘escort’

Jayant -faculty, Ganga tech College – Placement Coordinator

Mrs. Awasthi – professor of Mechanical engineering

Roshni and Pooja – the call girls sent by Vinod

1) Social realism in the novel

Indian English novelists, Mulk Raj Anand and R. K. Narayan, Chetan Bhagat is very much interested in depicting social issues and evils in his literary works. The author has painted the picture of the young generation of India and the malpractices in the society in his all novels. 

Five Point Someone (2004) criticizes the Indian education system which is based on the bookish knowledge only. His second novel One Night @ the Call Center (2005) depicts the Indian youth fighting against some odds for career in commercial sector. The third novel The 3 Mistakes of My Life (2008) throws light on the sport, commerce and communal carnage on the name of religion. Bhagat’s fourth novel 2 States: The Story of My Marriage (2009) discusses the issue of cultural conflict. His fifth novel Revolution 2020: Love, Corruption, Ambition (2011) delineates the hot topic of corruption in education. Recently, Chetan Bhagat has published his sixth novel Half Girlfriend (2015) centering the youth. Thus, almost all of his novels are overloaded with social realism and the youth shading light on their ambitions, struggle, love affairs, marriage institutes, corrupt politics and media culture. 

By this theme of Social Realism, We can see the evils of society and the side of politics. When we focus on the main aspect we can find that private and corrupt education system is portrayed. The main three characters are wanted to became something and how they going in their lives. In literature, the term ‘realism’ is associated with a number of prefixes that varies its trends of presentation. There may be philosophical realism, magic realism, surrealism, hallucinatory realism, social realism and many more. 

Social realism is a literary technique that presents a true picture of society. It also mirrors the life as it is and offers social commentary. Basically, Writer uses the this theme to show the reality of society to their own people. By this they could throw light to that and expect the change or improvement. 

2) Significance of the title 'Revolution Twenty20'

Chetan Bhagat has given the title to the novel in the very intelligent way. It is too artistically written. As we can see that subtitle is 'Love. Corruption. Ambition'. Bhagat has woven that three themes in the story very well. All characters are representative of the youth of India as well as the political side and how corruption is widespread in the India and still go on. How privatization is happening in the education system. What are the ethics , values and ambitions of the students and the educators as well. How one's wrong ambition make him/her corrupt because of their strong desire and the ambition which dragged into the ocean of corruption. What indian youth is thinking about Love. How they make it so important rather than their right way of spending youthful and powerful days for the career and life itself. 

One interpretation can be done is that the way 'TWENTY20' is written. When novel got the shape at that time there was the trend of cricket match and might Bhagat has got the inspiration from that to put title in this way. Title is like spelled in an unique way like the spelling of 'Love' is in the 'Revolution'. When we go the story we find that this the story of love more than the revolution. Because Bhagat has make it happen by the side of love and might that is the only intention to make Gopal's character as a narrator and he tells the whole story.    

3) Do you think that an opportunity of a good novel 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?

The story is told by the Gopal's perspective as we can see that it is the story of love and one cay say love triangle rather than the revolution. Which is reflected in the title of the novel even. When we go the character we find :

Gopal = Love , Corruption  

Raghav = Revolution

By the portrayed characteristics of the characters we can found this and based on that we can say that if the story would narrated by the Raghav's perspective it would be better because we got this from Gopal's perspective so it is more the side of the theme of Love and if it would go with Raghav's perspective then may it get the revolutionary stance. And by that quality it could at the top row. 

What is Storytelling?

Storytelling is the social and cultural activity of sharing stories, sometimes with improvisation, theatrics or embellishment. Every culture has its own stories or narratives, which are shared as a means of entertainment , education, cultural preservation or instilling moral values. Crucial elements of stories and storytelling include plot, characters and narrative point of view. The term "storytelling" can refer specifically to oral storytelling but also broadly to techniques used in other media to unfold or disclose the narrative of a story.

When we go to this novel as it is coming to us might Chetan Bhagat wants to show us the many purposes that why he made Gopal as narrator of the story and why he is telling by his perspective. It is always there when people tell any story in which they have played a role at that time they always like to be the story by their side more likely. That is one of the common human tendencies. So we can see the personal traits of the character as a narrator here.   

When we think of Aarti's perspective, We feel that if Aarti become the narrator of the story then she would complain more about her family and novel might be turn into the story which revolves around her life only and may be it also become woman centric more rather than man centric. 

In a nutshell, This novel has a story of young three people who are having very different ambitions in life. And Chetan Bhagat has given platform to perform their ambitions. 

Thank you!