Chetan Bhagat is best known as India’s wannabe intellectual. He weighs in on various topics, attracting admiration and agreement from some segments while earning the ridicule and derision of others. Either way, Chetan Bhagat attracts attention when he speaks; his large social media following ensures that his thoughts and deeds frequently go viral.
If you’ve driven in Delhi you have encountered the motley crew of people who sell books (and flowers and aux cords, and sunshades and fidget spinners and whatever else is in vogue) at the intersections. Author Paul Coelho had shared this experience earlier this year. He called it an ‘honor’ and an honest way to make a living. His humble reaction obviously won him a lot of love.
This also happened to Chetan Bhagat. This guy was trying to sell him a pirated copy of this own book and Bhagat shared the short video clip on Twitter. While some complimented the author on the way he interacted with the book-seller, one commentator pointed out that authors are often fine with piracy, since it helps them increase reach and frequency.
Bhagat writes fiction as well as nonfiction; opining on a range of subjects as diverse as unemployment, poverty, women’s issues, intolerance, illiteracy, communalism etc. Some feel that he really shouldn’t bother.
Being famous apparently equips you with many other talents, including the ability to make astute assessments about topics outside one's area of expertise. Bhagat has received criticism for being the judge on a dance show as well.
Critics point out that the literary merit of his book is modest at best. They tend to sneer at people who profess a reading habit based on the fact of having read a few books of his.
His supporters dismiss this as intellectual snobbery. They point to the fact that his books are hugely popular. It is also a fact that Bhagat is India's bestselling author and that his readers identify with the characters and themes of his books.
Some feel that Bhagat should refrain from offering people the benefit of his wisdom and his rather trite homilies. Others find that his advice is inspiring and useful.
Bhagat often presumes to opine on women's issues and claims to speak for women's rights. Many women feel that he’s rather patronising in these matters and may not be quite as woke as he thinks he is.
Sometimes he is lambasted for making lame jokes such as these – and in this case, rightly so I feel!
Some accuse Bhagat of shooting his mouth off about things that he has little personal knowledge of. He is sometimes accused of being a pro-establishment, and sometimes of being the opposite. He is often accused of being an armchair activist who does little more than pontificating on significant issues.
Love him or hate him, Chetan Bhagat is popular and influential – even if he is only partly woke, there are at least some regressive mindsets that he can influence positively. He tells uncomplicated stories and people enjoy reading them - even those who may not admit to reading his books. So, if millions enjoy reading his books and he doesn’t mind that at least some of those are pirated, no one else needs to have an opinion in the matter.
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