It’s not that simple to be simple: Chetan Bhagat

Pallavi Dubey | NT

Chetan Bhagat has spent many years churning out his patent blend of easy-to-read, happyending- guaranteed love stories. And whether or not we, the self-proclaimed intellectual elite, appreciate his style, Bhagat does capture a certain Indian ethos, of middle class life in the big cities of people who don’t think in English, who work to earn money and don’t emerge from liberal arts universities all set to change the world. In his defense, Bhagat takes it all in his stride. During a prior appearance at the Bangalore Lit Fest, he remarked, “I’m not the best writer, I’m just the bestselling writer.” He hasn’t lost that sense of fun and arrived, on Saturday, to an auditorium packed with excited fans.

The session was light and full of humour, as Bhagat described his journey from light-hearted romances to writing mysteries. His previous novel, ‘The Girl in Room 105’, was an early step in the transition. His latest, ‘One Arranged Murder’, is set in a Punjabi household, where a murder takes place on the night of the Karva Chauth festival.

Concocting a good mystery is a challenge, he said. “There is a lot of craft in it.” He turns to the masters – Agatha Christie and Alfred Hitchcock, he said, to understand the techniques. “I add Indian flavours to that, since readers want something that appeals to their Indian middleclass context. Young people enjoy reading books that are simple and relatable.” Besides, he says, “It is not that simple to be simple,” quipped the writer who is often criticised for his use of easy-toread vocabulary. “Like the crazy number of spices that go into Indian cooking, my books have a mix of everything from mystery to romance. I make the Indian buffet.” In ‘400 Days’, which he wrote during the lockdown, he is inspired by the real-life story of a mother’s search for her missing 12-year-old daughter and how, with the help of a young neighbour, she continues her search long after the police have given up.

The story of his fitness journey had his audience in splits. He talked about celebrity weddings and how food is served in Indian homes, in his typical, witty style.

As he discussed ‘400 Days’, the author warned parents about the dangers of letting children talk to strangers on social media, advising them to remain emotionally connected with their children. “If a child is talking to a stranger more than you, that’s a sign that trouble is brewing,” said the prolific writer who admitted that ‘400 Days’ was his most challenging work as he had to strike a balance with humour as he attempted to get into the head of a woman who has lost her child.