International Journal of Research and Review www.ijrrjournal.com E-ISSN: 2349-9788; P-ISSN: 2454-2237 Review Paper Portrayal of Youth Society in Chetan Bhagat’s Five Point Someone Dr. P. Rajeswari Assistant Professor of English, Sri Sarada College for Women, Tirunelveli. ABSTRACT Chetan Bhagat is an Indian novelist, columnist and speaker. Bhagat is the writer of five bestselling novels, Five point someone, The 3 Mistakes of My life, One Night @ the call center, 2 States and What Young India Wants. Chetan Bhagat’s Five Point Someone is one of the highest selling novels published in India and lingered on the best seller list since its release in 2004. The novel begins in a unique way where the author takes the liberty of sharing his opinion that the book is not a guide on how to get into IIT but it cite examples of how screwed up our college years can get if we don’t think straight.. The paper attempts to throw some light on the aspects of post modernist thought process where the engineering youth tries to stand against the conventional system of imparting technical education and traditional way of evaluating the cognitive abilities of a student on the basis of CGPA. Key Words: Post modernist thought, engineering youth, conventional system, cognitive abilities and CGPA. Chetan Bhagat is an Indian and monotony of the academic work. The writer, screenwriter, columnist, television novel pictures the numerous attempts by the celebrity and motivational spokesman, trio to handle with and beat the system as rejoiced for his novels about metropolitan well as Hari's fling with Neha who just middle class youths. Bhagat, an alumnus of happens to be the daughter of Prof. Cherian, IIM Ahmedabad and Indian Institute of the dominant head of the Mechanical Technology (IIT) Delhi and is seen further Engineering Department of their college. It as a youth icon than as a writer. Time grabs some dark turns, mainly when it magazine named Chetan Bhagat as one of comes to the families of the protagonists. the Hundred Most Influential People in the Most of the deed still, takes place inside the World. Chetan Bhagat, an investment campus as the boys, led by the ever creative banker turned into a prolific writer and Ryan, normally mournful how the through his writings he always focused on internationally praised IIT system has youth, career and issues based on national suppressed their creativity by forcing them development. to value grades more than anything else. The Five Point-Someone created a Uninspiring teaching and numerous strong foothold among the generation of assignments add to their despair, though the youngsters, which had almost interest in boys do find a sympathizer in Prof. Veera, novels and books. The novel is recounted by the new fluid mechanics professor. Hari, with some passages by his friends Chetan Bhagat gives a spectacle of Ryan and Alok. It deals with the lives of the the apparent effects of ragging which is three friends, whose delight on making it to really quite common in engineering colleges one of the best engineering colleges all through this campus novel. The youths of in India is quickly depressed by the rigidity Indian Institute of Technology together with International Journal of Research & Review (www.ijrrjournal.com) 76 Vol.5; Issue: 7; July 2018 P. Rajeswari. Portrayal of Youth Society in Chetan Bhagat’s Five Point Someone the three students Alok Gupta, Ryan Oberoi Presumably IITs are known as Centres of and Hari Kumar were called by the seniors Excellence but the institute could not up on the balcony for ragging at midnight. succeed to win laurels for the country by Incidents in the name of ragging creates a making significant technical contributions. great psychological effect on the minds of The grading system to assess the students which may increase the suicidal students’ performance has not only attempts. Ryan, good looking and a hefty overburdened the students but also spoiled man revolted against the age old tradition of their originality. The limitations of the IIT ragging and the senior – fresher system was intricately brought out by the discrimination. He has kept Hari and Alok remarks of Ryan Oberoi in a get together from the coke bottles at the very first day party: and they turned into good friends for all the You know guys, this whole four years of IIT and even after that. IIT system is sick. Because, tell me, The novel also touches an important how many great engineers or chord the helplessness of the Professors’ to scientists have come out of IIT? I handle the brilliant students who can pose mean that is supposed to be the best challenging questions based on their college in India, the best technology common sense. Prof. Dubey, Mechanical institute for a country of a billion. Engineering Department, mentions “The But has IIT ever invented anything? definition of a machine is simple. It is Or made any technical contribution anything that reduces human effort. to India? Over thirty years of IITs, Anything. So, see the world around you and yet, all it does is train some bring it is full of machines” (9). A student, Ryan kids to work in multinationals. I asks: “Sir, what about a gym machine, like a mean look at MIT in the USA… bench press or something? That doesn’t What is wrong in the system… This reduce human effort. In fact, it increases it.” system of relative grading and (10) This is a clarion call for the teaching overburdening the students. I mean it society to equip them to handle the cream kills the best fun years of your life. students of institutions like IITs and But it kills something else. Where is encourage the students to think beyond the the room for original though? Where textbooks. is the time for creativity? It is not In college life romance is like a fair. (34-35) herald which conveys the message of love Competition is so intense in IITs in the tender hearts. The romanticism which has duly created lot of pressures evoked with the love affair of Hari and among the students and one of the Neha, the daughter of Prof. Cherian is professors’s made a remark at the end of his noteworthy. Hari gets ready to do anything class: for his lady love Neha. Hostel life is all Best of luck once again for about friends, alienation from families, your stay here. Remember, as your smoking cigars, drinking vodka and head of department Prof. Cherian listening to Pink Floyd. Commitment to says, the tough workload is by relationship overrules the fresh admitted design, to keep you on your toes. youth undergraduates to such an extent that And respect the grading system. You they are ready to do anything for earning get bad grades, and I assure you – name and fame. Ryan Oberoi always you get no job, no school and no prioritizes his friends more than his parents. future. If you do well, the world is Alok, a resident of Rohini Colony, Delhi is your oyster. So, don’t slip, not even a sincere guy but he too gets ready with once, or there will be no oyster, just Ryan and Hari indulges in mischievous acts slush. (11) to overcome the shackles of poverty. International Journal of Research & Review (www.ijrrjournal.com) 77 Vol.5; Issue: 7; July 2018 P. Rajeswari. Portrayal of Youth Society in Chetan Bhagat’s Five Point Someone Hari Kumar, Alok Gupta and Ryan low GPAs so much that when Ryan Oberoi joined Indian Institute of submitted a research proposal on Technology with good all India rankings but lubricants, I judged it without even gave lot of preferences to fun and friends reading it. But these boys have instead of focusing on majors, quizzes and something really promising. I saw assignments. The consequences were the proposal the second time. I can inevitable that they became underachievers. tell you, any investor who invests in Their GPA (Grade Point Average) came to this will earn a rainbow. (261) the bottom line. The three underperformers Through this novel the writer intends (Ryan, Alok and Hari) invent C2D to convey a social message that GPAs are (Cooperate to dominate) formula to save not the ultimate factor to decide students’ time and plan to share the assignments for potentialities and creativity. To become a the sake of fun. According to them today’s topper with 10.00 GPA is a great examinations, quizzes, are hopeless. achievement undoubtedly but there is Ryan, Hari and Alok are five something more in life which is yet to be pointers. They blame IIT system as sick and achieved i.e. commitment towards family, for it’s not promoting the nation building, friends and our internal desires and goals. and for agitating the most intellectuals of Hari, Ryan and Alok had a dream to join the country. They articulate IIT do not care Indian Institute of Technology which they for their creativeness and original thinking. fulfilled by taking admission into it but they To revolt against this found norm, they screwed up for not taking the grading planned paper stealing of Majors from Prof. system seriously. As a result it landed them Cherian’s room and were trapped red down to many unforeseen troubles and they handed. Finally a disciplinary action was had to remain satisfied with the little taken against them and they were terminated achievement they could manage with the for one semester. Alok jumped from Insti- support and encouragement of some well roof but was fortunately saved with thirteen wishers like Prof.