“He’ll be a better MLA than me. What would I have done? Made more money. With him there is the chance he could change something.”
Everyone has got fed up with the present corrupt leaders as well as system. Now they want a change. But mere “want” is not enough. Change requires some things. You have to come forward, raise yor voice, work for it and finally sacrifice your loveliest and dearest thing for it.
The Story in Brief
The book, Revolution 2020, spins around the life-story of a boy named Gopal Mishra, who comes from a middle class family. His father wanted him to become an engineer as other middle class parents do. Because, they think, this is the only way to become success or to make money or to become respected one. He spent his whole savings and arranged loan in order to provide better coaching facility to his son. But, to his bad luck/misfortune, Gopal could not manage to get admission to any of the prestigious engineering colleges in his two attempts while his childhood friend Raghav Kashyap cracked IIT-JEE in his only attempt. Thus Raghav became a repeated as well as ideal name in Varanasi as he was the only student to qualify IIT-JEE in the area. But engineering was not his passion. He wanted to take journalism as his passion.
Gopal knew Aarti Paratap Pardhan from his shool days and of course he loved her madly. He often pushed her to love him in response but Aarti didn’t reply. She liked him as her best friend not her boy-friend. She chose Raghav, the IIT-Man and friend of Gopal, as her boy-friend--- Girls are very fast to take up “all that glitters”. A “something” hammered Gopal’s heart.
The news of his son’s incapability to become an engineer made Gopal’s father very weak and he left the world with a tease in his heart. Gopal got ½ of 30 acres disputed agricultural land from his father. Soon he came in contact with MLA Shukla-Ji. He, using his power, made the land clear from every dispute and said Gopal to open an engineering college---as this is the latest way to make money with respect.
Gopal paid bribe to every one---from Varanasi Nagar Nigam officials to the inspection team and dean of the college. Soon he became the Director of Ganga Tech. Quite amazing to know that the person who had never joined any engineering college in his life time would be issuing his own engineering degree.
On the other hand, Raghav loved to work for his passion. He edited the college magazine during his college life and disclosed very interesting things to the general students especially the mess in college kitchen. Soon he became a celebrity in his college for second time. After degree, he preferred to be attached with a daily news paper instead of joining a Multi-National company. He worked day and night in order to see malpractices and corruptions in his city and published it in his news paper whenever found. He wrote an essay on the opening day of the GangaTech with the head line “New Engineering College Opens in the City--With Corruption money?” Seeing this forced the editor of the news paper to make Raghv out of his team and made him to say sorry to his looser-been-director friend Gopal Mishra. Given to his calamities Raghav started a news paper of his own namely Revolution 2020. He worked hard for his stories and finally published the corruption-story of MLA Shukla-Ji with unbeatable evidences and made him go to the jail.
As Raghav was too busy with his stories to spend more time with Aarti. And Aarti moved to Gopal. He enjoyed every moment with her and she too with him. Both agreed to marry each other.
After Shukla-Ji’s imprisonment the party wanted DM Pardhan, Aarti’s father and son of the ex-CM as its candidate in coming elections. But he didn’t like politics due his illness. So, the only option was Aarti’s husband. Gopal had a good opportunity to become an MLA--and how one can miss this golden chance.
He along with Aarti decided to say bye to Raghav at his very low time. Low time because at first he lost his job in Dainik, then started his own but Shukla-Ji’s men attacked his office very brutally after publishing the story about his involvement in corruptions. Now he had no money to replace his damaged things. He was struggling for his news paper. At the very moment Gopal decided to give him another sad news that Aarti too was not with him anymore. He went to his office and saw Raghav’s situation and his determination to serve the poor and eradicate evils from the society by his own eyes. He changed his intentions and helped Raghav get his job back in Dainik without letting him know of his involvement. He also sacrificed his More-Than-Life Aarti for him and thus missed a golden chance to become an MLA.
Comment
The story of the novel is quite interesting as well as inspirational, especially the character of Gopal Mishra. I could not stop my tears when I read “the sacrifice” of him at the end of the story. Actually these types of sacrifices are required for a real change. By doing so he became the silent Hero of the story.
The story uncovers the trend of bribe in both government and private sectors. It shows how every official not only ignore your illegal deeds but help you do this if paid his ‘cut’. This is really hurting story of India. A wealthy man can do everything—be it legal or illegal—by paying bribes but when the matter is of a poor man he can’t even finish his legal act because of his failing to pay bribes. This situation must be changed. And who will be better option than youths for this courageous job???
The writing style of the author is really praise worthy especially his On-Time-Proper-Comment. I read the chatting of GopalKotaFactory and FlyingAarti again and again. At one place he says “A girl’s ‘I’m fine’, especially with capital F, is like an ‘icebergs ahead’ sign for a ship”.
But I can’t understand why people become so vulgar while talking of a girl??? And why people prefer indecent European Cum American culture against their decent and desirable culture???
Chetan-Ji also lost his track and used so many improper words and created indecent scene while describing Aarti’s relationship with Gopal. Absolutely this is going to harm the mentality of younger generation. A writer is supposed to be a trend setter not a promoter of the same trend. The younger generation is moving very fast towards vulgarity. It feels no shame to use indecent words or to do improper actions even in public places. It needs someone to stop them and teach them the lesson of social value and morality. Chetan Ji says in prologue of the book “Who is going to ‘fucking’ cry for me?” What this F.. word is? Is it proper to use these types of words? One may say that he is presenting the current scenario only. But by replacing these words with proper ones, the scenario could be presented too or by utilizing his ‘On-Time-Proper-Comment’, these words , if necessary to be used, could be condemned. One must think of his duties towards his society.
No doubt, the story is quite inspirational but including improper words and creating indecent scenes in some chapters spoil the whole impact of the story and divert the mind of the reader from main point.Perhaps like Gopal, Chetan ji would make this 'sacrifice' by avoiding indecency and initiating a new and appreciable trend in the young writer.
