The V-Shaped route: A review of Child/God

Finished reading ‘Child/God’- a novel by Mr. Ketan Bhagat a while ago. Before I give my views regarding the story, let us first know about the author and what led him to write the book.

About the author:

From the outside, Ketan is a typical 37-year-old middle-class common man living in Mumbai. Other than being the brother of India’s most influential writer, and receiving an occasional compliment for his sense of humor, Ketan’s persona is so common that one doesn’t even need to describe it. Just look around, and you will see someone like him… saturated salary, protruding waistline, receding hairline, old marriage, rented house and a car which is on EMI. Often seen bribing police constables, watching television debates against corruption, passing time at the bar… the kind of person who sends more Facebook requests than he receives. His Twitter Account has more tweets than followers.

That’s Ketan Bhagat! Present everywhere, noticed nowhere.

Yet, scratch the surface, and inside you would uncover a zealous storyteller waiting to take you through a powerful transformational journey. A few years ago, as fatherhood embraced Ketan, his world changed. While changing diapers, Ketan found his mindset changing. When the child took a bath, the father felt cleansed. As Ketan started experiencing such divine tranquility in his naughty toddler’s presence, a newfound wisdom and a story tumbled out of the author.

Child/God is that story. Every newborn is unique, perfect, happy and light. His parents are usually the opposite. Yet, parents teach the child. Believing every child to be God’s manifestation, Ketan has tried to learn from his child.

Child/God is Ketan’s second novel. His first novel- Complete/convenient- was a bestseller and is currently being adapted into a Bollywood movie. Before becoming a novelist, Ketan did stints with television and print media. Occasionally, Ketan is also invited as a motivational speaker.

To pay his bills, Ketan works for an IT MNC in Mumbai.

About the book:

When we get introduced to some new book, the first thing we come to know about it is its title. In the title of this book, we see the terms ‘child’ and ‘God’ separated by a slash. The slash may mean ‘or’ or ‘alternative term’. It means, the story is about a child who, if referred to as ‘God’, won’t at all be mistaken. So, going by the theme of the book, I find the title appropriate.

Next we see the cover page. It is quite a simple one, but carries a meaning in itself. On the simple white background, we see a person holding his child on his shoulders. The child has spread his hands straight, may be enjoying the blowing wind, or imagining himself flying in the air like superman. He seems to have no fear at all as he knows his father won’t allow him to fall or get disbalanced anyway. The father, on the other hand, is trying to look at the happy face of his son. His happiness lies in the happiness of his child.

Overall, a simple cover carrying an awesome concept that indeed goes with the theme! Cheers to the one(s) who has/ have designed it!

Now let me come to the main story.

The story starts with Raghav- the protagonist- shown as a loser from schooldays, brother of a famous writer, and at present- a lay man. Then as I read along, I felt as if I am in a journey through a v-shaped route- where it first tends downwards, reaches the bottom-most point, then leads upwards. In the beginning, it is seen that everything surrounding Raghav tends towards negativity- his professional life, his married life, his family, as well as his dream to become a writer. And then a time comes when these get tangled so much that poor Raghav turns to an alcoholic and is even seen with prostitutes in a red-light area!

Then one day, he is blessed with a son. With this, a change comes in him. It is here  we see the turning point. As Raghav sees his innocent child who is busy in his own world and doesn’t mind nor care for simply any issue, he begins taking lessons from him. It is beautifully narrated how, slowly and gradually, he is able untangle every complicated situation that had formed around him. And it adds a cherry on the cake when one day he is gifted The Bhagwad Gita by his father. Along with the child- who remains his silent teacher, the Holy Book gives him a master boost in bringing an end his problems. At the end, we see Raghav not just free himself of all the problems but also turn things to his favour.

The language used by Mr. Bhagat is simple and can easily be understood. For convenience, the hindi words and complicated terms/lines are explained in footnotes. The only thing that I felt negative is that certain things in the story are repeated or, at places, over-exaggerated- making the read boring at those places (especially in those sections where the focus is on Raghav’s professional life). Towards the end, there are a few editing mistakes. I would suggest the author to get them checked during reprints.

I would rate the book 3.5 on 5.

At the end of the day, I would like to wish the author the best for his future. You indeed have a long way to go, sir!