The Hindu Business Line : Talking points from the pages of IIT life

AN IIT degree followed by an MBA from IIM Ahmedabad and then a job at a prominent US investment bank, Chetan Bhagat has all of this. "But happiness is not automatic," he says. That's probably why he went on to write five point someone — What not to do at IIT.

The book, published by Rupa & Co, is due for release shortly.

five point... , though revolving around fictitious characters, Hari, Alok and Ryan who are students at IIT, is based on real people and partly autobiographical. The story starts at the point when the trio joins IIT.

"The book is about our vulnerabilities and the search for friendship. I chose to go back to IIT, the time when I was happy," says Bhagat. Studying at IIT has its own challenges, but those were happy days. "I wanted to write a funny book. Writing a funny book is a real challenge," he says.

He spent three and a half years writing five point..., but getting it published was not without its share of difficult and anxious moments. "I liked writing this book but the pain that came along is something I would not want to face again," Bhagat says. The initial manuscript was rejected, and he had to rewrite the book. Bhagat cites J.K. Rowling's case: Her first Harry Potter book was rejected 49 times.

The title of the book, five point someone, refers to the 10-point scale in IIT. "If you are a nine-point someone and not happy, but a five-point someone and happy, who is better off," he queries. Ultimately, friendships are parameters of success. "All of us are vulnerable all the time, more so during the student years. That's why friendships made during your student life are forever," he says.

Bhagat puts across his own story through Hari, the shy and overweight student who always wanted to be like Ryan. "What I am trying to say through this book is that we don't have to judge ourselves everyday," he says.

The book is an interesting read with an element of irreverence thrown in, but it definitely helps demystify the great education institution — the Indian Institute of Technology.

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Talking points from the pages of IIT life