What do you think?
Rate this book
Complete/Convenient
How is life outside India? Like they show in ‘Karan Johar’ type of Bollywood movies!
How is life in India? Like they show in ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ type of Hollywood movies!
Have you ever wondered why NRIs long for India? Sitting on their pile of dollars, freedom, cleanliness and convenience, they often talk about the land full of scams, jams, crowds and corruption.
Just like a real life is full of fantasy dreams, can a fantasy life be full of ‘reality’ dreams?
What is it about an Indian life that fascinates those living outside it… even those who voluntarily left it themselves?
Welcome to the world of Kabir, a twenty-something software sales professional aspiring to relocate overseas. Charming, humorous, street smart and interesting, Kabir is a typical boy who loves life. The kind of boy usually Ranbir Kapoor plays in movies. Living in Mumbai with his best friend, who is his complete opposite and a walking-talking ‘excel sheet’, and in regular touch with his forthright girlfriend and family in Delhi, Kabir’s life is full on.
Elated on being transferred to Australia, Kabir quickly gets married and hops onto the next flight to Sydney. Dazzled by the glamorous free-spirited Aussie world, the newly-married honeymooning couple soon find themselves living a life beyond their rosiest imaginations. A quick professional success acts as a further icing on the cake.
But as time flies and the humdrum of married and professional life take over, realizations of loneliness and helplessness underlying an envious NRI life begin to surface. Worst come, the relationships left behind are beginning to wither. As his best friend and family battle through unexpected crisis and Kabir himself gets embroiled in professional challenges, balancing between the two worlds – Australia and India – becomes a stressful lone battle.
Based on emotions that every NRI and people related to NRI go through, “Complete / Convenient” sensitively journeys through characters and situations that the author, like every NRI, personally experienced during his stint out of India (including four years in Sydney).
How is life in India? Like they show in ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ type of Hollywood movies!
Have you ever wondered why NRIs long for India? Sitting on their pile of dollars, freedom, cleanliness and convenience, they often talk about the land full of scams, jams, crowds and corruption.
Just like a real life is full of fantasy dreams, can a fantasy life be full of ‘reality’ dreams?
What is it about an Indian life that fascinates those living outside it… even those who voluntarily left it themselves?
Welcome to the world of Kabir, a twenty-something software sales professional aspiring to relocate overseas. Charming, humorous, street smart and interesting, Kabir is a typical boy who loves life. The kind of boy usually Ranbir Kapoor plays in movies. Living in Mumbai with his best friend, who is his complete opposite and a walking-talking ‘excel sheet’, and in regular touch with his forthright girlfriend and family in Delhi, Kabir’s life is full on.
Elated on being transferred to Australia, Kabir quickly gets married and hops onto the next flight to Sydney. Dazzled by the glamorous free-spirited Aussie world, the newly-married honeymooning couple soon find themselves living a life beyond their rosiest imaginations. A quick professional success acts as a further icing on the cake.
But as time flies and the humdrum of married and professional life take over, realizations of loneliness and helplessness underlying an envious NRI life begin to surface. Worst come, the relationships left behind are beginning to wither. As his best friend and family battle through unexpected crisis and Kabir himself gets embroiled in professional challenges, balancing between the two worlds – Australia and India – becomes a stressful lone battle.
Based on emotions that every NRI and people related to NRI go through, “Complete / Convenient” sensitively journeys through characters and situations that the author, like every NRI, personally experienced during his stint out of India (including four years in Sydney).
- GenresContemporary
373 pages, Paperback
First published May 10, 2013
10 people are currently reading
111 people want to read
About the author
Ketan Bhagat
4 books12 followersKetan has written three novels. His first novel – Complete/Convenient – was a bestseller and was taken up for a Bollywood adaptation. Ketan’s second novel – Child/God – has been a bestseller appreciated by both critics and readers.
Ketan’s third novel – Child/Currency – has also been loved universally. It touches on the topic of parental alienation.
Ketan has also written screenplay and dialogues for a Netflix original movie – Upstarts – produced by Bandra West Productions.
Ketan is a popular motivational speaker. A sincere learner of the Holy Geeta, Ketan’s talks are an engaging mix of humor, real life examples, wisdom of our scriptures and a realization of how we ourselves our limiting our potential.
Ketan speaks regularly for industry bodies, corporates, universities, schools and literary events. Examples include Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Early Childhood Association, Gartner, Indian School of Business, Tata Consultancy Services and Indian Institute of Technology. He has also been a TEDx speaker.
Ketan is also a Member (Ag) of Ad-hoc Board of Studies in the subject of English under the Faculty of Humanities in H.S.N.C University, Mumbai.
Ketan is also a certified yoga teacher.
To pay his daily bills, Ketan works for an IT MNC in Mumbai.
Ketan’s third novel – Child/Currency – has also been loved universally. It touches on the topic of parental alienation.
Ketan has also written screenplay and dialogues for a Netflix original movie – Upstarts – produced by Bandra West Productions.
Ketan is a popular motivational speaker. A sincere learner of the Holy Geeta, Ketan’s talks are an engaging mix of humor, real life examples, wisdom of our scriptures and a realization of how we ourselves our limiting our potential.
Ketan speaks regularly for industry bodies, corporates, universities, schools and literary events. Examples include Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Early Childhood Association, Gartner, Indian School of Business, Tata Consultancy Services and Indian Institute of Technology. He has also been a TEDx speaker.
Ketan is also a Member (Ag) of Ad-hoc Board of Studies in the subject of English under the Faculty of Humanities in H.S.N.C University, Mumbai.
Ketan is also a certified yoga teacher.
To pay his daily bills, Ketan works for an IT MNC in Mumbai.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
February 17, 2017
Okay, so all of you know my stand about Chetan Bhagat and so when I heard that there’s another Bhagat in the market I was like – isn’t one enough to torture the souls of literature laureates forever? Well then Ketan Bhagat’s book hit the market – the blurb wasn’t encouraging enough. But then I got recommendations from not one but three people to read this book. All the three recommendations began with – he is nothing like Chetan! So there, I picked it up! But fair warning – there may be some comparisons and biased views – I am only human afterall.
The narration follows the story of Kabir and his journey from India to Australia and back - his job, his marital life and his hopes and dreams.
When a carefree and fun loving Kabir is offered a position in Australia, he is over the moon. The thoughts of the exposure and the income in Australian dollars is a dream come true - but first, he gets married to his girlfriend Myra. The fast paced life, the novelty of a new country and the settling down soon wears off. The late nights and missed occasions soon start take a toll. Then a family emergency calls for his involvement. And that’s when the crappy politics, traffic jams and power cuts of his homeland start to look not so bad afterall.
Okay, I have to admit that this Bhagat brother has a much better writing style. First and foremost, Ketan has managed to paint a very vivid picture of a foreign land to us Indians who have never had the chance to visit Australia. Also, lesser Bollywood masala and more real emotions that one can genuinely relate to and characters closer to the reality we live in.
Another thing about this book is its cover. The cover is nicely done and once I finished reading the book, I found the cover to be more meaningful than before. The ‘complete’ section has an illustration of India – the homeland that may cause inconvenience with its developing status but does give the sense of belonging and completeness. On the other hand, the ‘convenient’ part has illustration of Australia – the country that promised of professional exposure, higher income and a much better standard of living yet where life remains incomplete.
Overall, this may not be the debut of the year but sure holds some promise. Hope this author will mature over time and bring forward some more work with content that matters.
The narration follows the story of Kabir and his journey from India to Australia and back - his job, his marital life and his hopes and dreams.
When a carefree and fun loving Kabir is offered a position in Australia, he is over the moon. The thoughts of the exposure and the income in Australian dollars is a dream come true - but first, he gets married to his girlfriend Myra. The fast paced life, the novelty of a new country and the settling down soon wears off. The late nights and missed occasions soon start take a toll. Then a family emergency calls for his involvement. And that’s when the crappy politics, traffic jams and power cuts of his homeland start to look not so bad afterall.
Okay, I have to admit that this Bhagat brother has a much better writing style. First and foremost, Ketan has managed to paint a very vivid picture of a foreign land to us Indians who have never had the chance to visit Australia. Also, lesser Bollywood masala and more real emotions that one can genuinely relate to and characters closer to the reality we live in.
Another thing about this book is its cover. The cover is nicely done and once I finished reading the book, I found the cover to be more meaningful than before. The ‘complete’ section has an illustration of India – the homeland that may cause inconvenience with its developing status but does give the sense of belonging and completeness. On the other hand, the ‘convenient’ part has illustration of Australia – the country that promised of professional exposure, higher income and a much better standard of living yet where life remains incomplete.
Overall, this may not be the debut of the year but sure holds some promise. Hope this author will mature over time and bring forward some more work with content that matters.
May 28, 2013
The book goes on and on for a while and goes on some more and a little more going on going.
How did you like reading that sentence? That's how much I like this book. Unnecessarily obsessively tedious.
I'm a hundred pages down and I'd return it first thing tomorrow morning but my library is closed on Mondays.
How did you like reading that sentence? That's how much I like this book. Unnecessarily obsessively tedious.
I'm a hundred pages down and I'd return it first thing tomorrow morning but my library is closed on Mondays.
May 23, 2013
I have finally completed reading Ketan Bhagat's debut novel- Complete/Convenient. I have been one of the promotional partner of this book since it was in its editing stage and after reading this 373-pages book, I am satisfied that I chose a good product to promote/market. :-) As said several times by Ketan Bhagat in his interviews, this book is exclusively about every NRI or everyone living in India and continuously thinking of shifting abroad because of unwanted chaos here. The clarity of thoughts regarding NRI life is what I appreciate the most about the debut author. He does not seems to be confused over the topic that he has selected to write a story about.
Ketan Bhagat, on his website, introduces himself as- Professionally, Ketan joined Satyam Computer Services (the company that Mr Ramalinga Raju made both famous and infamous) post his MBA from Narsee Monjee Institute in 2001. After a 1.5 year stint of trying to learn programming and Tamil, destiny finally took mercy on the young, frustrated North Indian and made Satyam show him little bit of the world – 2 years in Malaysia, 9 months in NZ and 4 years in Australia. About 2 years ago, he moved back to India. Currently he works as a regional sales manager at an MNC in Mumbai. Creative at heart, Ketan has done stints in Television (anchor, script writer) and Print (articles in national dailies) during his college days. Few years ago, he helped his brother script a Bollywood movie.
The synopsis of the book says-
"Have you ever heard of any NRI who:
Hasnt washed dishes and vacuumed carpets
Hasnt missed any of his friends/ family members wedding in India
Doesnt watch Indian movies, no matter how long he has been outside India
Hasnt been to a striptease
Doesnt indulge in Indian food whenever he visits India on a vacation
Do you know any Indian who:
Hasnt thought of moving out of India for a better, safer life
Isnt fed up of the scams, traffic jams, filth, noise, crowd and crime that are part of everyday life
Isnt tired of attending endless weddings, festivals, birthdays, farewells, parties, lunches and dinners that happen almost every second day in India
Has never envied (secretly or openly) his friend / family member living outside India
Hasnt wondered what makes NRIs return to India
Welcome to the world of Kabir newly married and newly arrived in Sydney, hoping to live the glamorous and sophisticated life he has always dreamt of. After all, a life without frantic competition, traffic jams, queues, dirt, corruption and social obligations (read evils) can be refreshingly convenient. Professional success, new friends, a sincere boss... everything seems to be going just fine. But doesnt this sound too good to be true?"
Coming to the author, I would say that Ketan Bhagat has done a great job in his debut novel. A book that's made up for a light read is written wonderfully with good narration, easy vocabularies, funny one-liners every now and then (it seems as if this part is in his genes :-)), relative scenarios and yet something that is intense and makes us think about our plans and life. When in one interview I read Ketan Bhagat saying that his stories begin where Chetan Bhagat's ends, I didn't take it seriously but now I can say that this book, at some point, seems to be a sequel to "2 States" where a couple is being married after too much involvement of families and then rather than "And they lived happily after", book discusses what exactly happened to their lives. :-) In short, Ketan Bhagat is someone whom you can't ignore. If he is not very good, he is definitely not someone whom you would ignore.
Coming to the book, let's talk about good points first. Book starts with a very good set up where this boy working in an Indian MNC suddenly gets an offer to shift Australia. His college-time girlfriend immediately talks to her parents and decides to marry him before he shifts to Australia and forgets her. The initial family drama while the talks of marriage and while marriage is something that made me laugh as much as 2 States did. Later on, the initial settling in Australia is also shown with okay-ish narration. Then the kind of involvement an abroad job demands is also powerfully and aggressively discussed. :-) The problem that a boy is unaware of before marriage is clearly shown when Kabir's tussle with newly-married wife begins. The differences shown between wife and mother can make any unmarried boy like me get scared of marriage. But Ketan Bhagat has done it well by filling the scenarios with funny statements and expressions of Kabir. Some of them are still making me chuckle. :-)
The second half of the book is better than the first half. Kabir's situation when he comes to know about a mishap that his sister creates in India is where the book attracted me the most. How even after giving his limbs and arms to his job, he does not get his deserved credit is another pity scenario. The way he got distanced from his father made me weep. How even his mother does not invite him for a function makes me feel bad. Later when his sister invites him, made me more emotional. How he starts finding his Indian friends more emotionally connected than any in Australia (after 2 years). How he starts finding India better than Australia in every term warns us, not-yet-NRI team. :-) How he and his wife, Myra understands each other's situation is another wonderful moment in the book (in the pre-climax). These are some of the few incidents that I have put down in the review else there are many which will drive you crazy when you would be reading this tale yourself.
Coming to the drawback, the major problem that I have with the author is that even when he promoted the book as a tale about a confused NRI residing in Australia and thinking of India as a better option always, the book is less about it and more about the differences between husband and wife after getting into a love marriage. Rest, if the author isn't talking about Kabir, his wife and his mother-in-law, he keeps on talking about Kabir's working culture and scenario. Though author has tried to give enough of Australia and its life but still, it is something that I was expecting more. I wanted to know about how, as soon as Kabir lands up in Australia, he finds difficult to adapt to the new environments and how he also finds every system far better than India. But all I got to read was stories blocked between the four enclosed walls of his rented flat in Australia. Also, the book could have been easily summed up in 250 pages.
Well.. but still this book is something that one shouldn't miss. And it is particularly for the people who are NRIs or are thinking to shift abroad for dollars or for systematic life unlike India's. To the first half of the book, I would give 3/5 and second half, 4.25/5. In all, 3.75/5 what I would give to the first attempt of Ketan Bhagat.
Thanks.
ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU!!!
Ketan Bhagat, on his website, introduces himself as- Professionally, Ketan joined Satyam Computer Services (the company that Mr Ramalinga Raju made both famous and infamous) post his MBA from Narsee Monjee Institute in 2001. After a 1.5 year stint of trying to learn programming and Tamil, destiny finally took mercy on the young, frustrated North Indian and made Satyam show him little bit of the world – 2 years in Malaysia, 9 months in NZ and 4 years in Australia. About 2 years ago, he moved back to India. Currently he works as a regional sales manager at an MNC in Mumbai. Creative at heart, Ketan has done stints in Television (anchor, script writer) and Print (articles in national dailies) during his college days. Few years ago, he helped his brother script a Bollywood movie.
The synopsis of the book says-
"Have you ever heard of any NRI who:
Hasnt washed dishes and vacuumed carpets
Hasnt missed any of his friends/ family members wedding in India
Doesnt watch Indian movies, no matter how long he has been outside India
Hasnt been to a striptease
Doesnt indulge in Indian food whenever he visits India on a vacation
Do you know any Indian who:
Hasnt thought of moving out of India for a better, safer life
Isnt fed up of the scams, traffic jams, filth, noise, crowd and crime that are part of everyday life
Isnt tired of attending endless weddings, festivals, birthdays, farewells, parties, lunches and dinners that happen almost every second day in India
Has never envied (secretly or openly) his friend / family member living outside India
Hasnt wondered what makes NRIs return to India
Welcome to the world of Kabir newly married and newly arrived in Sydney, hoping to live the glamorous and sophisticated life he has always dreamt of. After all, a life without frantic competition, traffic jams, queues, dirt, corruption and social obligations (read evils) can be refreshingly convenient. Professional success, new friends, a sincere boss... everything seems to be going just fine. But doesnt this sound too good to be true?"
Coming to the author, I would say that Ketan Bhagat has done a great job in his debut novel. A book that's made up for a light read is written wonderfully with good narration, easy vocabularies, funny one-liners every now and then (it seems as if this part is in his genes :-)), relative scenarios and yet something that is intense and makes us think about our plans and life. When in one interview I read Ketan Bhagat saying that his stories begin where Chetan Bhagat's ends, I didn't take it seriously but now I can say that this book, at some point, seems to be a sequel to "2 States" where a couple is being married after too much involvement of families and then rather than "And they lived happily after", book discusses what exactly happened to their lives. :-) In short, Ketan Bhagat is someone whom you can't ignore. If he is not very good, he is definitely not someone whom you would ignore.
Coming to the book, let's talk about good points first. Book starts with a very good set up where this boy working in an Indian MNC suddenly gets an offer to shift Australia. His college-time girlfriend immediately talks to her parents and decides to marry him before he shifts to Australia and forgets her. The initial family drama while the talks of marriage and while marriage is something that made me laugh as much as 2 States did. Later on, the initial settling in Australia is also shown with okay-ish narration. Then the kind of involvement an abroad job demands is also powerfully and aggressively discussed. :-) The problem that a boy is unaware of before marriage is clearly shown when Kabir's tussle with newly-married wife begins. The differences shown between wife and mother can make any unmarried boy like me get scared of marriage. But Ketan Bhagat has done it well by filling the scenarios with funny statements and expressions of Kabir. Some of them are still making me chuckle. :-)
The second half of the book is better than the first half. Kabir's situation when he comes to know about a mishap that his sister creates in India is where the book attracted me the most. How even after giving his limbs and arms to his job, he does not get his deserved credit is another pity scenario. The way he got distanced from his father made me weep. How even his mother does not invite him for a function makes me feel bad. Later when his sister invites him, made me more emotional. How he starts finding his Indian friends more emotionally connected than any in Australia (after 2 years). How he starts finding India better than Australia in every term warns us, not-yet-NRI team. :-) How he and his wife, Myra understands each other's situation is another wonderful moment in the book (in the pre-climax). These are some of the few incidents that I have put down in the review else there are many which will drive you crazy when you would be reading this tale yourself.
Coming to the drawback, the major problem that I have with the author is that even when he promoted the book as a tale about a confused NRI residing in Australia and thinking of India as a better option always, the book is less about it and more about the differences between husband and wife after getting into a love marriage. Rest, if the author isn't talking about Kabir, his wife and his mother-in-law, he keeps on talking about Kabir's working culture and scenario. Though author has tried to give enough of Australia and its life but still, it is something that I was expecting more. I wanted to know about how, as soon as Kabir lands up in Australia, he finds difficult to adapt to the new environments and how he also finds every system far better than India. But all I got to read was stories blocked between the four enclosed walls of his rented flat in Australia. Also, the book could have been easily summed up in 250 pages.
Well.. but still this book is something that one shouldn't miss. And it is particularly for the people who are NRIs or are thinking to shift abroad for dollars or for systematic life unlike India's. To the first half of the book, I would give 3/5 and second half, 4.25/5. In all, 3.75/5 what I would give to the first attempt of Ketan Bhagat.
Thanks.
ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU!!!
July 6, 2013
*NOTE: We (The Readdicts) received a copy of Complete/Convenient by author Ketan Bhagat from Srishti Publishers & Distributors in exchange for an honest review. We thank the publishing house for the book!
I must admit that I started out this book keeping in mind that it is written by the Indian author whose books are national bestsellers in India and whose books I truly enjoy reading and am a huge fan of, Chetan Bhagat's younger brother. I then realised how wrong I was in comparing the two, how unjust and unfair it would be to the book and soon after that realisation hit me, I started reading Complete/Convenient as a book written by Ketan Bhagat. I was lucky enough to meet the author at his book launch in my city and while reading the book, I felt appreciative towards him and listening to him talk about himself and his book made me understand it better.
Complete/ Convenient isn't exactly a story but more of a fictionalisation of author Ketan Bhagat's life experiences, a simple rendition of an Indian man who, in the end of the day, is a son, brother and husband. It's the tale of Kabir Kapoor, who is thrilled by an opportunity to work in Australia. A quick, exciting and extremely boisterous follow up of events like his marriage with the love of his life Myra, his abrupt goodbye to his family and friends later, he finds himself in love once again- this time with the beautiful continent and country of Australia. From there begins Kabir's true life, full of fun and boredom, ups and downs, positives and negatives, good and bad and ultimately, along the journey, he faces the one realisation that is more of a life-changing phenomenon and I loved Kabir's choice in the matter.
I don't have many names on my Indian book boyfriends list, but I can surely say that Kabir has made it to the list. He was such a great guy- sweet, funny, loving, caring and kind. Obviously he had his own set of difficulties, problems, flaws and imperfections, but they all made him seem more real and true. I wasn't always very fond of his wife Myra's nature but they say that people are what they are because of something that has happened to them and Myra's past, in one line, did nothing but justify her being. Together, Myra and Kabir made for a lovely couple and I loved seeing the two go through everything they went through. Seeing Kabir go through his "peak" phase was emotional. I loved how references were made to Bollywood news, movies and gossip as well as other little daily things that happens around us. What I loved seeing most, however, was Australia, it's lifestyle and ways, from both Myra and Kabir's points of views.
On the family front, while both families were huge, Myra's was more calm and poised and Kabir's was loud and cheerful. There were plenty more characters in the book as well, each of which seems so normal and an Indian will surely find someone or the other they can relate to. Like any typical Indian scenario, putting lots of people in the same place only brightens it more and that's exactly what happened in Complete/ Convenient as well.
Author Ketan Bhagat himself has stated that he has written this book only to bring forward a message that all of us know, but not all of us see and that his writing isn't all that great. I agree with the author but I must say that it is quite decent and the way in which the book has been written doesn't bore the reader at all. Ketan Bhagat has a superb sense of humour and it showed in his book as well. Complete/ Convenient keeps you entertained, constantly thinking about certain things and gives you a message that isn't at all imposing but just practical and worth knowing and sharing. It is an highly enjoyable read that made me laugh out loud at numerous times. There is so much of authenticity and reality in this book that it's alright to give imagination a break and just live the book and I did just that.
You know you've read a good book when you carry it mentally with you all the time. I found myself staring out at many people, couples especially (sorry for the awkwardness said people!), when I went outside and thinking in my head if, at a personal front, in any way, they are going through the same situations as Myra and Kabir are.
All in all, I really liked and enjoyed Complete/ Convenient. I'm definitely going to read all of Ketan Bhagat's books from now on. He, both as an author and as a person, has acquired a huge fan in me. My rating is somewhere between 3.5 to 3.75, which I'm rounding up to a solid 4 owls. Yes, I liked this book and if my super lengthy review wasn't enough then let me say (this is the last bit, I promise) that I would highly recommend it.
I must admit that I started out this book keeping in mind that it is written by the Indian author whose books are national bestsellers in India and whose books I truly enjoy reading and am a huge fan of, Chetan Bhagat's younger brother. I then realised how wrong I was in comparing the two, how unjust and unfair it would be to the book and soon after that realisation hit me, I started reading Complete/Convenient as a book written by Ketan Bhagat. I was lucky enough to meet the author at his book launch in my city and while reading the book, I felt appreciative towards him and listening to him talk about himself and his book made me understand it better.
Complete/ Convenient isn't exactly a story but more of a fictionalisation of author Ketan Bhagat's life experiences, a simple rendition of an Indian man who, in the end of the day, is a son, brother and husband. It's the tale of Kabir Kapoor, who is thrilled by an opportunity to work in Australia. A quick, exciting and extremely boisterous follow up of events like his marriage with the love of his life Myra, his abrupt goodbye to his family and friends later, he finds himself in love once again- this time with the beautiful continent and country of Australia. From there begins Kabir's true life, full of fun and boredom, ups and downs, positives and negatives, good and bad and ultimately, along the journey, he faces the one realisation that is more of a life-changing phenomenon and I loved Kabir's choice in the matter.
I don't have many names on my Indian book boyfriends list, but I can surely say that Kabir has made it to the list. He was such a great guy- sweet, funny, loving, caring and kind. Obviously he had his own set of difficulties, problems, flaws and imperfections, but they all made him seem more real and true. I wasn't always very fond of his wife Myra's nature but they say that people are what they are because of something that has happened to them and Myra's past, in one line, did nothing but justify her being. Together, Myra and Kabir made for a lovely couple and I loved seeing the two go through everything they went through. Seeing Kabir go through his "peak" phase was emotional. I loved how references were made to Bollywood news, movies and gossip as well as other little daily things that happens around us. What I loved seeing most, however, was Australia, it's lifestyle and ways, from both Myra and Kabir's points of views.
On the family front, while both families were huge, Myra's was more calm and poised and Kabir's was loud and cheerful. There were plenty more characters in the book as well, each of which seems so normal and an Indian will surely find someone or the other they can relate to. Like any typical Indian scenario, putting lots of people in the same place only brightens it more and that's exactly what happened in Complete/ Convenient as well.
Author Ketan Bhagat himself has stated that he has written this book only to bring forward a message that all of us know, but not all of us see and that his writing isn't all that great. I agree with the author but I must say that it is quite decent and the way in which the book has been written doesn't bore the reader at all. Ketan Bhagat has a superb sense of humour and it showed in his book as well. Complete/ Convenient keeps you entertained, constantly thinking about certain things and gives you a message that isn't at all imposing but just practical and worth knowing and sharing. It is an highly enjoyable read that made me laugh out loud at numerous times. There is so much of authenticity and reality in this book that it's alright to give imagination a break and just live the book and I did just that.
You know you've read a good book when you carry it mentally with you all the time. I found myself staring out at many people, couples especially (sorry for the awkwardness said people!), when I went outside and thinking in my head if, at a personal front, in any way, they are going through the same situations as Myra and Kabir are.
All in all, I really liked and enjoyed Complete/ Convenient. I'm definitely going to read all of Ketan Bhagat's books from now on. He, both as an author and as a person, has acquired a huge fan in me. My rating is somewhere between 3.5 to 3.75, which I'm rounding up to a solid 4 owls. Yes, I liked this book and if my super lengthy review wasn't enough then let me say (this is the last bit, I promise) that I would highly recommend it.
June 27, 2013
Complete Review here
Ketan Bhagat has relived the Bhagat family tradition of writing a gem of a debut book. For an IT professional, I can totally relate to the arguments put forth by the protagonists (Kabir) when confronted with career overseas and family back home in India.
Author has adopted a simple way of narrating the story. The writing is simple too. There are regular comparisons between living in India and overseas, their pluses and minuses. So, people who want to relocate can easily finalize their decision after reading this book! Even the people planning to relocate overseas can go through the different arguments you will eventually face.
And yes, Ketan has a different writing style with less masala than Chetan.
Ketan Bhagat has relived the Bhagat family tradition of writing a gem of a debut book. For an IT professional, I can totally relate to the arguments put forth by the protagonists (Kabir) when confronted with career overseas and family back home in India.
Author has adopted a simple way of narrating the story. The writing is simple too. There are regular comparisons between living in India and overseas, their pluses and minuses. So, people who want to relocate can easily finalize their decision after reading this book! Even the people planning to relocate overseas can go through the different arguments you will eventually face.
And yes, Ketan has a different writing style with less masala than Chetan.
July 22, 2013
To be honest knowing that Ketan Bhagat was the brother of Chetan Bhagat killed my anticipation for the book. Well I agree Chetan Bhagat has brought Indian youth back to reading but being a reader myself I am less than impressed with his writing. So one can imagine my surprise when I found myself actually enjoying Complete/Convenient. He is all that Chetan Bhagat is not in a positive way, and that is saying a lot.
November 6, 2014
Nuanced in places, wonderful understanding of relationships and situations, the experience of drifting apart clearly showing. Since I'm going through some of the stuff, it struck a chord in a few places. But, God, the writing! I've written better in my story-writing competitions in 6th standard.
July 26, 2013
I had just returned from a meeting with a visiting NRI wife when I picked up Ketan Bhagat’s Complete/ Convenient. As I started reading it, it seemed nothing but an extension of the tales of woe I had just heard from the said ‘wife’ except that Bhagat’s book was from the standpoint of the husband.
Complete/Convenient begins with the protagonist, Kabir being assigned a job in Australia, following which is his hasty marriage to his sweetheart Myra and their subsequent relocation to the island continent. The wedding event is filled with incidents of sparring between the two families, the description of which is straight out of a Bollywood movie .The first three quarters of the book is tiresome reading as it seems to only deal with Myra and her ma-in-law’s conflicts. Just when you are about to give up in desperation, Ketan finally brings up issues which have some substance…mainly that of the mental conflict faced by NRIs on the eternal question of whether to settle down in the adopted country or to return to India. His description of Kabir’s angst over being left out of family affairs is well captured and his turmoil over his responsibilities to his family versus that towards his wife is also brought out well.
The author repeatedly refers to Kabir washing dishes to show his loss of Punjabi manliness and the ‘kameenapan’ of ‘NRI life’ where you ‘could play golf, drive swanky cars and yet have to wash your dirty utensils yourself’. I fail to understand Ketan Bhagat’s thinking here and why he believes that is the worst that could happen to an Indian man. Has Mr. Ketan Bhagat never heard of Mahatma Gandhi, who was broadminded enough almost a century ago to ask people to clean their own toilets to teach them a lesson in humility? The lesson in respecting manual work appears to have been lost on both Kabir and Ketan Bhagat.
Office politics, the characterisation of his sister Kiran and his father are fairly well developed by the author. The tagline of ‘there is more to men than bromance’ however seemed rather unconvincing and the title of the book, uninspiring.
Comparisons with his more famous brother are inevitable and at the cost of being politically incorrect…I will continue to do so. Ketan’s preface gave me an impression of a ‘Robbie’ complex (of Everybody Loves Raymond fame’) and his characterisation of Ramesh and pre-marriage Myra seemed heavily drawn from characters in the movie version of brother Chetan’s Five Point Someone.
Both brothers, I must admit have a knack for good story telling and that is probably the only thing going for Ketan. While Chetan appears to be more versatile and his writing is simple but at least grammatically correct, Ketan’s fails miserably on the language front although his debut story does seem to have greater focus.
On the language front, Ketan desperately needs to get his copy, proof read. The writing is fraught with errors. Typos and grammatical errors abound. Beer is spelt bear, Singapore is Signapore, a car involved in an accident is an ‘accidented car’ and a million others …. If a printed, I am assuming edited version, has that many errors, I would suggest he either tries his luck with a better proof reader the next time or switches to writing in a language other than in English.
Honestly, I was drawn to the book only because the author was Chetan’s brother. While Chetan has created a niche with his simplistic, non pretentious writing style (and more importantly, appears to have a better editor), Ketan needs to first of all focus on achieving an acceptable level of English writing quality before working on the next step of creating an identity for himself. His writing appears to ‘draw inspiration’ from Chetan’s style and the lack of anything new to offer is a serious drawback. While it could be argued that being siblings their writings would have similarities, Chetan got first dibs on it, so hard luck Ketan…
On the whole, a story better suited for a soap on TV channel than a refreshing read for a discerning reader.If you can't ignore the quality of writing and focus on the story then this one is definitely not for you.
Complete/Convenient begins with the protagonist, Kabir being assigned a job in Australia, following which is his hasty marriage to his sweetheart Myra and their subsequent relocation to the island continent. The wedding event is filled with incidents of sparring between the two families, the description of which is straight out of a Bollywood movie .The first three quarters of the book is tiresome reading as it seems to only deal with Myra and her ma-in-law’s conflicts. Just when you are about to give up in desperation, Ketan finally brings up issues which have some substance…mainly that of the mental conflict faced by NRIs on the eternal question of whether to settle down in the adopted country or to return to India. His description of Kabir’s angst over being left out of family affairs is well captured and his turmoil over his responsibilities to his family versus that towards his wife is also brought out well.
The author repeatedly refers to Kabir washing dishes to show his loss of Punjabi manliness and the ‘kameenapan’ of ‘NRI life’ where you ‘could play golf, drive swanky cars and yet have to wash your dirty utensils yourself’. I fail to understand Ketan Bhagat’s thinking here and why he believes that is the worst that could happen to an Indian man. Has Mr. Ketan Bhagat never heard of Mahatma Gandhi, who was broadminded enough almost a century ago to ask people to clean their own toilets to teach them a lesson in humility? The lesson in respecting manual work appears to have been lost on both Kabir and Ketan Bhagat.
Office politics, the characterisation of his sister Kiran and his father are fairly well developed by the author. The tagline of ‘there is more to men than bromance’ however seemed rather unconvincing and the title of the book, uninspiring.
Comparisons with his more famous brother are inevitable and at the cost of being politically incorrect…I will continue to do so. Ketan’s preface gave me an impression of a ‘Robbie’ complex (of Everybody Loves Raymond fame’) and his characterisation of Ramesh and pre-marriage Myra seemed heavily drawn from characters in the movie version of brother Chetan’s Five Point Someone.
Both brothers, I must admit have a knack for good story telling and that is probably the only thing going for Ketan. While Chetan appears to be more versatile and his writing is simple but at least grammatically correct, Ketan’s fails miserably on the language front although his debut story does seem to have greater focus.
On the language front, Ketan desperately needs to get his copy, proof read. The writing is fraught with errors. Typos and grammatical errors abound. Beer is spelt bear, Singapore is Signapore, a car involved in an accident is an ‘accidented car’ and a million others …. If a printed, I am assuming edited version, has that many errors, I would suggest he either tries his luck with a better proof reader the next time or switches to writing in a language other than in English.
Honestly, I was drawn to the book only because the author was Chetan’s brother. While Chetan has created a niche with his simplistic, non pretentious writing style (and more importantly, appears to have a better editor), Ketan needs to first of all focus on achieving an acceptable level of English writing quality before working on the next step of creating an identity for himself. His writing appears to ‘draw inspiration’ from Chetan’s style and the lack of anything new to offer is a serious drawback. While it could be argued that being siblings their writings would have similarities, Chetan got first dibs on it, so hard luck Ketan…
On the whole, a story better suited for a soap on TV channel than a refreshing read for a discerning reader.If you can't ignore the quality of writing and focus on the story then this one is definitely not for you.
May 1, 2014
Well i have completed with the Ketan Bhagat novel Complete/Convenient. After long time I have read something which is really worth and i even enjoyed it. This is my first review of my life and I hope it doesn’t disappoint you all
Good points about this book.
• I liked the cover page of the book. The printing of the cover page is just awesome. I have read so many books but I have never found cover page like this.
• The way author has described the Punjabi community in the book is something different. Kabir mamaji and mamiji, his mom and sister. How they behaved and talked in front of people. It made me laugh sometimes in their serious situations. Engagement and marriage ceremony of Kabir was something unexpected for him and other family members. There was a time when his mamaji could put this marriage talk to an end before the marriage could start. Mamaji is so entertaining.
• Kabir working for MNC company in India suddenly shifting to Sydney and from there the real life begins . Author has properly described how life is difficult abroad when you are away from your loved ones. Kabir marrying Myra was unaware what is going to happen which is very interesting as it covers everything one would face after marriage but this is something which happens abroad so it’s thrilling. For some days or months its totally fun but after that each and every day is so difficult for Kabir that he couldn’t balance his life and felt like a loser although he was trying to manage everything in the best way he can. After marriage Kabir is like a dhol, from one side his wife keep on giving complains and on the other side his mom doing the same thing. Sometimes i thought while reading that later on they must have got divorced but whatever happened later was something unexpected. It was all like miracle that someone could wish.
• Later part is of her sister marriage which is turning point of the book as it described the meaning of relationship to each and every character in this book. Perfect love, meaning of friendship from his Indian and Sydney friends, emotions, feelings of father and mother which at one point of time Kabir didn’t care or he was just blind in love of his wife but they had a better understanding which is rarely find in today’s world. Solutions and advices given by Kabir’s friend vishy which can make anyone think and take correct decision.
• Sydney is well described as i have got lots of information on their culture, how much expensive it is, how people are independent, places, foods, beaches and bars which i loved the most ;)
• Each and every line or paragraph of this book has something interesting which can make you think. Some statements are still making me smile when i think about it. Each character has a soft corner in his heart which i liked the most for some or the other reason
Limitations of the book.
• For an Indian reader 373 pages is too much. Hardly anyone read more than 200 to 250 pages. In between even i felt of quitting it but the suspense and way you described each and every situation made me complete this book
• I was expecting something more about Australia such as there is any other good place to visit except beaches and bars.
I found this book very interesting as it give lots of information about places, foods, streets, restaurants, beaches, bars, etc. It has perfect meaning of love, friendship, family relations, etc. How ups and downs come in life when you are far away from your family. How to balance life? How to make decisions? And lot more when you read you will come to know.
This is a lengthy book but i loved it a lot. I am eagerly waiting for the next book even if it is of 500 pages i would love to read it. I would give 4/5 for the first book of Mr. Ketan Bhagat
Good points about this book.
• I liked the cover page of the book. The printing of the cover page is just awesome. I have read so many books but I have never found cover page like this.
• The way author has described the Punjabi community in the book is something different. Kabir mamaji and mamiji, his mom and sister. How they behaved and talked in front of people. It made me laugh sometimes in their serious situations. Engagement and marriage ceremony of Kabir was something unexpected for him and other family members. There was a time when his mamaji could put this marriage talk to an end before the marriage could start. Mamaji is so entertaining.
• Kabir working for MNC company in India suddenly shifting to Sydney and from there the real life begins . Author has properly described how life is difficult abroad when you are away from your loved ones. Kabir marrying Myra was unaware what is going to happen which is very interesting as it covers everything one would face after marriage but this is something which happens abroad so it’s thrilling. For some days or months its totally fun but after that each and every day is so difficult for Kabir that he couldn’t balance his life and felt like a loser although he was trying to manage everything in the best way he can. After marriage Kabir is like a dhol, from one side his wife keep on giving complains and on the other side his mom doing the same thing. Sometimes i thought while reading that later on they must have got divorced but whatever happened later was something unexpected. It was all like miracle that someone could wish.
• Later part is of her sister marriage which is turning point of the book as it described the meaning of relationship to each and every character in this book. Perfect love, meaning of friendship from his Indian and Sydney friends, emotions, feelings of father and mother which at one point of time Kabir didn’t care or he was just blind in love of his wife but they had a better understanding which is rarely find in today’s world. Solutions and advices given by Kabir’s friend vishy which can make anyone think and take correct decision.
• Sydney is well described as i have got lots of information on their culture, how much expensive it is, how people are independent, places, foods, beaches and bars which i loved the most ;)
• Each and every line or paragraph of this book has something interesting which can make you think. Some statements are still making me smile when i think about it. Each character has a soft corner in his heart which i liked the most for some or the other reason
Limitations of the book.
• For an Indian reader 373 pages is too much. Hardly anyone read more than 200 to 250 pages. In between even i felt of quitting it but the suspense and way you described each and every situation made me complete this book
• I was expecting something more about Australia such as there is any other good place to visit except beaches and bars.
I found this book very interesting as it give lots of information about places, foods, streets, restaurants, beaches, bars, etc. It has perfect meaning of love, friendship, family relations, etc. How ups and downs come in life when you are far away from your family. How to balance life? How to make decisions? And lot more when you read you will come to know.
This is a lengthy book but i loved it a lot. I am eagerly waiting for the next book even if it is of 500 pages i would love to read it. I would give 4/5 for the first book of Mr. Ketan Bhagat
July 21, 2013
By Ketan Bhagat. Grade A
People blessed (ha!) with siblings would agree that there are positives and negatives when it comes to following what your sibling has already mastered. You share the same parents, and, therefore, the same genes, and that means anything one sibling accomplishes, you should theoretically be able to accomplish a bit of that as well. You like it or not, when you enter the same domain, comparison is bound to happen. Michael and Ralf Schumacher? Mukesh and Anil Ambani? Michael and Fredo Corleone? Adolf and Rudolf Dassler?
Ketan’s Complete/Convenient doesn’t, in the least bit, follow any of Chetan’s writing cliché. It is witty, wise, and—most important of all—truly beautiful in ways that many books are not. There’s an honest, ardent majesty in which life of an NRI is showed. Ketan has wholeheartedly embraced the situation of most NRIs and that may be because this book is inspired by his experiences. The book has so much joie de vivre and if there is any justice in this wworld, Ketan will be huge star soon.
I loved it! I loved it because it was funny, poignant, and smart, and simple, and complete kickass, and takes absolutely no shit from any of its detractors. There, I said it.
India. Yes, it is dirty, and dusty. People litter and spit and urinate in public. Yes, there is corruption. Most service providers can’t spell ‘punctuality’. Roads have potholes bigger than there are craters on the moon and if you drive in Delhi, your testicles live in the daily fear of retracting into your lungs. Yes! Why would somebody like to live in such a country? This book will tell you why a billion people still reside here, despite its abundant, endless flaws. Why there are perfections in its imperfections. Ten out of ten to Ketan.
The book is divided into three chapters; from Mumbai to Delhi to Sydney, the stay in Sydney and coming back home. Working in an MNC in Mumbai, Kabir gets an offer to shift to Australia after marrying his college girlfriend (No, its not that simple. There were many complications and speed breakers but let’s gloss over this homage Ketan has paid to his brother). The newly married happy couple moves to Australia and remains there for two years (No, obviously its not that simple, there are complications at extremely large scale and speed breakers bigger than biceps of any botox laced wrestler, but let’s gloss over that too). However, as time flies, Kabir starts feeling nostalgic about India. Torn between personal, professional, family and life in two different continents, the story of Kabir has love, patriotism, duty, friendship, tragedy, sacrifice, comedy, drama, despair, hope, AND romance – all expressed and expressed very simply. The first half of the story will make you chuckle, but the second half will make you weep. The emotions are many and sublimated without being maudlin. Watch out, they may slip by before you feel them.
If you are someone with the lacrimal apparatus of Attila and pride yourself with the ability to never getting your eyes moist while reading books, I dare you – no, I double dare you to read Complete/Convenient. This is beauty. Classy! Leave the technical details aside, this is one honest book that you must read.
Originally reviewed at Vaultofbooks.com, a close-knit community of fanatical readers. We are looking for perceptive readers who can write well, and we are eager to provide lots of free books in exchange for reviews. Shoot us a mail at contact@vaultofbooks.com
People blessed (ha!) with siblings would agree that there are positives and negatives when it comes to following what your sibling has already mastered. You share the same parents, and, therefore, the same genes, and that means anything one sibling accomplishes, you should theoretically be able to accomplish a bit of that as well. You like it or not, when you enter the same domain, comparison is bound to happen. Michael and Ralf Schumacher? Mukesh and Anil Ambani? Michael and Fredo Corleone? Adolf and Rudolf Dassler?
Ketan’s Complete/Convenient doesn’t, in the least bit, follow any of Chetan’s writing cliché. It is witty, wise, and—most important of all—truly beautiful in ways that many books are not. There’s an honest, ardent majesty in which life of an NRI is showed. Ketan has wholeheartedly embraced the situation of most NRIs and that may be because this book is inspired by his experiences. The book has so much joie de vivre and if there is any justice in this wworld, Ketan will be huge star soon.
I loved it! I loved it because it was funny, poignant, and smart, and simple, and complete kickass, and takes absolutely no shit from any of its detractors. There, I said it.
India. Yes, it is dirty, and dusty. People litter and spit and urinate in public. Yes, there is corruption. Most service providers can’t spell ‘punctuality’. Roads have potholes bigger than there are craters on the moon and if you drive in Delhi, your testicles live in the daily fear of retracting into your lungs. Yes! Why would somebody like to live in such a country? This book will tell you why a billion people still reside here, despite its abundant, endless flaws. Why there are perfections in its imperfections. Ten out of ten to Ketan.
The book is divided into three chapters; from Mumbai to Delhi to Sydney, the stay in Sydney and coming back home. Working in an MNC in Mumbai, Kabir gets an offer to shift to Australia after marrying his college girlfriend (No, its not that simple. There were many complications and speed breakers but let’s gloss over this homage Ketan has paid to his brother). The newly married happy couple moves to Australia and remains there for two years (No, obviously its not that simple, there are complications at extremely large scale and speed breakers bigger than biceps of any botox laced wrestler, but let’s gloss over that too). However, as time flies, Kabir starts feeling nostalgic about India. Torn between personal, professional, family and life in two different continents, the story of Kabir has love, patriotism, duty, friendship, tragedy, sacrifice, comedy, drama, despair, hope, AND romance – all expressed and expressed very simply. The first half of the story will make you chuckle, but the second half will make you weep. The emotions are many and sublimated without being maudlin. Watch out, they may slip by before you feel them.
If you are someone with the lacrimal apparatus of Attila and pride yourself with the ability to never getting your eyes moist while reading books, I dare you – no, I double dare you to read Complete/Convenient. This is beauty. Classy! Leave the technical details aside, this is one honest book that you must read.
Originally reviewed at Vaultofbooks.com, a close-knit community of fanatical readers. We are looking for perceptive readers who can write well, and we are eager to provide lots of free books in exchange for reviews. Shoot us a mail at contact@vaultofbooks.com
July 21, 2013
Review:
On GoodReads, I have received a message on GoodReads from some person, named Subhasis. It read somewhat like this,
I read your reviews and find them
really interesting and genuine. Contact me
at *some e-mail ID*
I had no idea what he was talking about. Anyway, I had decided to mail him, at least to know the subject of the deal. To know about the person, I clicked on his name, which directed me to the GoodReads page of author Subhasis Das (the author of Mom Says No Girlfriend and The Bowled And The Beautiful). That got me curious. Authors usually contacted me to get their books reviewed, the mysterious message from him suggested something completely different. Filled with curiosity, I mailed back him.
The basic summary of the exchange that took place through the mails and phone call, which followed that, is that Subhasis Das, other than maintaining a never ending profile of artistic value - like reading, writing, travelling, writing scripts for stages, directing, acting in plays and the list continued on with no end in sight - is also up for blogging (http://subhounplugged.blogspot.in/) and is going to post a interview of 'Chetan Bhagat' talking about his new book. I was taken aback. I was a hard-core fan of Chetan Bhagat. How is it possible that I didn't come to know of his new book? I asked him the same. He replied that it wasn't 'Chetan' but 'Ketan' Bhagat - the younger brother of 'Chetan Bhagat'. That was very curiosity-evoking. But I was still unaware of my role there.
He went on to explain that the authors he interviewed gave him a signed copy of their book and wanted his review. Being a close pal, he can't express the pros and cons (the latter mainly) without any inclination, in case there were any. "So that is where I come in," he had said. "I send you a signed copy of the book and you post a Honest and Unbiased review of the book on our behalf." Then, my role in the whole was made crystal-clear. Well, I was not disappointed by the deal. Instead, I was very happy for signed copy part. So I readily agreed. Post that incident, there was no communication between both of us since a long time, because he was out of town for a very long time and I was too busy reviewing other books to mail asking about the whereabouts of my copy.
You can read Ketan's ever first online interview over here: http://subhounplugged.blogspot.in/p/k...
Trust me, it is not half as much as you are thinking it to be. Subho's witticism added spice to the otherwise monotonous interview.
A few days later, I received a message on Facebook from the author, Ketan Bhagat, himself. I was stupefied at how the author got to my FB profile, because I nowhere mentioned about my FB details - Neither on my blog, nor on my GoodReads reviews. However, with Subho's copy nowhere in sight, I accepted the author's offer on FB. Though he said that it was not possible for him to sign my copy, he promised to sign it whenever he visits Hyderabad. I didn't think the chance would ever tap at my door, but when it did, I was rejoic...............
To read the entire review, click here...
On GoodReads, I have received a message on GoodReads from some person, named Subhasis. It read somewhat like this,
I read your reviews and find them
really interesting and genuine. Contact me
at *some e-mail ID*
I had no idea what he was talking about. Anyway, I had decided to mail him, at least to know the subject of the deal. To know about the person, I clicked on his name, which directed me to the GoodReads page of author Subhasis Das (the author of Mom Says No Girlfriend and The Bowled And The Beautiful). That got me curious. Authors usually contacted me to get their books reviewed, the mysterious message from him suggested something completely different. Filled with curiosity, I mailed back him.
The basic summary of the exchange that took place through the mails and phone call, which followed that, is that Subhasis Das, other than maintaining a never ending profile of artistic value - like reading, writing, travelling, writing scripts for stages, directing, acting in plays and the list continued on with no end in sight - is also up for blogging (http://subhounplugged.blogspot.in/) and is going to post a interview of 'Chetan Bhagat' talking about his new book. I was taken aback. I was a hard-core fan of Chetan Bhagat. How is it possible that I didn't come to know of his new book? I asked him the same. He replied that it wasn't 'Chetan' but 'Ketan' Bhagat - the younger brother of 'Chetan Bhagat'. That was very curiosity-evoking. But I was still unaware of my role there.
He went on to explain that the authors he interviewed gave him a signed copy of their book and wanted his review. Being a close pal, he can't express the pros and cons (the latter mainly) without any inclination, in case there were any. "So that is where I come in," he had said. "I send you a signed copy of the book and you post a Honest and Unbiased review of the book on our behalf." Then, my role in the whole was made crystal-clear. Well, I was not disappointed by the deal. Instead, I was very happy for signed copy part. So I readily agreed. Post that incident, there was no communication between both of us since a long time, because he was out of town for a very long time and I was too busy reviewing other books to mail asking about the whereabouts of my copy.
You can read Ketan's ever first online interview over here: http://subhounplugged.blogspot.in/p/k...
Trust me, it is not half as much as you are thinking it to be. Subho's witticism added spice to the otherwise monotonous interview.
A few days later, I received a message on Facebook from the author, Ketan Bhagat, himself. I was stupefied at how the author got to my FB profile, because I nowhere mentioned about my FB details - Neither on my blog, nor on my GoodReads reviews. However, with Subho's copy nowhere in sight, I accepted the author's offer on FB. Though he said that it was not possible for him to sign my copy, he promised to sign it whenever he visits Hyderabad. I didn't think the chance would ever tap at my door, but when it did, I was rejoic...............
To read the entire review, click here...
July 21, 2013
As a reviewer the first thing that strikes one about the book is the name. But this book remains true to its name. You just got to read through to know why!
This book begins with Kabir the protagonist in the story working in an MNC in Mumbai. He is a happy-go-lucky guy in love with Myra who lives in Delhi. He lives with his friend Ramesh. The twist comes when he gets a transfer to Australia. Myra declares marriage. Kabir convinces his parents. Ketan Bhagat makes sure that he uses Kabir and Myra’s Punjabi families to create humor throughout the book. He tells in a flat tone that it is perfectly Okay for his Mamaji to lend the neighbor’s bigger car when they first Myra’s house. Mamaji also can’t stop raving about Kabir’s maths score in his tenth boards and keeping a tab on Kabir’s salary. The marriage happens with both Kabir and Myra getting exhausted with both the families not agreeing to many things together. It was written from day one Myra and her mother-in-law won’t be best friends.
Amidst all the lunches and dinner invitations and the spat with mother-in law, Kabir and Myra reaches Australia. The dream life begins firstly with no mother in laws, traffics, garbage, cow dung and over flowing population. Australia came with cleanliness, White Sea beaches, freedom and a lovely job. There he makes friends with Satnam, Parry and Shekher all who are also working in his company. He also meets wise Vishy-his landlord. But with time, vacuum cleaning and watching utensils, things started changing. Kabir realizes that all is not greener on the other side of the fence. All the other characters have stories of guilt, love, longing attached to them. Ketan Bhagat has very clearly etched all the minor characters. He has a complete grip on the nuances of the emotions he has weaved.
Finally Kabir has to choose between Australia where his career was going great guns and his heart that seeks much more than the convenience a developed nation brings. I loved it the best when the book says that the NRIs misses India but India moves on. Do get yourself a copy of this book. It is very honestly written without any pretense. Make the journey with Kabir that he makes from his head to heart.
Book: Complete/Convenient
Author : Ketan Bhagat
Publisher : Srishti Publishers
Genre : Fiction
Ratings : 3.5/5
ISBN : 9789380349923
Number of Pages: 373
Price : Rs. 195
This book begins with Kabir the protagonist in the story working in an MNC in Mumbai. He is a happy-go-lucky guy in love with Myra who lives in Delhi. He lives with his friend Ramesh. The twist comes when he gets a transfer to Australia. Myra declares marriage. Kabir convinces his parents. Ketan Bhagat makes sure that he uses Kabir and Myra’s Punjabi families to create humor throughout the book. He tells in a flat tone that it is perfectly Okay for his Mamaji to lend the neighbor’s bigger car when they first Myra’s house. Mamaji also can’t stop raving about Kabir’s maths score in his tenth boards and keeping a tab on Kabir’s salary. The marriage happens with both Kabir and Myra getting exhausted with both the families not agreeing to many things together. It was written from day one Myra and her mother-in-law won’t be best friends.
Amidst all the lunches and dinner invitations and the spat with mother-in law, Kabir and Myra reaches Australia. The dream life begins firstly with no mother in laws, traffics, garbage, cow dung and over flowing population. Australia came with cleanliness, White Sea beaches, freedom and a lovely job. There he makes friends with Satnam, Parry and Shekher all who are also working in his company. He also meets wise Vishy-his landlord. But with time, vacuum cleaning and watching utensils, things started changing. Kabir realizes that all is not greener on the other side of the fence. All the other characters have stories of guilt, love, longing attached to them. Ketan Bhagat has very clearly etched all the minor characters. He has a complete grip on the nuances of the emotions he has weaved.
Finally Kabir has to choose between Australia where his career was going great guns and his heart that seeks much more than the convenience a developed nation brings. I loved it the best when the book says that the NRIs misses India but India moves on. Do get yourself a copy of this book. It is very honestly written without any pretense. Make the journey with Kabir that he makes from his head to heart.
Book: Complete/Convenient
Author : Ketan Bhagat
Publisher : Srishti Publishers
Genre : Fiction
Ratings : 3.5/5
ISBN : 9789380349923
Number of Pages: 373
Price : Rs. 195
August 23, 2016
After completing the book I was wondering why this book took so long to reach me! Better late than never. Realistic is the word that comes to mind when I think of this book. Each instance, each dialogue in the book seemed so realistic that it was difficult to believe that it is actually fiction.
Diversity of characters is one of the commendable features of the story. The tug of war between love for the family as well as nation and the convenience of life abroad is conveyed well. Right from the beginning, author has consistently maintained the humor without a tinge of exaggeration. Political jugglery in IT firms is known to even laymen but the realistic illustration of the same makes the reader live through it. While portraying the gravity of the rift between daughter-in-law and mother in law, readers can see that both are actually good at heart and stood with each other in crisis. Every child or teenager or grown up man who think that they would be better of without parents or family should read this book. Relationship between parents and children, friends, siblings, husband and wife and colleagues are portrayed well with a beautiful message.Narration is simple but which bestseller romance has standard English? Well this one is not bad.
The third part of the story titled Flashback was unwanted and tad stretched.Also, the reason behind Myra's unwillingness to comeback, though grave, did not reach the reader with intended intensity, may be because of lack of details as to who is who.
The book left me wondering why this book did not create much buzz, or did it.
Reviewed for the publisher
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book as a complimentary copy in exchange for a honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
June 8, 2013
Unlike the Aussies, who likes to make things complicated, I think Ketan likes to make things straight, clear and transparent. The fresh narrating style of his glued me in the book till I turn the last page.
I have never been to Australia or neither have any interest to see pictures of Australia in the internet. But Ketan makes Australia visible for me. I can see and feel the paths of Australia through Kabir's eyes.
He have a remarkable sense of humour which he use in a perfect way. Those punchlines in Italic fonts always brings a smile on my face. Ketan have a one liner for each character of this story which made the book more hilarious.
I have told that no man can realize what he actually have without losing that. But thanks to Ketan, I can realize what India means, what Indian value means, what your parents needs, what your wife's needs and finally what I needs. I have learned alot from your book. A truly motivational one.
It never reminds me that I am reading a debut novel. A big thumbs up for you sir. A obvious 5 on 5 from me. Why not, Kabir got 96% in math in tenth exam and may be you also.
I have never been to Australia or neither have any interest to see pictures of Australia in the internet. But Ketan makes Australia visible for me. I can see and feel the paths of Australia through Kabir's eyes.
He have a remarkable sense of humour which he use in a perfect way. Those punchlines in Italic fonts always brings a smile on my face. Ketan have a one liner for each character of this story which made the book more hilarious.
I have told that no man can realize what he actually have without losing that. But thanks to Ketan, I can realize what India means, what Indian value means, what your parents needs, what your wife's needs and finally what I needs. I have learned alot from your book. A truly motivational one.
It never reminds me that I am reading a debut novel. A big thumbs up for you sir. A obvious 5 on 5 from me. Why not, Kabir got 96% in math in tenth exam and may be you also.
November 8, 2013
The conversations, situations and dialogues, they do feel real...so much real that when you have this complain from all Indian authors that they use too much of Hindi in their English novels, you somehow get a heart to ignore that flaw in this book...after all, the things he writes, the conversation; makes you feel at home...something you see happening in your family, in your friend's family, or of course in thy neighborhood...
And that is the only thing about this book that would not regret you reading it...otherwise, there really isn't anything...to me, it was a book which could have had a story...but then why waste time on a story when you can just write a year of your regular life and find readers for it...it's simple, it's down to earth, it touches reality, but it's not a story...
Yes, at places it would make you think (is there anyone of us who hasn't faced this question or seen someone really facing the question the protagonist raises)...but then, this book would not provide you the answer to it...but then actually, no one can...it's just a book on one life and we all have a different life :)
And that is the only thing about this book that would not regret you reading it...otherwise, there really isn't anything...to me, it was a book which could have had a story...but then why waste time on a story when you can just write a year of your regular life and find readers for it...it's simple, it's down to earth, it touches reality, but it's not a story...
Yes, at places it would make you think (is there anyone of us who hasn't faced this question or seen someone really facing the question the protagonist raises)...but then, this book would not provide you the answer to it...but then actually, no one can...it's just a book on one life and we all have a different life :)
June 25, 2013
My review: http://wp.me/p2J8yh-2nG
So another Bhagat enters the literary scene. Interesting! To me, for reading this book, the first essential aspect is to read it independently and not in comparison or relation to CB.
What I like in this novel is the central aspect, the importance of family, motherland and personal satisfaction or happiness over money and moving away. The emotions involved are done justice to the most part, and it is humorous when it needs to be. The narration is simple, easy to follow and the story moves at a decent pace. The first one-third of the book is tedious, the next third quite interesting and to the central idea and the ending a little abrupt and quick, with some incidents thrown in just to make the situation a little more difficult before the escape.
From the title and the cover design, the ending is quite obvious to most of us. The giving away of the ending is the negative of the cover design, but the design in itself is impressive. Decent debut. 3 stars!
So another Bhagat enters the literary scene. Interesting! To me, for reading this book, the first essential aspect is to read it independently and not in comparison or relation to CB.
What I like in this novel is the central aspect, the importance of family, motherland and personal satisfaction or happiness over money and moving away. The emotions involved are done justice to the most part, and it is humorous when it needs to be. The narration is simple, easy to follow and the story moves at a decent pace. The first one-third of the book is tedious, the next third quite interesting and to the central idea and the ending a little abrupt and quick, with some incidents thrown in just to make the situation a little more difficult before the escape.
From the title and the cover design, the ending is quite obvious to most of us. The giving away of the ending is the negative of the cover design, but the design in itself is impressive. Decent debut. 3 stars!
August 8, 2013
This book basically discusses the lives of NRIs. The main protagonist in the story is a newly married couple who move to Australia on a work assignment. The book through its story tries to bring out the pros and cons in both the societies. The book is written by a debutant author Ketan Bhagat who is the brother of the very famous Chetan Bhagat. The good thing about the book is that the author understands the dilemmas faced by most Indians abroad - lack of domestic help, missing Indian festivals and absence of family support and the author like his brother uses very simple language which makes the book a very easy read. The negative aspect of the book is that the book is very long(about 400 pages) and could have been edited down by at least 100 pages as the pace sometimes becomes very slow.
The author basically states that life abroad might be convenient with higher standards of living but is not complete. Most people from India who have ever lived abroad, will relate to some aspects of the story. Hence, this book serves as a good read on a weekend.
The author basically states that life abroad might be convenient with higher standards of living but is not complete. Most people from India who have ever lived abroad, will relate to some aspects of the story. Hence, this book serves as a good read on a weekend.
August 10, 2013
Excellent book. I saw myself in most of the thought process (author went to Australia and I went to USA). However, circumstances faced by NRI is same. I like some of the messages shared or thought by author during the process. Some of them are, "I'm so glad you decided to come back. We didn't fight for freedom so that our children would leave the country and leave abroad" -- Myra (Grandpa of Myra, heroine of the story). "Materialization only makes you lonelier". "Running away from a problem only increases the distance from the solution."
I think author might have done better to hide his company name. Any person know about software companies will know which company he is talking. Except some escapades author describe in the book, it is an excellent story about NRI's and what they go through when they stay in the foreign land. Every Indian should read the last part of the novel where Kabir (hero of the story) goes through a phase where he decide to stay in Australia or go back to India.
I think author might have done better to hide his company name. Any person know about software companies will know which company he is talking. Except some escapades author describe in the book, it is an excellent story about NRI's and what they go through when they stay in the foreign land. Every Indian should read the last part of the novel where Kabir (hero of the story) goes through a phase where he decide to stay in Australia or go back to India.
October 16, 2013
Cover Page Summarizes the Thoughts!
"When they start bothering, you'll start bothering.." Well said Mr. Ketan!
Welcome to the writing world. Glad to see yet another Bhaghat.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
well, that was the welcome msg to Ketan thru Flipkart from a loyal reader:)
Ok, guys this books has nothing new nothing uncommon, but things that are realized later by any NRI (or dreaming to be NRI).
I agree with everything with this book, but this book is about the past - India is changing and Indians are changing. Aspiring NRI's are getting lesser day by day. More than an Indian reading this book in India, an Indian reading this book off India makes more sense.
Overall 4* for a first time writing.
(ps: please do F7 on your Word document before printing book:))
well, again that was the suggestion to Ketan thru Flipkart from a loyal reader:)
"When they start bothering, you'll start bothering.." Well said Mr. Ketan!
Welcome to the writing world. Glad to see yet another Bhaghat.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
well, that was the welcome msg to Ketan thru Flipkart from a loyal reader:)
Ok, guys this books has nothing new nothing uncommon, but things that are realized later by any NRI (or dreaming to be NRI).
I agree with everything with this book, but this book is about the past - India is changing and Indians are changing. Aspiring NRI's are getting lesser day by day. More than an Indian reading this book in India, an Indian reading this book off India makes more sense.
Overall 4* for a first time writing.
(ps: please do F7 on your Word document before printing book:))
well, again that was the suggestion to Ketan thru Flipkart from a loyal reader:)
December 7, 2016
A simple book gifted to me by author himself. I remember it was election day in Mumbai and we, the volunteers of Art of Living, were knocking the doors of our posh Hiranandani Gardens residents and asking them if they had gone out to vote at SM Shetty School, Powai. There was one house in a society where I just got shocked to see the resident who looked very similar to Chetan Bhagat. And pretty close to my imagination, he was the brother of Chetan Bhagat and my co-volunteer Pinky Aunty knew him personally. He was courteous enough to invite us to his apartment and served us apple juice and then gave me a book written by him to read. I loved the book :)
July 31, 2013
It's title is not justified till the latter part of the story. It's tagline is justified too late for the people's liking.
What it is about is more of a confusion? Is it about Men and their emotions or is it about NRI's or both?
There are lot of things left to imagination.
Dragging office politics and parties are the mainstay of the second half of the story. Troubled parents and relatives and in laws are part of the first half and last few chapters of the story.
It felt incomplete at times. A 100 pages less and it would have made more meaning.
Disappointed.
What it is about is more of a confusion? Is it about Men and their emotions or is it about NRI's or both?
There are lot of things left to imagination.
Dragging office politics and parties are the mainstay of the second half of the story. Troubled parents and relatives and in laws are part of the first half and last few chapters of the story.
It felt incomplete at times. A 100 pages less and it would have made more meaning.
Disappointed.
June 18, 2013
Complete/Convenient is a page turner. The characters are real, in real life situations, the kinds you get associated with. You get empathetic towards them, find our their follies, wish they could do better but at the end isn't it how every one of us feel? Pointing at others mistakes while committing the same of our own. The humor is fresh. Punjabi parlance and setting brings out the light tone to the plot. All & all, a good read.
June 30, 2013
This is a must read for all those who see they can discover gone reverie to get out of our abundant land devoid of breaking to sense, and in reality, go to the fore and ordeal out this fixation out, as it will enlighten you things you had surely not squashed over prior and also for the cause that it has the covert to be the then craze all and sundry is chitchatting on the theme of life being more apt there but survival is more complete at this stage.
August 22, 2013
This is one of the Coolest Bhagat's league novel (I Seriously mean this :p)
Chetan and Ketan both are the Bhagat's who make everyone their Bhagat (Follower) :)))
One of the book which must be read if you think that going overseas will change your life...
A book which makes your relation stronger with your parents...
A book which will teach you many small things which can be helpful in your life...
Good Book... Recommended for all those who wanna FLY Abroad...
Chetan and Ketan both are the Bhagat's who make everyone their Bhagat (Follower) :)))
One of the book which must be read if you think that going overseas will change your life...
A book which makes your relation stronger with your parents...
A book which will teach you many small things which can be helpful in your life...
Good Book... Recommended for all those who wanna FLY Abroad...
November 6, 2013
A very realistic take on the NRI life. Any one who has been an NRI can relate to some of the scenes , emotions, conflicts. What also liked is the conflict of son, mother, wife. An interesting thing here is all points of view are shown and no one person is shown as right or wrong. That said, this book is not for everyone. It's not a fast moving thriller or a rip roaring comedy rather a even paced drama.
March 10, 2014
Just because Chetan created a market and followership for himself moving from corporate world and telling a Saga of how much he had been oppressed in his job, his bro Ketan wanted to join the bandwagon and mock his ex-employers and his Punjabi clan. Sarcasm is good to read in short bits I guess but certainly not over 300 pages like the Duracell bunny with no progress in story or plot. Its too much of a drag to complete the novel so this one went right back on the library's shelf.
July 16, 2013
The book is good...Hilarious at times and an eye opener...The book relates to the plight of Indians who happily leave their country and family behind to relocate to other countries and how instead of being happy they end up feeling lonely and depressed and start wondering why in the first place they left their country...
November 17, 2014
I started reading it because my mom persuaded me to read it. She thought it would encourage me to live in India and not abroad. The book was fine to begin with, but soon it became really boring. While the plot was okay, the author's writing style is what made me put this book down.I'm sure many people would enjoy it, but if you are an avid reader, then I doubt it would meet your expectations.
February 23, 2015
giving 2 star because it is the writer first book. so some amount of leniency is to be shown.
It was more of biography and while reading i felt like typical indian tv drama.
So if the book is made into a movie it would be a disaster but if the book is made into a soap, then it will be one of the biggest tearjerkers.
But the book delves well into the life's of NRI
It was more of biography and while reading i felt like typical indian tv drama.
So if the book is made into a movie it would be a disaster but if the book is made into a soap, then it will be one of the biggest tearjerkers.
But the book delves well into the life's of NRI
June 10, 2013
It is nice Book, which reflects the attraction for the fun freedom carefree life outside the owns Country.After sometime Life gets stagnate with same things n activities.It raises the feeling of loneliness.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews