'2 States' ❤️ The Gordian Knot of Diversity @Chetan_Bhagat

“From biscuit to brides, if there is anything their children really want, parents have a problem”.
Chetan Bhagath, 2 States

2 States | Inclined Scorpio | Chetan Bhagat — Cover Page of 2 States

‘2 States’ is a semi fictional novel 📖 penned by Chetan Bhagat. It revolves around the love 😍 story of Krish Malhotra 🙎🏻‍♂️ from Punjab and Ananya Swaminathan 🙎🏻‍♀️ from Chennai. The title itself is a revelation of the content, the hassles these lovers had to face being from different states 🗾 and different cultures.

The North – South Attraction

“She had perfect features, with her eye, nose, lips, and ears the right size and in right places. That is all it takes to make people beautiful, normal body parts – yet why does nature mess it up so many times?”

Ananya and Krish are students of IIM Ahmedabad. The story begins when they meet at the mess hall 🍛 of their hostel. She is seen fighting 🙅‍♀️ for the bad quality food that the hostel provides. Ananya was also one of those who were tagged 🏷️ the best of freshers. Krish and Ananya meet during the fight and become good friends 🤝.

The Punjabi-Madrasi Couple 👫

“When a woman comes into your life, things organize themselves”.
2 States

Their friendship soon blossoms to love ❤️. Chetan Bhagath very boldly unveils the matters of premarital sex 💋 in this novel. Premarital sex isn’t portrayed as a grave sin nor a regrettable deed ❌. The narration is also done using several words from both Punjabi and Tamil. Ananya soon moves to Krish’s hostel 🏢 and they seem serious about their relationship.

What is an obstacle when the lovers 💏 decide to get married? Do those boundaries prevent their union 🤨? Can different languages 🗣️ or cultures be a hindrance when their hearts 💞 feel the same and speak the same?

The Convocation Ceremony 🎓

Chetan Bhagat| 2 States | Inclined Scorpio — Introducing each others Parents

Ananya and Krish let their parents meet at the convocation ceremony 🎓 but their parents ignore 😒 it as they are from different states following varied practices. Ananya and Krish then decide to get a job 💼 and earn themselves 💴 before discussing the serious matters of marriage 👰🤵 within the families.

The Marriage Proposal 💍

The proposal is an adrenaline moment ☺️ for the readers 🙇‍♀️ as it comes out unexpectedly in the midst of the job interview 👔. Ananya and Krish were attending interviews 👩‍💻 at the same time. The marriage proposal 💍 is made in between and accepted by her 😚. But both of them decide to get married, convincing their parents 👩‍🦳🧓.

Convincing the Madrasis 😔

“How can such scary looking parents create something so cute?”

The issue of employment was solved but their serious tasks were yet not accomplished 😑. They had to convince 🙂 their parents in order to get married. Krish therefore requests his employer to place him in the Chennai branch of City bank. He arrives in Chennai to 😌 Ananya’s parents.

“We sat on the floor for dinner. Ananya’s father passed me a banana leaf. I wondered if i had to eat it or wipe my hands with it.”

Can Krish Accomplish This Task? 🤔

Ananya makes Krish meet her parents 🤝 and welcomes to her house. Krish utilises this opportunity to get close to them. Krish tutors 👨‍🏫 her brother, Manju Swaminathan to crack IIT examinations 📋. Meanwhile, he also assists his father in creating a PowerPoint presentation 💻 for his official needs 📉. Krish also fulfils her mother’s wish to sing 🎤 at a concert 🎻 which was organised by his employer.

Task Accomplished 👍

Krish manages to win the hearts 💖 of Ananya’s parents and impresses ☺️ all of them once again proposing Ananya in front of her parents with four rings to each of them. Krish has done his part. But can Ananya please Krish’s parents? 🤨

Ananya, On her Way…

Krish takes Ananya to his house 🏡. But his mother doesn’t like it. His father too 🙎🏻‍♂️. It seems very clear that Krish isn’t in good terms with his father. Krish’s mother as well as relatives aren’t interested 😣 in this relation and calls them as dark colored souths 🤐. But she wins everyone’s heart ♥ within a single moment when she helps one of his cousin brother in his wedding 💃.

Can Krish and Ananya now get married ☺️ when both the parents are convinced? But both the parents haven’t had longer conversations 👥? Will this go worse when they converse 😑?

Culture and Language or Love? 🤔

Krish and Ananya plan a trip to Goa along 🚖 with their families to let them know each other. But this worsens the condition 😶. This idea brings Ananya and Krish to decide that they break up 💔 and make a conclusion that their families won’t get along and they drop their plan of marriage 👎. Both of them return and continues with their own lives 🙃.

2 States | Book Review — Krish aand Ananya break up

Will Krish And Ananya Get Along?

Readers ask themselves why don’t they get married as per their wish😶. But this situation might have been experienced by more than half of Indian families💁‍♀️. Giving up on their love for the sake of family. A family who never understands that they are the ones who should live their lives🙎🏻‍♀️. A very normal, usual situation traced in a much normal narrative.

Here too, Krish undergoes a kind of depression. He becomes workaholic engaging himself in his work 🖥️ and his hobby of writing 📝. He locks himself in his room and talks rarely. But one he receives a call from Ananya 📞.

Into Marriage 👰🤵

Ananya’s call reveals that his father had visited them and fixed their marriage. The father who didn’t even talk to his son had travelled ✈️ a long way to Chennai to grab his love back. Ananya had called him to let him know of this.

The Marriage 📿

Chetan Bhagat | 2 States | Inclined Scorpio | Book Review — Ananya and Krish getting married

The marriage is also different here as both of them hails from different families. The Tamilians insist upon seeing their groom 👳‍♀️on their traditional dress and changes his Punjabi wears. The Tamilian marriage is done 💏and they live a happy life.

2 States | Chetan Bhagat | Book Review — Marriage Ceremony

The novel end where Ananya gives birth 🤰 to twin boys 👶👶. The nurse chuckles and asks where the baby woyld belong to. Krish replies that their baby 👨‍👩‍👦‍👦 belong to a state called India 🇮🇳. He wishes to vanish the existing boundaries of culture and be the man of his country.

Not Just 2 States, But The Multicultural State

Every single of citizen of India 🇮🇳 is proud of its varied cultures and languages. But at the same time, this method alienation from other cultures is also very much evident🤷‍♀️. Indians respect and receive foreign cultures and forget to mingle in the multiculture that exists within ourselves🙎🏻‍♂️.

“The world’s most sensible and the most idiotic person lies within us.. the worst part is we can’t say who is who”.

Chetan Bhagat discusses these problems 💁‍♀️ of multiculturalism at the same time how marriages are still going on India. Indian marriages still focus on the reputations of families rather than the feelings and emotions 💗 that the couple have for each. The commercialisation 💰 of marriage is very explicitly discussed in the novel. The novel is simple and free of in- depth meanings.