Name : Kubavat Kishan

Roll No : 11Semester : 4Paper no : 13Paper name : The New LiteratureYear: 2015-16PG Enrollment No:14101021Submitted to: Department of English M. K. Bhavnagar University

Topic: Narrative Technique in ON@TCC

Chetan Bhagat

• Born : 22nd April 1974, Delhi

• Occupation: Writer

• Award:

>> Filmfare Award for Best Screenplay 2014- Kai Po Che

>> Society Young Achiever’ award in 2005.

• He is the author of bestselling novels,

Five Point someone (2004)

One Night @ the Call Center (2005)

The 3 Mistakes of My Life (2008)

2 States (2009)

Revolution 2020 (2011)

What Young India Wants (2012)

Half Girlfriend (2014)

One Night @ the Call Center

Author: Chetan Bhagat

Language: English

Genre: Fiction

Publication Date: October 2005

Type of Work : Novel

Narrative Technique in ON@TCC

Apart from what is told in story, HOW part is also very important. Writer himself was traveling in train from Kanpur to Delhi. And then he meets a young girl, who tells him a story on condition of writing it as his second novel. He listens the story, and story is told by Shyam- one of the characters in the novel. In the beginning Shyam is introduced and then he introduces other major characters. So this narrative pattern in also very interesting .

Chetan Bhagat makes very good use of prologue and epilogue in his novel. In prologue, writer himself comes as character and talks with the reader.

Use of PROLOGUE

It looks like Bhagat is well aware about the literary tradition of writing. Exact time and place of action is given. Which follows the Aristotelian unities of time, place and action. Deux ex Machina, is something which must be avoided. So he gives alternative narrative of entire novel .Which proves that God's intervention is not a mistake, but author deliberately does so.

“At one level, you are hardly a youth writer”

“ So you wrote a book on IIT. A place where so few people get to go. You think that represents the entire yuth?”

“ So what is it going to be? IIMs this tme? She said.”“No.”

“Why not?”“Because it does not represent the country’s youth.”

Conversation between Lady and writer is very interesting and it build up reader’s interest also. When Lady ask about his next book he has no any idea. That lady said that she has a subject for him. It was story about six people who work in call center. It was story of one night and one call; call of GOD.

These thing make readers very stimulative for reading novel. In call center call is simple think but this call is not simple because this call is from God.

This matter is create many questions in reader’smind. How Bhagat is going to deal with youth? what is callfrom God? Why God call? What is reason behind it?

So prologue is very important in this novel

Use of Epilogue

Also very interesting as much as prologue. Bhagat raise question that people cannot believe in this story so that Lady gave alternative. God’s speech is give it to military Uncle. Because this type of story not believed by people.

If reader not agree with this story then he/she can replace God to Military Uncle. So here writer become facilitator for reader.

If reader cannot agree with is story they can got solution of their objection.

Another interacting things is epilogue also raise many question related to Lady that;

Who is that Lady? Is She God or not?

Why she knows this story?What is her relation with the story?

This all act is real or just dream of writer?

Comparison

For example beginning of the novel- Prologue. Both the writer himself present in the prologue telling how they got inspiration about writing their second novel. Both the writers meets person who tells them stories - a young lady in ON@TCC and an old man in Life of Pi. Both tell that you can meet the real people to collect more information.

Comparison

Other parallel is Experience of God. There is not clarity about God, but rather it’s indicated and experienced. One can't say with surety that God is present or not.

And one more point is First person Narration in both the novels- Shyam and Pi- narrator and protagonist in both the novels.

Use Of EPILOGUE

And in the epilogue of both the novels alternative reading is given. When Japanese insurance agents listen the story of Pi, they are not ready to believe it. They say our company won’t believe this. So Pi tells another story replacing Animals with human beings. When Yann Martel asks what correct story is, Pi tells a story which I told you. But now it’s your story, you can write the way you wish. The same lines are also found in ON@TCC also. When Bhagat asks that people may not believe story with God's call. so the lady tells that you can replace the lines of God with Military uncle.

Thank You