One Indian Girl
Book Cover Image
AuthorChetan Bhagat
Original titleOne Indian Girl
CountryIndia
LanguageEnglish
SubjectFeminism
GenreFiction
Set inIndia
PublisherRupa & Co.
Publication date
October 1, 2016
Media typePaperback
Pages280
ISBN978-8129142146

One Indian Girl is a novel by the Indian author Chetan Bhagat.[1] The book is about a girl named Radhika Mehta, who is a worker at the Distressed Debt group of Goldman Sachs, an investment bank.

Plot

The novel features a character named Radhika, who is depicted as making arrangements for her upcoming wedding to Brijesh Gulati, a software engineer in San Francisco. Throughout the book, Radhika reflects on her life growing up in Delhi as a studious, introverted girl from a middle-class family. She also introduces her outgoing older sister, Aditi, and reveals her tendency to communicate with her inner "mini-me" or judgmental voice.

At a social event, Radhika was approached by her former partner, Debashish Sen, who wished to meet her. Despite declining his request, Sen appeared unexpectedly at her wedding ceremony in Goa and disrupted the traditional puja bhajan ceremony, causing distress to the bride. Later, Brijesh confronted Sen in the hotel gym, reproaching him for his past behavior.

The novel depicts Radhika's past, as she starts her job training at Goldman Sachs four years ago and enters a live-in relationship with Debu. However, her work in the Distressed debt department starts affecting her personal life and relationship with Debu. The couple has an argument after Radhika receives a bonus of 150,000 dollars, causing tension in their relationship.

Following a tumultuous year, Radhika sought to plan a future with her former partner, Debashish Sen. However, he expressed reservations about the idea, leading to a heated argument between the two. During this exchange, Sen conveyed that he was seeking a partner who was simple and would make a suitable homemaker, implying that Radhika did not meet these criteria. Ultimately, Sen chose to end the relationship. In an effort to reconcile, Radhika resigned from her job and proposed to Sen, but was devastated to discover him with another woman. Subsequently, she accepted a transfer to Goldman Sachs' Hong Kong office, bidding farewell to her life in New York.

After transferring to Goldman Sachs' Hong Kong office, Radhika's career prospers as she closes a big investment deal in the Philippines. Her attraction towards her married boss's boss, Neel Gupta, leads to an affair, but she eventually realizes their relationship has no future. Radhika takes another transfer to London and agrees to an arranged marriage after facing rejection from several suitors who were intimidated by her job and salary. She finally meets Brijesh and says yes to marriage.

The story concludes with Radhika calling off her wedding due to the overwhelming pressure and presence of her ex-boyfriends. She decides to take a break and travel, refusing proposals from both Neel and Debu. The book ends with Radhika meeting Brijesh again and the possibility of them dating and getting married.

Reception

A. R. Rahman praised Chetan Bhagat for expressing his feelings and articulating a particular point of view.[2] The book has attracted some controversy due to the mention of The Beauty Myth by feminist author Naomi Wolf. The Indian Express calls the book "a likable handbook for feminists". Most sources described the book as "an improvement over Half Girlfriend."

Plagiarism controversy

The author Chetan Bhagat faced allegations of plagiarism for his book, which was found to have similarities to a short story written by Anvita Bajpai. As a result, a court order was issued to suspend the book's publication for a period of six months, following its initial launch.[3]

Film adaptation

The rights for the film adaptation of this novel have been acquired by Sony Pictures International Productions.[4]

References

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