Five Points Something

Recently (7 hrs. 20 min. ago, to be precise), I completed reading a book Five Point Someone. It was a good experience re-visiting the characters through this book. The book is written in a very simple manner, which I would call the New Age style. All along it maintains a cool mood describing the typical scenes at IIT in a lucid fashion. Especially, the one after the first semester grades are out!

There are 5 main characters here

1. Neha : This is a completely fictitious character, no doubt. I mean, Neha is almost impossibly likely to occur, the way she has been portrayed( even her entry scene!). And moreover, if there is one Neha, then there must be atleast six Hari's in the institute (this number according to the latest statistics may go to 8). But true, remove her and the novel will end up in 10 pages, I suppose. I do feel, to have a novel on IIT life, a character like her was completely exorbitant, since there are many other interesting things one has (or rather bound) to live happily with at IITs.

2. Alok : This one is a possible IITan. He is one of them who are very much depressed from their family background, mess up their grades, their life at IIT and being a novice (just 12th passed adult) end up in a suicide attempt (though very unlikely in their 3rd year). I myself, didn't have a chance to deal with such a case, but being in counseling service I always had encounters with them.

3. Hari : He is, I think, the luckiest person overall, provided he had Neha, if existed on earth. Though I don't understand why he got so lucky? Looks and fatty health, no bar. But he was not a chaapu, either. May be Love is blind!

4. Ryan : This is my favorite. Because, he is just like my friends. I think an average of IITan are like him. Truly IITan.

5. Professors : True, either they are prof. Cherian or they are prof. Veera. The midway personality doesn't exist at IIT.

And, there is Venkat, a nine pointer. Actually, this is a mistake. He should be a Ten pointer, to be very careful about his grades and position. A nine pointer at IIT is just like a five pointer, full of enthu and masti. A nine pointer doesn't differ from an average student by his nature, but just by his talent, whereas a Ten pointer is a ten pointer (which occur rarely, though not very rarely)!

Overall book is OK, but if you know reading marathi, I would refer you to a better book Shala by Milind Bokil.This is a again story of three friends(a mere coincidence) from 9th std. One of them had a crush on a girl from the same class. And the story proceeds....Highly recommended. If you take this seriously and try reading it, do send me your feedbacks!