Book – The (In)eligible Bachelors
Author – Ruchita Misra
Publication – Rupa Publications
Pages – 242
Price – Rs. 185
Genre – Fiction
Plot–
‘You came…,’ I said my voice fumbling and tears gathering in my eyes.
‘How could I not?’ he said. The simplicity of his four word answer wrenched my heart as tears wet the sides of my pillow.
Kasturi Shukla is 24, just freshly graduated from India’s top B-school and recruited from the campus by the biggest name in the Telecom sector. Her mother, disappointed by her inability to find a guy till now, is a woman on a mission. She initiates the route of arranged marriage through an ad in the newspaper. Kasturi’s Dad generally dodges the situation to the maximum possible extent. While Kasturi leaves for Delhi soon after to join her office, her mother continues groom hunting to an impossibly crazy level. Ananya and Varun are her office buddies. Kasturi finds herself reporting to the suave and handsome Rajeev Mehrotra who seem to have taken an instant liking towards her. They spend time during and after office hours only to realize their feelings towards each other. Unaware of the developments, Kasturi’s mom unfailingly keep setting up appointments with prospective grooms every weekend. Through some rib tickling funny instances, she meets Amay also known as Pita ji from ISB, Vikram – a pass out from IIM A, Dr. Purva Dixit from AIIMS. Kasturi hates Pita ji from the moment they meet yet her friend Ananya seems to have developed a fascination for the guy. Dr. Purva turns out to be a reliable friend during crisis. Whether Kasturi ends up with Rajeev or agrees to one of her mothers choice of a IIT/IIM guy or does she find love in one of her friends is unraveled in the climax of the story.
Analysis –
I read this book five years back and I have re-read it quite a lot of times. It is an easy read than can be finished in ninety minutes flat. This book is rich in humor. The story is more about friendship than love. Each of the characters have a convincing closure by the end of the story. There’s also a tiny angle of same – sex love that doesn’t feel forced. The story is woven so beautifully that even an occasional reader will get interested in the plot. The author has done a fabulous job of maintaining continuity in the story without over dramatizing the situations. There is never a dull moment. Both Kasturi’s and Ananya’s mothers are shown to be strong characters with minds of their own even though their daughters are still a confused bunch. Out of the remaining characters, I felt Dr. Purva deserved a detailed background.
Assessment –
This is a story that has the right mix of drama and romance but has abundance of genuinely hilarious situations. The humor is so effortless that I was either smiling or laughing my hear out while reading this novel today. The harsh reality of the process of arranged marriages has been written from a uniquely funny angle. The story doesn’t have any surprise element anywhere. It is predictable yet demands to be finishes in one go. There’s just a small beautiful message that the story gives out – the importance of friends and family in life specially during unfavorable situations. In my opinion, this book could make a great Bollywood film.
Rating –
My rating would be
4 of 5
About the author –
Ruchita was born in Lucknow and is a triple gold medallist from the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, Delhi. She has been living and working in London for the last few years. Ruchita enjoys travelling, reading, writing, gardening, baking and painting. She has written four books – The (In)eligible Bachelors, I Do! Do I?, Someone to Love, Second Chance At Love.
Source – http://ruchitamisra.com
Edited to add on 20th Dec-
It was great to see the author liking and appreciating the review. Thank you Ruchita Ma’am for the much needed encouragement. Your words and sweet gesture motivates me to do better.
soniasmusings 