Chetan Bhagat salutes Saamia!

 

Do you know I met the author Chetan Bhagat yesterday? I still can’t believe. It seems like a dream.

 

I came from school and according to the normal routine ate my lunch and slept for an hour. When I woke up, Mama-Baba gave me a surprise. They said we were going to meet Chetan Bhagat. At first I thought they were joking but then I realised that we were really going there. I was so excited I could not believe my ears!

I jumped out of my bed and got ready as soon as I could. I took out my autograph book and a nice pen.

We reached the venue about half-an-hour before the time and got the chance to sit in the front row. Meanwhile, Baba bought two interesting books of Chetan Bhagat – Five Point Someone and 2 States. By the time, Mamujaan also reached to interview Chetan Bhagat. Lucky!

At last Chetan Sir arrived. He was welcomed by a standing ovation. My joy was out of world on seeing him. It was all like a dream. He was going to share with us his idea of Challenges and Happiness. He asked us what makes us happy. Of course success makes us happy.

He said, “We need to be successful to be happy. And for that we have to face many challenges. I wrote my first book but it took me two years to publish it. That was my first challenge. At last it was published. I was very happy. I thought I was successful. I began to see my photos, articles of me, discussion about me in the newspapers as well as televisions. My second book was published and third. After that I felt it was same to me. I was not as happy as I was before. So I tried in Bollywood. I realised that the films needed stories and that was the thing that Bollywood needed. So the first film which was on my story was Hello. I was very excited. It was the same story that I wrote in One Night at a Call Center. Then the second film was 3 idiots on the book Five Point Someone.  The last was Kai Po Chi on the book The 3 Mistakes of my Life. Next year maybe another of Salman Khan’s film Kick will be realizing in April. It is on another of my book.”

He said that the first time he saw the actors he almost fainted. He said, “I was surprised when I saw the actors standing in a line of the buffet. I thought do they eat also because you would only imagine them as actors and nothing else. Suppose you see your class teacher in the supermarket. You would be shocked do they go to supermarkets also. And then it was regular for me to see the actors and still I was not as happy.

So I started writing columns in Hindustan newspaper which was the best newspaper of India. In between I came 

through many challenges. But I did not think of turning back. I had to struggle a lot but I had the will and hope so I was successful and happy. Let me ask you something. Why challenge? Why not chill? We can also live peacefully. 

We take challenges because we want to be happy. Right motivation is needed not energy. There are three types of stages of life – Exist, Fading and Alive. There are people who can never be happy. If you ask them you are in the job. 

They would say we don’t need to be working as our age is gone we are now 35-40 and it is youngsters time we don’t have energy. Then how can the politicians who are old enough have so much of energy. They are people who would press the lift button but would not want to step on the lift. Fading people are even worse. They are one who would not bother to press the lift button. While people who are in the alive stage seem really alive. You can feel their presence. They would do anything at any age and be cheerful. They are people who can climb walls, stairs, escalators, lifts, etc."

He soon concluded, “Challenge versus Excitement in Life. Unless you accept challenges, you won’t have excitement. Alive to Existing to Fading – it will happen if you don’t keep adding challenges to your life.”

My interaction

And then the Q&A session began. After two-three questions, I stood up with the mike in my hand and asked, “Good evening uncle, are you writing any books for children?”

He said, “Don't call me uncle! Call me Chetan! How old are you?”

I replied, “10”

He said, “Only ten! I must salute you for your confidence. 10 years old and you have the confidence to ask question."

He also said, "Well, maybe one day I will write but till then you won’t be a child. It is very difficult to write for children. You have to be a butcher to cut each word.”

He is very hilarious. The questions kept on coming one after another which marked the end of the programme. 

But I didn’t forget to take his autograph. As soon as programme finished, he ran out. I was prepared so I ran with my book and soon I got the autograph in my book with a message – Love lots.

 

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