Chetan Bhagat, best-selling Indian author who was at the 43rd Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) on Sunday to discuss his latest book 11 Rules for Life, underlined that the originality of the motivational book stems from its “Indianness”. “The big ones available in the market are all Western. There’s a meritocracy in the West but India doesn’t work that way.”
Bhagat, who has written 10 novels including Half Girlfriend and 2 States, addressed a packed audience including schoolchildren at SIBF 2024. He said he chose to write about 11 rules for life because “it shouldn’t be too many rules or too few as it will put people off. I like the number because it happens to be my 11th book.”
A YouTuber and podcaster, Bhagat said he became a motivational speaker accidentally. He said he started by giving tips on how to crack India’s prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) entrance examination and ended up doing a thousand college events on motivation.
‘It is not that simple to be simple’
Though he termed the motivation industry as a “scam industry”, he said he had many people coming up to him and telling him that he had changed their lives. “I try to distil everything as it should be easy to read,” he underscored. Referring to the comment that likened him to Maggi noodles that will be on everyone’s table but would not win an award, Bhagat observed in his characteristic humour: “It is not that simple to be simple. If I can make people read by writing simple books, it is something. More people started reading complex books after reading my books.”
Bhagat said that networking the right way is important to get on in life. “It is never taught in schools but is one of the most important things in life. Real world connections are a big thing. The person who networks has a big advantage in life. Also, believe in real-life conversations. Be curious about people.” He praised the pre-Internet era of his childhood for its networking strength and safety.
The popular author advised children to “enjoy life as there is more to life than achievements”. He also opined that one has to read to understand things in life as the brain does not absorb anything while watching reels or videos online. He added: “If you read 10 pages a day, you can reach 3000 a year.”
The Indian author, who has had two of his books made into popular Bollywood movies including 3 Idiots, said he did not want to do movies in the time of OTT and YouTube as it is risky business.
Bhagat, who noted that he turned 50 this year, said he lives in the Dubai Marina and is working on his novel which he hopes to release at the next SIBF.
SIBF 2024, which will run until November 17, has opened its doors to over 2,520 publishers from 112 countries, and is celebrating Morocco as the Guest of Honour. The 12-day cultural extravaganza, organised by the Sharjah Book Authority, is themed ‘It Starts with a Book’, and has in store 1,357 activities for children and adults alike.
