Book Review: The Zoya Factor

I cannot help but thanking Chetan Bhagat for having made that pioneering move. Till he and his "Five point someone" happened, Indo Anglian writing was all about serious stuff- the suffering during partition and its aftermath, the travails of individuals trapped in the highly rigid caste system existing in India, India before and after independence, the effect of poverty and unemployment over Indian youth, the widening gap between the rich and the poor, the works...not that I am against any of these nor do I think these are topics that should not be discussed. Unfortunately, there were no writers who could look at the positive and lighter side of Indian life and modern India in particular (R K Narayan was an exception and a very strong one at that) That was when Chetan Bhagat happened and the rest, as they say, is history. Agreed, every third book published these days in India is about college life or life at work. But, Chetan could at least prompt someone like Anuja Chauhan, an advertising executive, to come up with something refreshingly different like "The Zoya Factor". Ms. Chauhan belongs to the Gen X and that she declares loudly with her book. The fact that it takes on something like cricket- a game that is hugely reverred in the country- itself is half the battle won and then it goes on to describe the game, not the one that is played on the field, but the games that take place behind the scenes. The sportsmen are depicted as human beings- with their struggles, insecurities, superstitions, romance et al- and successfully so- probably Anuja's experience in the advertising industry would have come in handy. However, it is the characterization of Zoya (born at the time when India won the cricket world cup in 1983, by the way), her extended family and the normal people who she meets at work that works- you really feel you are right in the middle of Delhi's upper middle class bhaisaabs and behenjis. Zoya has been depicted as a darling- the kind anybody would fall in love with and when the Indian skipper Nikhil Khoda decides that she is the one for him, it does not come across as unbelievable! Add to it, characters like Monita (Zoya's friend at work and her bodyguard during the ICC World cup- the sequences involving her son Armaan are simply hilarious), Zoravar (Zoya's soldier brother), Ritu (cricketer Nivi's girl friend and a former beauty queen) and cricketers Harvinder, Shivnath, Nivi and of course, Zahid Pathan (they all resemble current Indian cricketers one way or the other)! It is also to Anuja's credit that she keeps her writing very simple- short sentences, attractive use of phrases, falling back heavily on her advertising past (yeh to bada toyenge! is a good example :-))- that even at 509 pages, you feel as if Zoya Factor moves at break neck speed. The chapters have also been very well separated from each other keeping the momentum going. The author also makes generous digs at the media overhype for cricket and the kind of unimaginable sums of money that the cricketers pocket through ad revenues. However, the game is never shown at a totally bad light altogether. We all know that BCCI sucks and the politics within one of the world's richest sports organizations is better left undiscussed. While Anuja takes this part head on, she also stays clear from the betting controversies that marred the reputation of the sport in the last decade! To sum up, "The Zoya Factor" is a great read- it is humurous and entertaining and does justify all the positive feedback it has been receiving all through! Grab a copy fast...