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Five Point Someone
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Five Point Someone (2004) (edit title/settings)

What Not to Do at IIT

by Chetan Bhagat (Author) (edit contributors)

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Description edit see section history

What not to do at IIT!
Five Point Someone is a 2004 novel written by Chetan Bhagat, an alumnus of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi and Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad. This was his debut novel. It is one of the highest selling English novels published in India, and... read more

Summary edit see section history

The novel is set in the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, in the period 1991 to 1995. It is about the adventures of three mechanical engineering students (and friends), Hari Kumar (the narrator), Ryan Oberoi, and Alok Gupta, who fail to cope with the grading system of the IITs. Ryan is a... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)

The novel is set in the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, in the period 1991 to 1995. It is about the adventures of three mechanical engineering students (and friends), Hari Kumar (the narrator), Ryan Oberoi, and Alok Gupta, who fail to cope with the grading system of the IITs. Ryan is a bit smart and outspoken, whereas Alok and Hari are mildly cry babies. The three hostelmates – Alok, Hari and Ryan get off to a bad start in IIT – they screw up the first class quiz. And while they try to make amends, things only get worse. It takes them a while to realize: If you try and screw with the IIT system, it comes back to double screw you. Before they know it, they are at the lowest echelons of IIT society. They have a five-point-something GPA out of ten, ranking near the bottom of their classes.
The book is narrated in the first person by Hari, with some small passages by his friends Ryan and Alok, as well as a letter by Hari's girlfriend Neha Cherian. It deals with the lives of the three friends, whose elation on making it to one of the best engineering colleges in India is quickly deflated by the rigor and monotony of academic work. Most of the book deals with the numerous attempts by the trio to cope with and/or beat the system as well as Hari's fling with Neha who just happens to be the daughter of Prof. Cherian, the domineering head of the Mechanical Engineering Department. Their most important attempt was "C2D" (Cooperate to Dominate).
While the tone of the novel is humorous, it takes some dark turns every now and then, especially when it comes to the families of the protagonists. Most of the action, however, takes place inside the campus as the boys, led by the ever creative Ryan, frequently lamenting how the internationally lauded IIT system has stifled their creativity by forcing them to value grades more than anything else. Uninspiring teaching and numerous assignments add to their woes, though the boys do find a sympathizer in Prof. Veera, the new fluid mechanics professor.

Characters edit see section history

  • Hari Kumar: Another fatso , who wants to be like others especially like Ryan , the narrator
  • Alok Gupta: The Insecured and Ever worried , needed a job desperately to pull his family out of crisis , his dad's sickness and his sisters marriage
  • Ryan Oberoi: The Charmer = cool , witty , crazy and cranky @ times , dejected by indifferent parents who found no time for their son but found love in dollars , this guy never hates them but neither loves them , loves his friends though..
  • Neha Cherian: Hari's girlfriend and Prof Cherian's daughter. a fine girl that loves her brother so much , falls in love with Hari , she dint want to be a modern girl , have sex with bf , but ultimately does that on a very fateful day
  • Prof. Cherian: Head of Mechanical Engineering. Dad of Neha = the Nerd and Jerk who holds no regards for students but ultimately falls for Students when he reads his Son's suicide letter which he knew as a train accident until that day
  • Prof. Veera: Prof at IIT.= the cool professor who weighs creativity against GPA , helps Ryan, Hari and Alok get through the suspended semester
  • Dean Shastri: Dean of IIT-Delhi. , not much role except for accepting the research proposal given by Ryan , alok and Hari
  • Venkat: A competitive and studious South Indian college student (NRI student in Tamil) who believes rote learning is the only way to excellence and also believes that there is no time for creativity and innovation in the turbulent and competitive race of life. Venkat has a small role in the book. == You can call him the Mugger
  • Samir Cherian: Neha Cherian's Brother= the Dead , was used only for remembrance and to create emotional connect between Neha and Hari
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Quotes edit see section history

  • “"If Alok makes it through this, I will write a book about our crazy days. I really wil," i swore. It is the kind of absurd promise you make to yourself when you are seriously messed up in the head and you haven't slept for fifty hours straight...”
    Hari Kumar
  • “I suddenly leaned forward,bringing my face close to hers.catching her breath,stifling that laugh and pink tongue,she watched me wide-eyed.I removed the wallet from my back pocket and sat down casually again. "What happened?" I asked idly. "I thought...never mind".She blinked. Ha,gotcha”
  • “Sometimes, if you just paraphrase everyone's arguments, you get to be the good guy.”
    Hari Kumar
  • “Well, that is life. It screws you right when you think you have figured it out.”
    Alok Gupta
  • “Hence, there i was again, to watch Arnold flex his muscles and blow up planets.”
    Hari Kumar

Setting & Locations edit see section history

The book is set in the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, around the 1990s.

Organizations edit see section history

First Sentence edit see section history

Before I really begin this book, let me first tell you what this book is not.

Table of Contents edit see section history

Acknowledgements
Prologue

Bare Beginnings
Terminator
Barefoot on Metal
Line Drawing
Make Notes not War
Five-point Something
Alok Speaks
One Year Later
The Mice Theory
Cooperate to Dominate
The Gift
Neha Speaks
One More Year Later
Vodka
Operation Pendulum
The Longest Day of My Life I
The Longest Day of My Life II
The Longest Day of My Life III
The Longest Day of My Life IV
The Longest Day of My Life V
The Longest Day of My Life VI
Ryan Speaks
Kaju-Burfi
Will we Make It?
A Day of Letters
Meeting Daddy
Five Point Someone

Glossary edit see section history

  • insti: short name for institution.Generally used by college goers.
  • cog: A part of a gear system.

Series & Lists edit see section history

This is book 56 of 195 in Shelfari Most Popular (June 2010). (authoritative list)
This is book 83 of 195 in Shelfari Most Popular (June 2011). (authoritative list)
This is book 94 of 195 in Shelfari Most Popular (December 2011). (authoritative list)
This is book 69 of 194 in Shelfari Most Popular (December 2010). (authoritative list)

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

  1. Chetan Bhagat (Author) - Graduation: Indian Institute Of Technology(IIT) - Delhi '95Post Graduation: Indian Institute Of Management(IIM) - Ahmedabad ' 97

First Edition edit see section history

Original Language: English
Publisher: Rupa & Co.
Country: India
Publication Date: 2004
ISBN: 9788129104595
Page Count: 270

Classification edit see section history

Notes for Parents edit see section history

Reading Level: Young Adults

Well versed and a fair read. Contains little profanity.

Movie Connections edit see section history

  • 3 Idiots (IMDb): 3 Idiots (Hindi: थ्री इडीयट्स) is a 2009 Indian comedy film directed by Rajkumar Hirani, with a screenplay by Abhijat Joshi, and produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra. It was loosely adapted from the novel Five Point Someone by Chetan Bhagat. 3 Idiots stars Aamir Khan, Kareena Kapoor, R. Madhavan, Sharman Joshi, Omi Vaidya, Parikshit Sahni and Boman Irani.
  • Nanban (Tamil Adaptation)

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