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SCMP Reporter

Chetan Bhagat's Five Point Someone is a humorous tale about three students' romp through an elite Indian college - the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT).

Hari Kumar, Alok Gupta and Ryan Oberoi stand out because of their low Grade Performance Average (GPA) marks, which operate on a scale of one to ten.

When Ryan saves Hari and Alok from a bullying senior, the three immediately become good friends. Together they try to survive the hardships of IIT.

Twenty thousand students will sit for the entrance exams but only 2,000 will be selected.

Ryan, being the richest and most good looking, comes up with crazy ideas to beat the GPA system. He believes that college should be all about having fun and enjoying life.

Alok, who has a disabled father and comes from a 'limited means' family, is more concerned about getting good grades and a good job after college. He needs a good job or he won't be able to support his father and pay for his sister's wedding.

Hari is easily led and so follows his friends into all sorts of trouble - from getting drunk to breaking into an office and falling in love with his professor's daughter.

The story illustrates how easily stress can influence someone's judgment and lead them into trouble.

The plot may sound heavy, but Bhagat wrote this story in a lighthearted, humorous way, providing an insight into what university life is like in India and the do's and don'ts of college life.

Bhagat  observes how people judge others by their GPAs,  but his story shows that grades only measure how well you do in tests and are not a measure of your character. This book explains how the GPA can affect friendships, love and dreams. It gives examples of how grades can separate friendships in the most absurd way and how teachers can push their students to extremes in their quest to improve results.

This book is an easy read and can be finished in a day or two.  Anyone who would like to win a copy to read over the summer break should send an e-mail to bookclub@scmp.com.

Five point someone

by Chetan Bhagat

ISBN 81-291-0459-8

Published by Rupa & Co



Humorous romp through college