I'm Not Twenty Four... I've been nineteen for five years by Sachin Garg !!!

       

             My exams are going on but still I managed to pick this book by Sachin Garg and completed it within 3.5 hours. It's the first book written by Sachin Garg and the name of it is "I'm Not Twenty Four... I've been nineteen for five years...". The cover page of the book shows a girl's leg with blue jeans and red sandal which makes it look like another Indian pulp-fiction-love-story. But when you finish half of it, you come to know that you have something different in your hand and you have really got the right book. Sachin Garg, the author has done engineering and also completed his management. He has quit his job in 2011 to start his own venture "Grapevine Productions". I am too happy that Sachin Garg is a publisher now because a writer can better understand other writers than a publisher. The first few books which are being released under his Grapevine Publishing house are from his friends but I hope he gives chance to passionate writers who haven't got chance still. 




            Coming to the story of INTF, it is about a girl "Saumya Kapoor" from Delhi who is selected in the placement offering in her college and sent to a village- Toranagallu which is based in the heart of Northern Karnataka. The journey starts from here. A girl who has addiction to malls, handsome boys, fashion and shopping is sent to a village where the population is just 5000 and there's no one who has ever seen a girl from city, has no malls, handsome boys, fashion and shopping material. She was ready to welcome hell in her life in few days. She went to a restaurant and ate lot and expected bill of thousand when the waiter came and told that her bill was just 40. She was surprised by seeing the cheapness in value of products in this village. She started enjoying her life. She gets her friend Amit and Malappa too. After the training period ends in the Lala steels where she is placed, she is appointed in a department where she has to tell the relatives of employees that dies in the accidents in the organization. All the enjoyment blows away. Her boss asks her to visit some live spots where the accident took place and she fainted every time she saw these workers struggling between the machines or already flooded with lots of blood around or the body being divided into several parts. She starts hating her job. In the training period, she meets a boy named- Shubrodeep Shyamchaudhary who tells his wonderful past to her. She starts liking him but the conditions of Shubrodeep's life doesn't permit her to stay with him for longer. She is confused about this part of her life too. But one day, she finally gets to know about many facts of this guy and her life changes after this. How Shubrodeep brings a change in Saumya's life is the USP of this book. I'll not reveal much. Go for the book. I would say, purchase it and keep it with you. You will love reading it every time you feel depressed and lonely. 




             Finally reviewing I'm Not Twenty Four, I would first applaud Sachin Garg for writing a book where girl is a protagonist and not a boy. Being a boy, it is hard to write a book in a girl's narration. Coming to the story, the way Saumya is introduced is mind-blasting. I have never read such an introduction of the protagonist in any book. Something very creative. Her expression in words after getting the job in a village is too funny and you start loving the character of Saumya. The way the village- Tornagallu is described is the best part of the book. I read it twice after completing the book. If I will be asked about one part why this book will always remain in my mind and heart, I would say the part when Shubrodeep tells about his past to Saumya, Amit and Malappa. The "move-on theory" described by Shubrodeep is something on which I can write 1000 pages book. A very nice insight of life by Sachin Garg. I read this part for 3 times after completing the book. This is the only book which I have read again in parts just after completing it. The part when one of the friend of Saumya dies and the way her emotions and trauma is described makes you shiver too. I was on bed when I was reading it and I almost jumped after reading that part. Just imagine if one of your friend is thrown by his boss in furnace where iron is melted just because of you. Fuck! I am still shocked. 




              Coming to some bad points (Ohh, there's nothing bad in this book but when you read such a book, you want nothing to go bad and when it goes, you don't like it even a bit), Amit and Malappa are sidelined when Saumya starts describing her job and her journey with those dead bodies and shattered bodies in blood. Sachin Garg should have tried to add some more adventures with the job profile of Amit too. Malappa's was described later. :-) And the blogs written by Shubrodeep in the end could have been more effective but it didn't bought that effect which you expect after what Sachin Garg has done right from the first page of the book. These are the only two points I want to point out. Ohh Yes, one more thing, I am also disappointed with the cover page and the title of the book. Actually, there's nothing wrong in them but it makes the book look like just-another-love-story but it is something far above than that. Sachin Garg should have chosen a Revolutionary kind of thing to show on the cover-page of the book and the book should have been named - MOVE-ON THEORY... 90 days of life.... Hahaha. Else, this book is an epic in Indian-pulp-fiction-writing. The easy language and beautiful narration makes it more beautiful. And yes, once again, an Indian writer showed that its not necessary to write an all-and-all Love Story and Sex to make a book bestseller, popular and sell-able. You can use a good story with life in it rather than writing those stupid romance between the protagonist and their love partner throughout the book. Kudos for this to Sachin Garg and lots of respect. 




             I rate this book 4 on 5. I didn't even wanted to cut that 1 but those blogs from Shubrodeep compelled me to. In the end, A Salute to Mr. Sachin Garg. 




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ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU