Writers...

“And that’s because I refused to play by the existing rules of the publishing industry where selling 5,000 copies used to make it a best- seller. I decided to change the game and have sold millions of copies which was thought to be impossible in India. And now we have so many books written by Indian authors for Indian readers. So if you are brilliant and you can beat everyone at their own game, that’s great. But only a few people are that brilliant. For others, like me, who can’t beat them at their game, we should try to change the game itself. And that’s what I intend to do.”

Chetan adds that he not only intends to change the publishing industry, but he wants to change the world too. And that he wants to do that by changing the way people think. “A lot of people ask that what exactly am I doing. Chetan karna kya chahta hai? First, I want to reach the maximum number of Indians through entertainment. I talk to them through their language and about things that they want to talk about. Because let’s face it, the bigger my reach, the bigger would be the probability to bring change. And while entertainment is my way to reach them, later I can talk to them about other things as well. That’s exactly what I am trying to achieve here,” he said. Through movies, books, news debates, lectures and his columns, Chetan claims that he

I want to reach the maximum number of Indians through entertainment.

is reaching a million people on a daily basis, and now his next target is to reach the rural areas. “My target is to write for each and everyone in this country including the people living in the slums. I want them to pick up my book and read it. That’s why my latest book Half Girlfriend has a guy from rural Bihar as the protagonist. Through him, I want to speak to the youth in rural India, while at the same time keeping it relevant to my current audience that is basically urban youth. That is the greatest challenge that I face,” he said.

The lecture was hosted by IIT Delhi Alumni Association.