REVIEW: One night @ the call center

ramanujam January 17th, 2006


Even as a lull lecture on computer architecture was going on in my class, I never heard a word as was my habit but this time it was because I was unable to forget about Priyanka, Esha and others (Oh no!!! not that way…) let me make it clear, they were the center characters of the book One night @ the call center by one of my fauvorite authors Chetan bhagat and I was unable to come out of the book which I completed chewing the previous night.

Chetan starts off this book in style as his former one Five point someone (the turning point of the story at the starting of the book, really kindles your interest!). In the prologue he portrays his meeting with a pretty girl on an empty train towards Delhi which has given rise to this book. The girl exemplifies this narrative to Chetan on getting a promise that it would be made into a book after a plethora of heated discussions. Kudos to that pretty lass who has been the root cause for the origin of this classy book.

One night @ the call center is a story about six persons who worked at a call center named Connexions in Gurgaon near Delhi. As they all work in an American call center all their names are altered – Shyam mehra (Sam Marcy), Varun (Vroom) a trendy guy who feels that the ass hole Americans have nothing but money, Radhika (Regina) a caring daughter in law, Esha (Eliza) a hot babe having aspirations of becoming a great model, Priyanka and military uncle. Shyam and Priyanka had broken up from their love due to some misunderstandings and also her psycho mother felt that she could not lead a happy life with an unsettled call center chap. On this day, as usual they were on their way to the WSAG bay, their workplace but this day was out of the ordinary and special.

Shyam narrates his memorable past dates with Priyanka as and when a thought about her disturbs him. These six folks work under an unruly, uncaring moron named Bakshi and all were waiting for banging their boss’ head (Almost everyone wants to do that ;)). Connexions had its base at Boston and was on the verge of right sizing or firing its workforce as the call traffic had reduced. Everyone is made to feel that Americans are fools when he puts up the 35=10 call center strategy i.e. “a thirty five year old American’s brain and IQ is the same as a ten year old Indian’s brain”.

The systems failed at the bay and as everyone were about to stretch out their limbs Priyanka reveals her marriage proposal with Mr. Microsoft (as Shyam calls him…). Shyam was the virtual team leader and he taps the phone line of the emergency landline and eavesdropped her fiancé’s phone call and gets screwed up later when everyone comes to know about that. Everyone one was looking forward priyanka’s rich panorama with a brand new Lexus, posh home with a pool and all other pleasures despite the sad fact that she had dated with Shyam, the pitiable soul.

Meanwhile vroom had a predilection for Esha and has proposed to her twice but she rejected his proposal saying various reasons but the real cause stayed in her. She disliked herself and disclosed off her untold secret to Shyam saying that she had slept with a model agent for he promised her a chance. Radhika a sensible lady cries out when she comes to know that her lovable husband had his sights on another girl. Military uncle had parted off from his son’s family and had his own melancholies. At this juncture the ass hole Bakshi sends off the website proposal of Shyam and vroom to Boston saying it was his own and vroom goes nuts as his long spent hard work has been shattered.

They all go off for a ride to have a drink with all problems loaded. The qualis which the alcohol filled vroom was driving rolled over and soon was balancing on rods with everyone sighting death. No network on their cell and everyone thought that it was the end as vroom’s phone rang displaying GOD calling… everyone was taken in for a surprise and God asked everyone what they wanted in life, if he saved them. All the six lamented and laid down their proposals. They are saved and then head back to their bay and vroom devices the plan of his life (first to save the call center, then to kick off Bakshi and finally to succeed in life).

He hooks on to Bakshi’s system and sends a prank mail to Esha asking her for a night and also vroom takes a print out of all the porn sites which Bakshi had visited and takes control of the call center blackmailing Bakshi. He asks all agents to call their American clients and say that their system has been affected by a virus and may crash down. “To check open MS-WORD and type =rand (200,99) and press enter”, if some rubbish turns out it is confirmed. It works really and is a bug in MS-WORD. They were asked to call back frequently and thereby increased the traffic and postponing the lay off.

Vroom and Shyam decide to leave the center and start their own website business. Meanwhile Priyanka finds that Mr. Microsoft has lied to her and urged her to marry her, she comes out of the tight corner and apologizes to Shyam and they unite.

COVER: ‘Flower of life’- it combines science with art and is citied in sacred geometry and is also found in the 5000 year old temple of Osiris at Abydos, Egypt.

P.S: Chetan Bhagat hits the block hole once again with One night @ the call center. A lot other striking facets are described by CB in a dazzling manner and brings in goose bumps. Excepting a hat trick from CB, I am eagerly awaiting his next book. I also visualized this one will also succeed as a good movie like the former. If I make one in the future ;)

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