One Night @ the Call Center

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One Night @ The Call Center

Author	Chetan Bhagat
Cover artist	Chetan Bhagat Samantha Holyoak
Country	India
Language	English
Genre	Fiction
Publisher	Rupa Publications
Publication date	5 October 2005
Media type	Paperback
Pages	267
ISBN	81-291-0818-6 (Paperback edition)
OCLC	63276386
LC Class	MLCM 2005/00074 (P) PR9499.3.B

One Night @ the Call Center is a novel written by Chetan Bhagat and first published in 2005. The novel revolves around a group of six call center employees working at the Connexions call center in Gurgaon, Haryana, India. It takes place during one night, during which all of the leading characters confront some aspect of themselves or their lives they would like to change. The story uses a literal deus ex machina, when the characters receive a phone call from God.

The book was the second best-selling novel from the author after Five Point Someone.

Plot[]

The book begins with a frame story which recounts a train journey from Kanpur to Delhi. During the journey, the narrating author meets a beautiful girl. The girl offers to tell the author a story on the condition that he has to make it his second book. After a lot of hesitation, the author agrees. The story was about six people working in a call center. One night they got a phone-call from God within the story, which comprises the bulk of the book, relates the events that happen one night at a call center. Told through the eyes of the protagonist, Shyam, it is a story of almost lost love, thwarted ambitions, absence of family affection, pressures of a patriarchal set up, an insight on the lifestyle of youth of this country and the work environment of a globalized office. Shyam loves but has lost Priyanka, who is now planning an arranged marriage with another; Vroom loves Esha. Esha wants to be a model, Radhika is in an unhappy marriage with a demanding mother-in-law, and Military Uncle wants to talk to his grandson; they all hate Bakshi, their cruel and somehow sadist boss. Claimed to be based on a true story, the author chooses Shyam Mehra (alias Sam Marcy) as the narrator and protagonist, who is one among the six call center employees featured.

A phone call from God is one of the salient features in the novel. In order to cheer themselves up, all the lead characters of the novel decide to go and enjoy at a night club. After enjoying for a while, they leave for the office. While returning, they face a life-threatening situation when their Qualis crashes into a construction site hanging over a mesh of iron construction rods. As the rods began to yield slowly, they start to panic. They are unable to call for help as there is no mobile phone network at that place, but Shyam's mobile phone starts ringing. The phone call is from God, who speaks modern English. He speaks to all of them and gives them suggestions to improve their life, and advises them on how to get their vehicle out of the construction site. The conversation with God motivates the group to such an extent that they get ready to face their problems with utmost determination and motivation. Meanwhile, Vroom and Shyam hatch a plan to throw Bakshi out of the call center and prevent the closing of Connexions call center, whose employees are to be downsized radically. When they emerge from danger, they have clear-cut goals in their mind. On returning to the call center, they carry out their plans with dexterity.

The themes involve the anxieties and insecurities of the rising Indian middle class, including questions about career, inadequacy, marriage, family conflicts in a changing India, and the relationship of the young Indian middle class to both executives and ordinary clients whom they serve in the United States. There is an aspect of self-help in the book as the author invites readers to identify aspects of themselves and their lives that make them angry and that they would like to change.

Cast[]

● Shyam Mehra(Sam Marcy)- The main protagonist. Priyanka's ex-boyfriend. Vroom's best friend. He is 26 years old and is always scared to propose to Priyanka for marriage. Due to Priyanka's mother distrusting him, Priyanka and Shyam breakup. He is always a slave to Bakshi.

● Priyanka Sinha-Shyam's ex-girlfriend later on Shyam's girlfriend again. Ganesh's ex-fiancee She was going to get married which caused Shyam to find it diffuclt to look in her eyes.

● Varun Malhotra(Victor Meller) aka Vroom- He is called Vroom because of his love for every vehicles. He is 22 years old. He has a crush on Esha though he never admits straight. He tries proposing to Esha but Esha rejects it because of his obsession with girls, pizzas and vehicles. His parents' divorce make him depressed thought he doesn't show his sadness outside since he hates sympathy. But in the end of the book, Esha accepts to a date with Vroom. He hates Bakshi and never volunteers to help Bakshi unlike Shyam.

● Esha Singh(Eliza Singer)- A aspiring model. She always wears modern dresses and was voted THE HOTTEST CHICK by her office colleagues. She came to Chandigarh against her parents wish. By the end of the book, she becomes a member of NGO and accepts to a date with Vroom.

● Radikha Jha(Regina Jones)- The only married member of the group. She had a love life from college and married her boyfriend, Anuj who has a traditional family. Her mother-in-law hates her and always complains about her to Anuj which makes Anuj shout at her since he only trusts his mother. Then it is revealed that Anuj has an extra-marital affair and thus Radhika divorces him and moves in with Esha.

● Military Uncle- Military Uncle who live alone and having some problems with his son and grandson but at the end he realizes his mistake and decide to apologize. Military Uncle who works at the call centre to earn few money apart from the pension that he gets.

● Subhash Bakshi- Shyam's, Priyanka's, Esha's, Vroom's and Radhika's boss. An idiot who is going to be transferred to Boston thus saving him from getting fired. He took credit for a website manual which was done by Shyam and Vroom.

● Shefali- Shyam's 2nd ex-girlfriend. Shyam wanted to move on from Priyanka and thus became Shefali's boyfriend. Shefali was only introduced in the starting of the book.

Translations and Adaptations[]

This book has been translated into Hindi and is published by Prabhat Prakash.^[1] It was translated to Sinhala by Dileepa Jayakody and published in 2009 as Halo! Halo!. The book is also adapted for film titled Hello in 2008.

References[]

External links[]

• Prabhat Prakash Bio