Thinking Activity: One Night at The Call Centre

Hello readers,

This blog is a part of my curriculum activity given by my sir Prof. Dilip Barad.

Here is the link of the given task.

1. Effect of Globalization in the novel :

Globalizaion is the process of interaction among people. This whole story circulate around the effect of Globalization. All the six characters Shyam, Vroom, Esha, Radhika, Priyanka, Military Uncle works in a call centre where they have to talk with foreigners on call whole night. They are helping foreigners in fixing problem of home appliances. They are connecting with global world and work as an human resource, sharing Ideas.

‘Yes sir. I sound like your daughter? Oh, thank you. So what is wrong

with the vacuum cleaner/’ she was saying.

‘Your voice is so soothing,’ the caller said.

‘Thanks you sir. So, the vacuum cleaner…?’

But If we look at the effect then we can find that their life, happiness, freedom everything is ruined by Globalization. They are working whole night under the pressure of cruel boss Bakhshi. They are working for money even if they get insulted by the global people. Capitalism is the centre of global world. They have to use sugarcoated language. When the foreigner come to know about the Indian working in call centre then he used to mock on Indian for different accent. Foreigners are surprised that how the Indian who has not seen the appliance, is ready to help or suggest the solution for its defect. Global world always looks at India as a poor country. There is also fun on big banner of advertisement which shows the fakeness, as there is the picture of smiling woman but Vroom says that it is not that simple to smile like her with coca-cola. These all advertisement are meant to trapped people with sugarcoated logos. This is the fakeness of multinational companies which can do anything to sold their product.


2. Narrative structure of the novel and its comparison with Life of Pi. :

There is unreliable narrative structure in the novel because from the very beginning the story is narrated by a strange woman to Chetan Bhagat in the train. Then she forced him to write it as his second book without mentioning her name. Chetan Bhagat then write story and used one character Shyam for narration. In this way it becomes unreliable.

There is similarity of narrative structure between Life of Pi and One Night @call centre. In the life of Pi, the protagonist told the story to the writer, just like the woman in the train telling story to Chetan Bhagat. There are two stories being told and it was upon the writer that which they select to write, the one is with God or the one without God. In both the cases the writer chose to write story with God.

3. Theme of Nationalism in the novel :

"a thirty-five-year-old

American’s brain and IQ is the same as a ten-years-old Indian’s brain"

There are many incidents in the novel which reflects the theme of nationalism and Anti- American Idea. The character of Vroom is used to satire on the inhuman nature of Americans. He was badly insulted by the American because of his Indian accent. Therefore he built a strong disliking for them. When he asked question to god that why they given to Americans so much wealth not Indians?, then God also gave Anti-American answer by saying that Americans are not the happiest people on earth because it is obsessed with war. God also share Idea to win over Americans. There is praise of Indian people and their level of intelligence. In this way Chetan Bhagat very smartly presents the theme of nationalism in the novel.

4. Cyberpunk novel :

Cyberpunk is a subgenre of science fiction. Its characteristics are as follows:-

i) Sci-fi (scientific fiction)

ii) Strong sense of helplessness

iii) Misery

iv) Dystopic Idea

v) Loss of morality/humanity

vi) MN corporations control over the life of workers

These all characteristic we find in the novel. This is absolutely scientific fiction which deals with the innovative side of society. The workers work on computer screen, day and night and connected with the global world because of the invention of telephones. Despite of this there is strong sense of helplessness, misery, loss of morality. All six characters suffers a lot. They are living in Dystopic world where no one is happy. All have their different problem and they don't know how to come out of these miseries. On the other side we can find loss of morality in these characters when they blackmailed Bakhshi and get money to start their new business. All are working under the pressure of Multi National company which ruins their joy of living. MN companies always get more work at low wages.

Thank you.