Karan Bajaj
Encyclopedia
Karan Bajaj is the Indian
author
of two contemporary cult Indian bestsellers, Keep Off the Grass(2008) and Johnny Gone Down (2010). Together his novels have sold more than 200,000 copies in India (until Sep'2010) making him one of the largest selling novelists in Indian publishing history.
While both novels were almost instant bestsellers, Keep off the Grass opened to tepid critical response. Johnny Gone Down was both a commercial and critical success. Along with Chetan Bhagat and Advaita Kala, Karan Bajaj is considered among the trio of modern Indian writers that have rewritten Indian publishing rules and brought a new scale to the Indian publishing landscape with previously unheard of book sales. Outlook India called him "the thinking man's Chetan Bhagat", but in an interview he has said that all comparisons are "unnecessary and superficial". He was selected in India Today's 'Top 35 Under 35' Indian achievers(2010); nominated for the Teacher's Achievement Award(2010); nominated for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award(2008), Crossword Book pick of the year(2008) and India plaza Golden Quill Award(2008); selected a 'Top 40 Under 40 Global marketers' by Advertising Age US(2007) and Aditya Birla Group's Top ten young business leaders of India(2002).
Neither of his novels has received an international release yet.
family, Karan studied in various schools in Delhi
, Shimla
, Ranchi
, Jabalpur, Lucknow
and Assam
. In various interviews, he has said that his interests in backpacking
, and hiking
are his writing inspirations.
He has also suggested that his time spent in engineering college at BIT Mesra, Ranchi was most formative for his writing experiences (not verified)
Karan Bajaj also works in Brand Management for Kraft Foods in New York. He graduated from the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore in 2002 after completing his engineering from Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra
, Ranchi
in 2000. He was selected as one of the top ten young business leaders of India by the Aditya Birla Foundation. Karan has earlier worked as a Brand Manager for Procter & Gamble
and a management consultant
for the Boston Consulting Group
in India
, the Philippines, Singapore and the U.S., and was nominated a 'Top 40 under 40 marketer in the U.S.' by Advertising Age
in 2007.
India in June 2008, and has been on the best-seller lists in India
since its release. The book had sold more than 70,000 copies by June 2010 and is widely regarded as a cult hit. The book was polarizing among critics with a mix of positive reviews (e.g., Outlook India termed it "pacy, unpretentious, and great fun to read") and negative reviews (e.g. India Today termed it "predictable with several cliches; only the author's effortless flair stands out and that too only in parts").
The novel was a Semi-Finalist for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award, long-listed for the Indiaplaza Golden Quill Award, and a Crossword Book Selection of the year.
graduate through the length and breadth of India. The journey is made by a brilliant youngster named Samrat, born to immigrant parents in the U.S. who decides to go out in search of his roots. Along the way Samrat, the protagonist
, ends up in prison for possession of marijuana, develops a drug addiction, meditates in the foothills of the Himalayas
, has a one-night stand with a hippie in Dharamsala
and meets flesh-eating Aghoree saints on the banks of Varanasi
.
, Talladega Nights, Batman
and The Dark Knight
. Ben Rekhi, the director of Waterborne
has been signed up as director. The director has stated that the film will be "like an Indian version of The Motorcycle Diaries
".
The book has been both a critical and commercial success selling 45,000 copies in 3 days of its release, which sources say could be a record in Indian publishing. Financial Express called the novel “The Pulp fiction novel of the summer!"; IANS: *“*Set to make publishing history”; Deccan Chronicle's review: “Johnny rises and shines! Wild, bizarre and satisfying”, *Deccan Chronicle*; Hindustan Times: "A taut gripping saga" and Pioneer: "Sheer entertainment….Extraordinary”.
The book is rumored to have received tremendous film interest, but Karan has refused to comment on film offers in interviews.
Non-resident Indian and Person of Indian Origin
A Non-Resident Indian is an Indian citizen who has migrated to another country, a person of Indian origin who is born outside India, or a person of Indian origin who resides permanently outside India. Other terms with the same meaning are overseas Indian and expatriate Indian...
author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
of two contemporary cult Indian bestsellers, Keep Off the Grass(2008) and Johnny Gone Down (2010). Together his novels have sold more than 200,000 copies in India (until Sep'2010) making him one of the largest selling novelists in Indian publishing history.
While both novels were almost instant bestsellers, Keep off the Grass opened to tepid critical response. Johnny Gone Down was both a commercial and critical success. Along with Chetan Bhagat and Advaita Kala, Karan Bajaj is considered among the trio of modern Indian writers that have rewritten Indian publishing rules and brought a new scale to the Indian publishing landscape with previously unheard of book sales. Outlook India called him "the thinking man's Chetan Bhagat", but in an interview he has said that all comparisons are "unnecessary and superficial". He was selected in India Today's 'Top 35 Under 35' Indian achievers(2010); nominated for the Teacher's Achievement Award(2010); nominated for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award(2008), Crossword Book pick of the year(2008) and India plaza Golden Quill Award(2008); selected a 'Top 40 Under 40 Global marketers' by Advertising Age US(2007) and Aditya Birla Group's Top ten young business leaders of India(2002).
Neither of his novels has received an international release yet.
Early life
Born in 1979 into an Indian ArmyIndian Army
The Indian Army is the land based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. With about 1,100,000 soldiers in active service and about 1,150,000 reserve troops, the Indian Army is the world's largest standing volunteer army...
family, Karan studied in various schools in Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
, Shimla
Shimla
Shimla , formerly known as Simla, is the capital city of Himachal Pradesh. In 1864, Shimla was declared the summer capital of the British Raj in India. A popular tourist destination, Shimla is often referred to as the "Queen of Hills," a term coined by the British...
, Ranchi
Ranchi
-Climate:Ranchi has a humid subtropical climate. However, due to its position and the forests around the city, it is known for its pleasant climate. Its climate is the primary reason why Ranchi was once the summer capital of the undivided State of Bihar...
, Jabalpur, Lucknow
Lucknow
Lucknow is the capital city of Uttar Pradesh in India. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of Lucknow District and Lucknow Division....
and Assam
Assam
Assam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...
. In various interviews, he has said that his interests in backpacking
Backpacking (wilderness)
Backpacking combines the activities of hiking and camping for an overnight stay in backcountry wilderness...
, and hiking
Hiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
are his writing inspirations.
He has also suggested that his time spent in engineering college at BIT Mesra, Ranchi was most formative for his writing experiences (not verified)
Karan Bajaj also works in Brand Management for Kraft Foods in New York. He graduated from the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore in 2002 after completing his engineering from Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra
Birla Institute of Technology
Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra , is an autonomous engineering and technology oriented institute of higher education located in Ranchi, Jharkhand, India...
, Ranchi
Ranchi
-Climate:Ranchi has a humid subtropical climate. However, due to its position and the forests around the city, it is known for its pleasant climate. Its climate is the primary reason why Ranchi was once the summer capital of the undivided State of Bihar...
in 2000. He was selected as one of the top ten young business leaders of India by the Aditya Birla Foundation. Karan has earlier worked as a Brand Manager for Procter & Gamble
Procter & Gamble
Procter & Gamble is a Fortune 500 American multinational corporation headquartered in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio and manufactures a wide range of consumer goods....
and a management consultant
Management consulting
Management consulting indicates both the industry and practice of helping organizations improve their performance primarily through the analysis of existing organizational problems and development of plans for improvement....
for the Boston Consulting Group
Boston Consulting Group
The Boston Consulting Group is a global management consulting firm with offices in 42 countries. It is recognized as one of the most prestigious management consulting firms in the world. It is one of only three companies to appear in the top 15 of Fortunes "Best Companies to Work For" report for...
in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, the Philippines, Singapore and the U.S., and was nominated a 'Top 40 under 40 marketer in the U.S.' by Advertising Age
Advertising Age
Advertising Age is a magazine, delivering news, analysis and data on marketing and media. The magazine was started as a broadsheet newspaper in Chicago in 1930...
in 2007.
Keep off the Grass
Bajaj's debut novel was published by HarperCollinsHarperCollins
HarperCollins is a publishing company owned by News Corporation. It is the combination of the publishers William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd, a British company, and Harper & Row, an American company, itself the result of an earlier merger of Harper & Brothers and Row, Peterson & Company. The worldwide...
India in June 2008, and has been on the best-seller lists in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
since its release. The book had sold more than 70,000 copies by June 2010 and is widely regarded as a cult hit. The book was polarizing among critics with a mix of positive reviews (e.g., Outlook India termed it "pacy, unpretentious, and great fun to read") and negative reviews (e.g. India Today termed it "predictable with several cliches; only the author's effortless flair stands out and that too only in parts").
The novel was a Semi-Finalist for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award, long-listed for the Indiaplaza Golden Quill Award, and a Crossword Book Selection of the year.
Plotline
The story is about a psychedelic road trip of a 25-year-old YaleYALE
RapidMiner, formerly YALE , is an environment for machine learning, data mining, text mining, predictive analytics, and business analytics. It is used for research, education, training, rapid prototyping, application development, and industrial applications...
graduate through the length and breadth of India. The journey is made by a brilliant youngster named Samrat, born to immigrant parents in the U.S. who decides to go out in search of his roots. Along the way Samrat, the protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
, ends up in prison for possession of marijuana, develops a drug addiction, meditates in the foothills of the Himalayas
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
, has a one-night stand with a hippie in Dharamsala
Dharamsala
Dharamshala or Dharamsala is a city in northern India. It was formerly known as Bhagsu; it is the winter seat of government of the state of Himachal Pradesh and the district headquarters of the Kangra district....
and meets flesh-eating Aghoree saints on the banks of Varanasi
Varanasi
-Etymology:The name Varanasi has its origin possibly from the names of the two rivers Varuna and Assi, for the old city lies in the north shores of the Ganga bounded by its two tributaries, the Varuna and the Asi, with the Ganges being to its south...
.
Future film
Kunal Kohli Productions, UTV Productions, and Mosaic Media Group bid for the film rights of the book. They were eventually sold to Mosaic Media Group, the producing partners of Get ShortyGet Shorty (film)
Get Shorty is a 1995 crime-comedy film based on Elmore Leonard's novel of the same name. Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld and starring John Travolta, Gene Hackman, Rene Russo, and Danny DeVito, the plot remained true to the book except for a few minor details....
, Talladega Nights, Batman
Batman (film)
Batman, in films, may refer to:*Batman , starring Adam West and Burt Ward*Batman , starring Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson...
and The Dark Knight
The Dark Knight (film)
The Dark Knight is a 2008 superhero film directed, produced and co-written by Christopher Nolan. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, the film is part of Nolan's Batman film series and a sequel to 2005's Batman Begins...
. Ben Rekhi, the director of Waterborne
Waterborne
Waterborne is a 2005 independent film by Indian American film maker Ben Rekhi about the fates of three different groups of people after a terrorist attack pollutes the water supply of Los Angeles, resulting in a severe water shortage. It stars Christopher Masterson, Ajay Naidu, Jake Muxworthy, Jon...
has been signed up as director. The director has stated that the film will be "like an Indian version of The Motorcycle Diaries
The Motorcycle Diaries (film)
At the end of the film, after his sojourn at the leper colony, Guevara confirms his nascent egalitarian, anti-authority impulses, while making a birthday toast, which is also his first political speech. In it he evokes a pan-Latin American identity that transcends both the arbitrary boundaries of...
".
Johnny Gone Down
The thriller was published by HarperCollins-India at an affordable price of Rs.99 in May'2010. "It is the first time HarperCollins-India is aiming to achieve nearly 100,000 copies in a year for an Indian author at such an attractive price," Lipika Bhushan, head of marketing at HarperCollins-India, said. The novel is about the bizarre, almost surreal series of events that transform an Ivy League MIT graduate into first a genocide survivor, then a Buddhist monk, a drug lord, a homeless accountant, a software mogul and a deadly game fighter over a period of twenty years.The book has been both a critical and commercial success selling 45,000 copies in 3 days of its release, which sources say could be a record in Indian publishing. Financial Express called the novel “The Pulp fiction novel of the summer!"; IANS: *“*Set to make publishing history”; Deccan Chronicle's review: “Johnny rises and shines! Wild, bizarre and satisfying”, *Deccan Chronicle*; Hindustan Times: "A taut gripping saga" and Pioneer: "Sheer entertainment….Extraordinary”.
The book is rumored to have received tremendous film interest, but Karan has refused to comment on film offers in interviews.
External links
- Author's website
- Film Interview
- Movie Information
- http://overseasindian.in/2010/april/news/20101704-104652.shtml
- http://www.6bridges.com/Content.asp?chk=1&DataID=2300&ShowAll=1
- http://www.6bridges.com/Content.asp?chk=1&DataID=2300&ShowAll=1
- http://www.mid-day.com/whatson/2010/jun/140610-Book-Review-Johnny-Gone-Down-thriller.htm
- http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/off-campus-success/397885/
- http://www.livemint.com/2010/06/04220553/8216The-jury-is-still-out.html?h=B
- http://getahead.rediff.com/report/2010/may/31/interview-with-author-karan-bajaj.htm
- http://www.a1books.co.in/redir/wordpress/
- http://www.dnaindia.com/lifestyle/report_karan-bajaj-s-not-fascinated-with-hollywood_1382979
- http://in.news.yahoo.com/43/20100417/812/tnl-will-new-thriller-make-indian-publis.html
- http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/books/Will-IIM-alumni-s-novel-rewrite-publishing-rules-in-India/Article1-535484.aspx
- http://calcuttatube.com/will-new-thriller-make-indian-publishing-history/81629/
- http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/Story/113909/Cover%20Story/karan-bajaj-writer-at-large.html