The Three Mistakes of My Life
Encyclopedia
The 3 Mistakes of my Life is the third novel
written by Chetan Bhagat
. The book was published in May 2008 and had an initial print-run of 420,000. The novel follows the story of three friends and is based in the city of Ahmedabad
in western India
.
This is the third best selling novel by Chetan Bhagat
, making him the best selling English Novelist in India
's history.
named Govind dreams of starting a business. To accommodate his friends Ishaan and Omi's passion, they open a cricket
shop. However, each has a different motive: Govind's goal is to make money; Ishaan desires to nurture Ali, a gifted batsman; Omi just wants to be with his friends. Govind is the narrator and the central character of the novel, and the story revolves around the three mistakes caused by him and the religious politics.
, business is in his blood. His best friends are Omi and Ish (Ishan). Govind is an agnostic. His father has abandoned him and his mother, who runs a business of selling home-made food items. To support her financially, he takes mathematics
tuitions. He continues these tuitions even after starting the cricket shop business. He is the narrator of this story and the one who makes the "Three Mistakes". During the course of the story he falls in love with Vidya, Ishan's younger sister for whom he is a private tutor. Govind is the one who looks after the financial part of the business as he has good business sense and mathematical skills.
Ishaan: He is a big cricket freak and also a patriot at heart. Ishan has been the best cricketer in his locality and school. He suggests the name of their business as "Team India Cricket Shop". He helps Govind's business by organising daily cricket coaching camps. He has a family which makes life situation by keeping quiet. He has a younger sister, Vidya, about whom he is quite protective. When he discovers that a boy called Ali is a very talented batsman, he decides to go any length to give Ali proper training. Ishan usually looks after day-to-day shop activities as he has genuine interest in any cricket-related thing.
Omi: He is the son of the Hindu priest of the local temple
. His family enjoys great respect among the people. Through Omi's parents and maternal uncle (who own few shops as a part of the temple trust property), they readily get a place to start their business. He is a rather dumb kind of boy and has not many dreams, but likes to concentrate on having a healthy body. However, he resents growing up and being a saint like his father. He is a religious person and actively takes part in his maternal uncle's (Bittoo Mama) religious politics. He is however confused about his religious views which are mainly influenced by Bittoo Mama.
Vidya: She is Ishan's younger sister. She is a rebel at heart and dreams to break free from the constraints of a typical middle-class family and society, to go to Mumbai
, do a course in PR and become independent. She however despises maths which is required for her medical entrance exams. Hence, Ish asks Govind to take her mathematics tuition. However, in between their tuition they fall in love, have intimate sexual relations, which is unaccepted by anyone. Only Omi figures out the relationship Govind and Vidya share and also reminds Govind about the consequences of Ish getting to know about it.
Ali: One of the students in Ish's coaching classes and a great batsman because of a rare nature's gift. However, he doesn't play too much cricket as he gets tired really fast and enjoys playing marbles. He is a Muslim
boy and respects Ish like a Guru. He too, like Ish is patriotic at heart. He denies the offer of Australian scholarship and wants to play in the Indian side.
Bittoo Mama: He is the maternal uncle of Omi. Mama runs the trust of the temple and agrees to rent the place to the three friends for the Cricket Shop business. He is an active member of a Hindu
political Party. He follows the preachings of Parekh-ji, a political-cum-spiritual leader and has complete faith in him. He has locked his horns with Ali's father who belongs to the Secular Party. He has a son Dhiraj. Mama is not fond of Govind as he is an agnostic. He is the main antagonist
of the story.
Govind's mom: Gujarati woman. She wants her son to pursue a degree in Engineering. She runs a home-made food business. She cares about Govind a lot and supports him well through his hardships and struggles.
Ali's Father: He is a devout Muslim and works for a secular party. He is a very kind-hearted person who wants Ali to take his education seriously despite his mediocre financial condition. He treats the three friends very well when they go to visit Ali in his house. Overall he is a good person.
Fred Li: He's an Australian Cricket Team
member and a fast bowler. He invites the three friends and Ali to Sydney
when they travel to Goa
to see India-Australia One Day International and meet him in the stands. He spots talent in Ali and wants to help him getting a chance to be trained in his academy in Australia
. Loosely based on Brett Lee
.
by a leading Gujarati book publisher, R. R. Sheth & Co. based in Ahmedabad & Mumbai.
This book has been also translated into Hindi
and is published by Diamond Pocket Books . The French translation was released by Cherche Midi publisher in March 2010 under "Les 3 erreurs de ma vie" title.
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
written by Chetan Bhagat
Chetan Bhagat
Chetan Bhagat , is an Indian author, columnist, and speaker. Bhagat is the author of five bestselling novels, Five Point Someone , One Night @ the Call Center , The 3 Mistakes of My Life , 2 States & Revolution 2020: Love, Corruption, Ambition...
. The book was published in May 2008 and had an initial print-run of 420,000. The novel follows the story of three friends and is based in the city of Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad also known as Karnavati is the largest city in Gujarat, India. It is the former capital of Gujarat and is also the judicial capital of Gujarat as the Gujarat High Court has its seat in Ahmedabad...
in western 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...
.
This is the third best selling novel by Chetan Bhagat
Chetan Bhagat
Chetan Bhagat , is an Indian author, columnist, and speaker. Bhagat is the author of five bestselling novels, Five Point Someone , One Night @ the Call Center , The 3 Mistakes of My Life , 2 States & Revolution 2020: Love, Corruption, Ambition...
, making him the best selling English Novelist 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...
's history.
Synopsis
The novel, based on fictional events, is set in the years 2000-2005, when a young boy in AhmedabadAhmedabad
Ahmedabad also known as Karnavati is the largest city in Gujarat, India. It is the former capital of Gujarat and is also the judicial capital of Gujarat as the Gujarat High Court has its seat in Ahmedabad...
named Govind dreams of starting a business. To accommodate his friends Ishaan and Omi's passion, they open a cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
shop. However, each has a different motive: Govind's goal is to make money; Ishaan desires to nurture Ali, a gifted batsman; Omi just wants to be with his friends. Govind is the narrator and the central character of the novel, and the story revolves around the three mistakes caused by him and the religious politics.
Major characters
Govind: Govind Patel is an ordinary guy with whom anybody can relate. He has very few desires but he is obsessed with the desires he covets. His main ambition is to become a businessman as he thinks that being a GujaratiGujarati people
Gujarati people , or Gujaratis are an ethnic group that is traditionally Gujarati-speaking and can trace their ancestry to the state of Gujarat in western India...
, business is in his blood. His best friends are Omi and Ish (Ishan). Govind is an agnostic. His father has abandoned him and his mother, who runs a business of selling home-made food items. To support her financially, he takes mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
tuitions. He continues these tuitions even after starting the cricket shop business. He is the narrator of this story and the one who makes the "Three Mistakes". During the course of the story he falls in love with Vidya, Ishan's younger sister for whom he is a private tutor. Govind is the one who looks after the financial part of the business as he has good business sense and mathematical skills.
Ishaan: He is a big cricket freak and also a patriot at heart. Ishan has been the best cricketer in his locality and school. He suggests the name of their business as "Team India Cricket Shop". He helps Govind's business by organising daily cricket coaching camps. He has a family which makes life situation by keeping quiet. He has a younger sister, Vidya, about whom he is quite protective. When he discovers that a boy called Ali is a very talented batsman, he decides to go any length to give Ali proper training. Ishan usually looks after day-to-day shop activities as he has genuine interest in any cricket-related thing.
Omi: He is the son of the Hindu priest of the local temple
Temple
A temple is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites. A templum constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest, or augur. It has the same root as the word "template," a plan in preparation of the building that was marked out...
. His family enjoys great respect among the people. Through Omi's parents and maternal uncle (who own few shops as a part of the temple trust property), they readily get a place to start their business. He is a rather dumb kind of boy and has not many dreams, but likes to concentrate on having a healthy body. However, he resents growing up and being a saint like his father. He is a religious person and actively takes part in his maternal uncle's (Bittoo Mama) religious politics. He is however confused about his religious views which are mainly influenced by Bittoo Mama.
Vidya: She is Ishan's younger sister. She is a rebel at heart and dreams to break free from the constraints of a typical middle-class family and society, to go to Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
, do a course in PR and become independent. She however despises maths which is required for her medical entrance exams. Hence, Ish asks Govind to take her mathematics tuition. However, in between their tuition they fall in love, have intimate sexual relations, which is unaccepted by anyone. Only Omi figures out the relationship Govind and Vidya share and also reminds Govind about the consequences of Ish getting to know about it.
Ali: One of the students in Ish's coaching classes and a great batsman because of a rare nature's gift. However, he doesn't play too much cricket as he gets tired really fast and enjoys playing marbles. He is a Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
boy and respects Ish like a Guru. He too, like Ish is patriotic at heart. He denies the offer of Australian scholarship and wants to play in the Indian side.
Bittoo Mama: He is the maternal uncle of Omi. Mama runs the trust of the temple and agrees to rent the place to the three friends for the Cricket Shop business. He is an active member of a Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
political Party. He follows the preachings of Parekh-ji, a political-cum-spiritual leader and has complete faith in him. He has locked his horns with Ali's father who belongs to the Secular Party. He has a son Dhiraj. Mama is not fond of Govind as he is an agnostic. He is the main antagonist
Antagonist
An antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...
of the story.
Govind's mom: Gujarati woman. She wants her son to pursue a degree in Engineering. She runs a home-made food business. She cares about Govind a lot and supports him well through his hardships and struggles.
Ali's Father: He is a devout Muslim and works for a secular party. He is a very kind-hearted person who wants Ali to take his education seriously despite his mediocre financial condition. He treats the three friends very well when they go to visit Ali in his house. Overall he is a good person.
Fred Li: He's an Australian Cricket Team
Australian cricket team
The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877...
member and a fast bowler. He invites the three friends and Ali to Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
when they travel to Goa
Goa
Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...
to see India-Australia One Day International and meet him in the stands. He spots talent in Ali and wants to help him getting a chance to be trained in his academy in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Loosely based on Brett Lee
Brett Lee
Brett Lee is an Australian cricketer.After breaking into the Australian Test team, Lee was recognised as one of the fastest bowlers in world cricket...
.
Translation
This English National Bestseller has been published in Gujarati languageGujarati language
Gujarati is an Indo-Aryan language, and part of the greater Indo-European language family. It is derived from a language called Old Gujarati which is the ancestor language of the modern Gujarati and Rajasthani languages...
by a leading Gujarati book publisher, R. R. Sheth & Co. based in Ahmedabad & Mumbai.
This book has been also translated into Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
and is published by Diamond Pocket Books . The French translation was released by Cherche Midi publisher in March 2010 under "Les 3 erreurs de ma vie" title.
See also
- Five Point Someone - What not to do at IITFive Point Someone - What not to do at IITFive Point Someone – What not to do at IIT! is a 2004 novel written by Chetan Bhagat, an alumnus of Indian Institute of Technology Delhi and Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad. This was his debut novel...
(2004) - One Night @ the Call CenterOne Night @ the Call CenterOne Night @ the Call Center or ON@CC is a novel written by Chetan Bhagat and first published in 2005. The novel revolves around a group of six call center employees working in Connexions call center in Gurgaon, Haryana. It takes place during the span of one night, in which all of the leading...
(2005) - 2 States2 States - The Story Of My Marriage2 States: The Story of My Marriage is a 2009 novel written by Chetan Bhagat. It is the story about a couple coming from two different states in India, who face hardships in convincing their parents for approval of their marriage. The novel is a fiction, but is said to be inspired from the real...
(2009) - Revolution 2020: Love, Corruption, Ambition (2011)