One Night at the Call Centre by Chetan Bhagat

I was told to read this book before going to India to give me an idea what it’s like to work in one of these IT-enabled services companies. I read a few pages but among the chaos of summer holiday, graduation and packing, I never quite got to finish it. After I came back from India and moved to London, I found myself commuting a few hours each day, so finally I had the time to revisit this book. Suddenly, all those words like “Qualis” and “dhabba” made a lot more sense. Refreshingly, the book refers real places in Gurgaon like the NH8 road, Sahara Mall, the 32 Milestone nightclub etc. The book is an entertaining story that manages to accurately describe some of the constants of daily life in “Special Exploitation Zones” like Gurgaon – nightshifts, dishonest bosses, trying to please your old-fashioned in-laws and retarded American customers , spending your hard-earned cash on overpriced below-average-tasting food in Pizza Hut, dreams of grass that is always greener elsewhere (but mostly in America), family members who never think you’re good enough for them unless you are a doctor / lawyer / Microsoft programmer ... And then, out of the blue, God makes an appearance via mobile phone to bring everyone’s life priorities back into focus.

Overall, an entertaining and insightful read, especially if you want to get an idea of the kind of life that India's outsourcing kids live. The author, Chetan Bhagat also wrote a book about college students from the Indian Institute of Technology. One day, I will read it and get back to you!