Book Review Five Point Someone

HRM 511: Organizational Behavior

HRM 511 Organizational Behavior

Book Review on
Five Point Someone
SUBMITTED BY

Prasanna KM
Sanjeev R
Suresh Venkatesan
V Ravisankar
Vignesha Sudan

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On
8 July 2014.
th

IN PARTIAL FULLFILLMENT OF THE DEGREEE OF

Masters of Business Administration (MBA)

MODULE LECTURER
Mr. Sanjay Kehar

MBA (F&B) Batch VII

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Book Review Five Point Someone

HRM 511: Organizational Behavior

ABSTRACT
About the Author
A Engineer, then a Management degree which lead to a career in Banking at Hongkong. A
coveted career path, the elusive but most wanted for all budding professionals in India today.
Anyone with these credentials will be happy and will possess the sense of fulfillment and
satisfaction, but there was this Young Turk who was everything that is said above but always felt
something is missing and was always on the lookout something that will give him true happiness
and satisfaction. This Young Turk is none other than Mr. Chetan Bagath author of our Book in
discussion Five Point Someone What not to do in IIT.
Chetan Bagath has created a cult for English Novels by Indians. There were and are many to
follow him but Chetan Bagath remains the best. He has authored 6 Books between 2004 and
2014, at least 3 of his works have been adopted in Bollywood and successful movies were made.
The book under discussion Five Point Someone What not to do at IIT his first book was a
massive success as a book and as well as a Movie. Thus Chetan Bagath is not just considered as
a writer but a Youth Icon. Times Magazine has placed him in the list of 100 Most Influential
People. He also has penned a management book titled What young India Want.
About The Book
Five Point Someone What not to do at IIT is a novel that is partly fiction and partly the true
life incidents of the author himself. The Book revolves around 3 main characters Ryan, Alok and
Hari. The three bright young boys meet each other at a ragging session at IIT the most
prestigious Engineering Institute of India. Ragging was used by senior student on the new
comers to make fun and eventually to get to know them. The first thing a student encounters is
this while some people take it easy some have gone to the extent of suicide unable to withstand
the humiliation. Hari here feels humiliated while Ryan keeps his cool and wins the respect of
Hari and Alok this is how they make friends. Their journey moves forward with friendship,
conflict, romance, examinations, CGPA etcetera.
The lifestyle, manners, habits and friend for every person over the next 4 years change and thus
the Behaviour of some students change for the rest of the life. This has a major effect on them as
a young professional in their future and thus this book partially covers the Basics and
Fundamentals of Bahavioural aspects.
Five Point Someone is the debut novel for Chetan Bhagat. It is one of the highest selling English
novels. The book was the bestseller since its release in 2004. In this novel, the author elaborates
on what not to do at IIT. The author begins the novel by sharing his opinion and citing examples
of how can mess up ones college life. The author points out on what to do after getting
admission into IIT. He indicates that getting admission into an IIT is not that difficult. All one
has to do is lock oneself in a room for 2 years with books.
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Book Review Five Point Someone

HRM 511: Organizational Behavior

The development of internet in 21st century has made the world a much smaller space without the
limitations of boundaries, time and geography. In this era, knowledge is transmitted in a rapid
space and people with knowledge are the clear winners. In this age of globalization, there is
fierce competition. If one wants to prove his/her talents, he/she needs to exhibit talent in various
fields like technology; innovation, spirit and initiative are the key factors to success. Nurturing of
talent can be done through education and culture related aspects. Education is an important factor
or pathway for talented people. Chetan Bhagat conveyed a serious message in a humorous tone
that it is a wakeup call for elite educational institutions to replace conventional teaching of
lecturing with an approach that develops students own abilities to think, select, filter and
assimilate information. Creative thinking has to be imbibed in the minds of the students.
Knowledge has to be turned into innovative ability and knowledge creation ability. There has to
be a significant transformation of this life less education system.
The setting of the novel:
The novel is set in the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi in the period 1991 to 1995. It is
about the adventures of three mechanical engineering students. Hari kumar, Alok Gupta and
Ryan Oberoi, who fail to cope with the academic rigours and grading system in IITs. Ryan is a
smart and outspoken student, whereas Alok and Hari are mere cry babies.
Chetan Bhagat gives a glimpse of the ragging happening in engineering colleges through this
novel. The freshers od Indian Institute of Technology along with the three students Alok, Hari
and Ryan were called up by seniors in balcony for ragging at midnight. The seniors instruct the
freshers to take off the clothes. Such kind of embarrassing incidents in the name of ragging
creates a great psychology effect to commit suicide. Ryan revolted against this ragging and also
saved his friends from the act of ragging in the very first day. After this incidents, these three
students became friends for next four years at IIT and then.
The novel also touches upon the important aspect of helplessness of Professors to handle brilliant
students who can pose challenging questions with their common sense. Prof.Dubey, Mechanical
Engineering Department mentions The definition of a machine is simple. It is anything that
reduces human effort. So, see the world around you and it is full of machines.
Ryan asks Sir, what about a gym machine, like a bench press or something? That doesnt reduce
human effort. In fact, it increases it.
This is a wakeup call for teaching fraternity to equip themselves to handle the cream of students
in these institutions like IITs and encourage them to innovate and think beyond the scope of
textbooks.
This book focuses on the friendship between Hari, Ryan & Alok who screws their grades at the
big time due to their over attachment with each other to have fun and detachment to studies. In
college life romance plays a big part that this romanticism turned to love affair between Hari &
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Book Review Five Point Someone

HRM 511: Organizational Behavior

Neha, the daughter of Prf. Cherian. Hari gets ready to do anything for his lady love. Ryan Oberoi
always prioritizes his friends more than his parents and Alok , a resident of Rohini Colony,
Delhi is a sincere guy but he too joins with Ryan and Hari in mischievous acts to overcome the
shackles of poverty. Hostel life is all about enjoyment with friends, distancing from families,
cigars, drinks and music. This commitment to relationship takes these students to such an extent
that they were ready to do anything for fetching name & fame.
Perception:
For the outside world, IITs are the countries best engineering colleges with better grading system
and practicality but as per the book it could not succeed to win honor for the country by making
significant technical contribution. The grading system to assess the students performance has not
only overburdened the students but also killed their originality. This was brought out by Ryan
Oberois remark in a get together party that where he blamed whole IIT system as sick and also
he questioned the no. of great engineers and scientist produced by IIT. Being a best college with
best technology has IIT ever invented anything was other question raised by him. He also feels
that IITs train some bright kids to work in MNCs, he also compares IIT with MIT in USA and
questions the system of relative grading in IIT. He also out blasted that overburdening the student
is like killing the best fun years of their life and their original though and no room for creativity.
Competition:
Competition is so intense in IITs which has already created lot of pressures among the students
and one of the professorss made a remark at the end of his class that the tough workload is by
design to keep you on your toes as per Prof. Cherian and he also expressed that the bad grading
will assure you no job, no school and no future and dont slip in life even once or there will be no
oyster , just slush.
Attitude:
Hari Kumar, Alok Gupta and Ryan Oberoi joined IIT with good All India Rankings but gave lot
of preferences to fun and friends instead of focusing on majors, quizzes and assignments. The
consequences were inevitable that they became underachievers. Their GPA came to the bottom
line. The three underperformers came up with a formula to save time and plan to share the
assignments for the sake of fun. According to them todays exams, quizzes, GPA are useless.
Ryan, Hari and Alok are all five pointers. They blame IIT system as sick and for its not
contributing to nation building, and for churning the most intellectuals of the country. They say
IIT do not care for their creativity and original thinking. To rebel against this established norm,
they planned paper theft of Majors from Prof. Cherians room) and were caught red handed.
Finally a disciplinary action was taken against them and they were terminated for one semester.
Alok jumped from Insti-roof but was fortunately saved with thirteen odd fractures.
Change:
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Book Review Five Point Someone

HRM 511: Organizational Behavior

They have changed thereafter. All worked hard then more than fourteen hours a day, got extra
grades and degrees in time.

Professor Veera:
Motivation:
Motivation of students can well be identified from the character of Professor Veera. He also
appreciates the students creativity even though they are low markers. The situation which
explains Prof Veeras motivation and appreciation can be explained as follows.

He likes the creativity displayed by Ryan though despite knowing that Ryan is a 5
pointer and also made him as his research assistant.

Also Prof Veera is a symbol of humanity which can be observed by the situation when he visits
hospital to meet Alok with some sweets and inform Alok about Ryans project approval.
The OB topics which can be noticed from Prof Veerais character is as follows:

His character explains how to encourage and motivate students.

How a professor should recognise talents between a good and dull student and different
approach which needs to be followed to motivate these 2 different type of students.

Relating to ICICI:
It explain during our job at ICICI how we need to motivate our colleagues. Different techniques
to deal with best performing and average performers in the team in a humanely manner
Professor Cherian:
We could also identify different set of OB related characters from Prof Cherian.
Emotion & Perception:
The emotional part was well explained when Prof Cherian explains the students about his
achievement of getting 10 GPA for the 4 years and also when his son died since because he
couldnt achieve Prof Cherion ambition of making it to IIT.

When he explains his story we understand that he had limited friends in order to get 10
GPA and considered his classmates were less smart than him. Eventually he was still in
IIT only whereas most of his friends went to US and some started their own business. So
Prof. Cherion made a wrong perception about his friends that they are less smart as they
all got better jobs and settles in USA as they planned.

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Book Review Five Point Someone

HRM 511: Organizational Behavior

If Prof Cherion would have motivated his son properly he would have not died since
because he couldnt make it to IIT. Also he failed to understand his sons interest and
didnt motivate him in this regard.
He considers Alok, Ryan and Hari as underachievers as they had less GPA. But then he
understood that getting higher marks will only make a good student and not a good
person.
He also rejected the project submitted by Ryan as he is a underachiever without even
seeing the report. It explains the wrong perception he had on underachievers. But when
he actually saw the report of Ryan understood the facts and then appreciated him.

Relating to ICICI:
At work we should not make wrong perception on a person who does not perform well as they
may have good potential in some other field. It is important to motivate those who dont perform
well, understand their passion/problem and need to be nurtured accordingly for better results of
the team.
Work Life Balance:
Also he concentrated only on studies and didnt concentrate on any other activities. Didnt spend
time with friend and didnt enjoy his life. This illustrates that one should spend some time all
activities and not to be always focussed on work alone. The facts which the story reveals like one
should not only concentrate on studies but should also spend time for family, friends, ones own
goal indicate that in our career we need to balance the professional and personal life.
Punctual:
Though Ryan, Hari and Alok had joined IIT they didnt perform well after joining as they didnt
concentrate in their studies and faced the consequence of being called as underachievers, lack of
support from Prof Cherion and so on. They all had potential but not performing on time has
given them such result.
Relating to ICICI:
Its important in career to understand the team /group and one need to deliver the required
work/job so as to prove his potential and develop.
The novel, Five Point Someone is written in a mild note & in certain areas, the novel has given
an alarm call to the pedagogues to move out of their conventional text book theories & meet the
challenges pretense by the intelligent students. Also, another striking feature is that the complete
background is set in the engineering institution, in which a student should be motivated to
present his concept in a very creative way so that he/she can have hands-on experience to
advance the country both technically and economically. Students, bestowed with unique qualities
& CGPA (Cumulative Grade Point Average) should not be only the criteria to ascertain their
future prospects. One who has a CGPA of five points only in his college life may even reach the
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Book Review Five Point Someone

HRM 511: Organizational Behavior

summit of his career & might set an example to all those, who are struggling hard to achieve
success. The trio suffers mockery of both the teachers and the classmates. However, they affirm
to revolutionalize the patriarchal system of education. They dont like the teaching method that is
as old as the institution itself.
The students have to mug-up the subjects to score good grades. Chethan stresses on
observational teaching and signals towards a post-modern thought of including a method called
learn by doing. He believes that this technique must definitely help the students to get rid of
mugging. It must also support the students to apprehend all things in a natural and normal way.
The observational technique would make the students to observe things minutely and to find out
solutions in the objects. Anyhow, if the students fail to make it out, they would be invited to have
a discussion about the same with their teachers and other colleagues. Finally, the student gets
answer to his queries. However, such method would be good for nothing in a big sci-fi institute.
The author mourns for the sterile dogmatism in the education system. He finds that the
professors bigotry doesnt allow any creative change in the system. He is straightforward in his
move towards life. He listens to tone of his soul, in which he believes strongly to be ever true.
Any man, who listens to his inner voice may experience a big loss but at last would get victory.
For example, all three friends suffer humiliation at college campus. All teachers and students
took them for nuts, idiots & losers, just because they under-performed in their exams and got five
points something grades. But like others, they were not muggers; they were freethinkers, true
lovers of life, portents of innovative ideas, models of liberty and fore-runners of the youthcalling-approach. Those 3 students never lost confidence. They worked harder on their project,
their project got approved and consequently they succeeded to achieve big fame & name.
Conclusion:
Thus, the novel finally puts lot of emphasis on oft-quoted phrase Human Resource
Development which is one of the objectives of technical institutes. The technical institutes
should develop the technical skills, key competencies and enhance the organisational
performance of an individual. A resourceful and skilled employee can enliven the achievement of
an organisation where he or she is a part and for these the technical institutes should motivate the
budding technocrats to think beyond the textbooks.

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