'One night at the call center' as a popular fiction

Name: Baraiya Bhavna P.

Roll No: 3

Sem: 4

Paper: New Literature

Topic: 'One night at the call center' as a popular fiction

Submitted To : Department of English

                       M.K. Bhavanagar University

'One night at the call center'

     as a popular fiction

                         Established genres of popular novels—such as romance, thriller, sciencefiction, horror novel and Western—have each drawn extensive attentionfrom a variety of disciplinary and methodological perspectives, but theyhave more often than not been considered and analyzed as disparate categories.

                

                          Recent years have seen a proliferation of English language Indian novels that can be categorized under the rather slippery genre of "popular" fiction — "literature's" opposite, according to Ken Gelder. Much of this revolves around the lives of the educated, urban, English-speaking elite. Characters are middle-class, with aspirations of social and economic mobility,from sections of society benefiting from the economic liberalization that began in India in the early 1990s. Some are set in India's premier educational institutions, or fictionalized versions of them, or in what are collectively known as IT enabled workplaces — call centres, banks, or business process outsourcing companies (BPOs). Characters are usually young and grapple with some kind of

identity crisis brought about by the "clash" of tradition and contemporary life. In the article at

hand I examine two examples of Indian popular fiction to identify how the genre reflects

contemporary middle-class anxieties over social change caused by globalization, especially social

change regarding gender norms.

                       Traditional forms of Indian adult subjectivity revolve around marriage, family, and community. An individual is judged in society by how well he/she adheres to agreed upon notions of appropriate behavior for men and women, on getting married, and producing a family at the right time, and on subsuming individual desires to these social processesThe social worlds and characters depicted in the novels both accept and reject certain aspects of traditionalist and individualist approaches to life and relationships.

                          

                        Chetan Bhagat is one of the most popular writers of popular fiction. His books have sold an estimated three million copies, making him India's best-selling novelist at the moment.These novel dramatize the anxieties that many Indians are feeling over the redefinition of middle-class social structures and gender norms in the context of globalization by depicting female characters in particular as a metaphor for social change. As the said changes are relatively recent and ongoing, limited scholarly attention has been paid to the issue. Contemporary middle-class Indian anxieties around globalization revolve around widespread perceptions of growing Westernization among youth and young adults and the threat of corruption these pose. Increasingly, major corporations in developed countries have established BPO divisions in developing countries, enabled by advancements in information and communication technologies. India is the major hub of such operations, a phenomenon which has been aided by the liberalization of the economy since 1991:To many, the call center has become the symbol of India's rapidly globalizing economy. While traditional India sleeps, a dynamic population of highly skilled, articulate professionals works through the night, functioning on U.S. time under made-up American aliases In IT-enabled workplaces, found that consumption of alcohol and sexual promiscuity were amongst the practices encouraged by the workplace culture .

                         It is not surprizing that young people are attracted to such jobs, as positions in BPOs are amongst the best paid in India for relatively unqualified or inexperienced youth , although a certain level of education and English-language skills are requiredmeaning that even these young and unskilled people are firmly placed within India's socioeconomic elite. Women are highly visible in this workforce.

                

                        It is fact that they sometimes employ more women than men stating that "Slowly and steadily, India is becoming Westernized". What "becoming Westernized" actually means, or is perceived to mean, is hazy, but it is generally associated with a party lifestyle, sexualpromiscuity and exploration, conspicuous consumption of brand-name consumer goods, andrelaxed social policing of women's behavior. In India, where "respectable" jobs forwomen have largely been restricted to teaching, nursing and secretarial work the visibility of women in the IT-enabled sector is confronting to conservative sectors of society.

                                         As Nadeem suggests, the clash between the celebration and the anxiety

engendered by the growth of BPOs supposes two different moral worlds:

                                    "The first is one in which

marriage is arranged by family, gratification is delayed, and the individual is engulfed and defined

by a dense web of family and social obligations. The second posits an autonomous, pleasureseeking self that no doubt derives succour from family, but is defined more by the voluntary choices it makes".

The consumerist individual subject is posited as anti-family and antitradition. Globalization is shaping the aspirations and identities of the Indian middle class,

especially those employed by BPOs, and while these aspirations do not have a clearly defined

object,

              “they cluster around an idea of the West as a locus of modernity”

Here in novel presented a more ambivalent reflection on processes of change induced by globalisation. The characters in this novel hold the West up as an ideal, the symbol of a lifestyle to aspire to, demonstrated by the fact that they adopt the outward accoutrements of what they perceive Western culture to be, namely clothing, partying, consumption, pre-marital sex, etc. But at the same time, they do not reject everything that is Indian and in fact the narrative progression of these novels depends upon a realization that Indian culture and customs should not be rejected outright. The opportunities presented by Western companies in these novels are welcome, but are not depicted as problemfree and the West is certainly not seen as a flawless utopia.

The novel discussed suggest that it is a generational dynamic, one that is possibly long-lasting, but that does not necessarily represent a serious reappraisal of Indian culture. The authors are simultaneously

critical of the blind aping of what are perceived to be Western ways and of unquestioning adherence to tradition. The women characters and gender dynamics in One Night demonstrate that rejecting the traditional can be liberating, opening up new opportunities, but it can also lead to stress and a lack of fulfilment in personal and workplace relations.

 Globalization does not herald an era of unprecedented personal or consumer freedom, but neither does it signify a crisis of the traditional Indian family.

 As Nadeem states, methods of negotiating globalization and tradition are enacted as "an Indian morality play where the pleasure principle clashes with the demands of custom and obligation, where kama (pleasure) and dharma (duty) meet in an uneasy suspension".

Bhagat's One Night is narrated by Shyam, one of a group of colleagues who work the night

shift at Connexions, a call centre in the Delhi IT suburb Gurgaon. The narrative unfolds over the

course of one night at work using flashbacks to give the background stories of the protaginists.

Shyam is still in love with his ex-girlfriend and co-worker Priyanka, who has recently become

engaged to a rich man based in the United States and is upset that his failure to gain a promotion

at work has affected his chances of winning Priyanka back. Priyanka herself has a strained

relationship with her mother who simply wants her to find a good husband and settle down.

Another protagonist, Vroom, is frustrated with the mundane nature of his work at the call centre,

but is angrier with himself for becoming reliant upon the good salary he earns there as he feels he

is compromising his ideals. Radhika is a young married woman with an over-demanding motherin-law and an unappreciative husband, whom she discovers is cheating on her. Esha is an aspiring

model who moved to Delhi from Chandigarh and has been sexually exploited in her attempts to

find modelling work. As well as these central characters, Bakshi, the despicable and exploitative

boss, and Military Uncle, a fifty-something retiree who works at Connexions to supplement his

pension, also feature. During the night in question, technical faults prevent the protagonists from

taking calls thus prompting a middle-of-the-night excursion which nearly ends in disaster. Vroom,

driving drunk, almost crashes into a pit at a construction site. As the group are teetering on the

edge of the pit, they receive a phone call from God. God says he will save them from certain death

if they promise to strive for what they really want in life, not succumb to the exploitative demands

of others. This encounter encourages all of the characters to reassess the directions their lives are

taking, and to implement drastic changes.        

Whereas in One Night gender relations and anxieties appear as a sub-theme among several

others

One Night depict and explore the tension between traditional gender roles, particularly those of women, and those required by a new, contemporary, "global"

workplace that appears to be in conflict with "traditional" values and practices. These tensions are best exemplified in  novel through the motifs of clothing, sexual harassment, and the free

mixing of young men and women at work, all of which lead to generational clashes between the

protagonists and their elders.

Although the comingling of young men and women is portrayed as a process which can lead to

increased career, financial, and personal opportunities for women, in both novels its negative flipside is also explored, namely sexual harassment. While by no means restricted to the BPO sector,

sexual harassment of women employees is a theme in novel.This novel condemn sexual

harassment when it appears in obvious and indisputable ways — such as pressure to have sex in exchange for career advancement — but their representation of it in other ways is more

ambivalent.

Shyam is suggesting that Esha's attractiveness is at fault for luring Vroom's attention. Where does

this assumption go if we take it to its logical conclusion? If Vroom were not an innocent character, if he did want to force himself on Esha, would the suggestion be that it was her fault for alluring him with her beauty

However, there is nothing inherently progressive or liberating in

descriptions of sex or expressions of sexuality if these are not matched with an understanding of

what has led to attitudes being shaped as they have.

 In One Night Esha's agent encourages her to have sex with a photographer to get a job in a fashion show. She does so and is told immediately afterwards that she is too short to be a catwalk model anyway:

                     "Like the bastard didn't know that before he slept with me" says Esha .

                                            

 He sends her money afterwards as "compensation." Although she is not actually forced to have sex with the man, she feels guilty and is exploited afterwards. Esha is in an especially vulnerable position because she left her home and family to try to break into modelling in Delhi. Her appearance and selfpresentation causes tension at Connexions too, as the boss Bakshi tells her:

                                            "You wear tight skirts

and tops, but I only look at them from a distance"

thus suggesting that she is always objectified and vulnerable.

In One Night there is a clash between the younger

protagonists — who want or choose to wear modern, Western-style clothing — and their parents,

who disapprove or would prefer them to wear more traditional clothing such as saris or salwar

kameez, and have long hair Here things traditional and Indian are portrayed as uncool in contrast to things perceived as Western. As Nadeem states, amongst the aspirational

middle classes "the consumption of high-end goods and the emulation of Western lifestyles

becomes a means of drawing status distinctions and marking socioeconomic position".This consumption is particularly noticeable in these novels through the motif of clothing, particularly female clothing:

                      "Mediating between the body and

the external world, which simultaneously requires decent concealment and display, [clothing]

becomes an important indicator of social identity and difference.For women, it also marks

conformity with accepted ideals of femininity"

                                                     (Jones 378).

Women's choices of clothing are one such practice through which the honor, respectability, or social mores of a community are expressed. It is not accidental that in One Night much more attention is paid to what women characters wear than the men. Shyam continuously expresses bafflement at the

amount of attention his female friends and co-workers pay towards their own and each other's

dress:

          "Only women have this special area in the brain that keeps track of everything they and

their friends have worn during the last fifty days".

Such claims represent a "stereotypical

example of fetishization" and an embodied set of cultural codes (Cook 357): "Clothing

performances" are not as frivolous as is sometimes assumed, and are a form of cultural expression

that can reveal a lot about perceptions and practices of subjectivity (Cook 353). For example, in

One Night Priyanka's conflict with her mother revolves around ideas of what is appropriate clothing

and behavior for a young woman. She tells Shyam:                                 

                 "She had different rules for me and my

brother, and that began to bother me. She would comment on everything I wore, everywhere I

went, whereas my brother… she would never say anything to him".

                        

                       Priyanka's change in attitude towards traditional clothing and accessories is symbolic of her acceptance of other traditional practices. In one of Shyam's flashbacks to several months earlier, Priyanka recounts having a fight with her mother who wanted her to wear a gold necklace that had been gifted to her. Priyanka did not want to wear it:       

                       "And I was like, no Mum, it won't go with my dress. Yellow

metal is totally uncool, only aunties wear it".

                   After announcing her arranged-marriage plans several months later, Priyanka states,

happily:

             "I can see what Radhika says now about getting a new family. Ganesh's mum came

around today and gave me a big gold chain and hugged me and kissed me".

                                    Priyanka's earlier reluctance to wear old-fashioned, traditional or unfashionable accessories is presented as being in direct contradiction to her agreement to marry a man chosen by her mother. Her later approval of

a gold necklace symbolizes her change in mindset, one that could allow her to accept something

that had previously caused conflict with her mother. Adhering to tradition in one aspect of life is

portrayed as being at odds with fashionable, youth culture. Not only does Priyanka agree to an

arranged marriage, but this agreement is accompanied by a change in attitudes towards clothing.

                                  This same shift can be seen in Radhika in One Night. She is married and wears only Indian clothing as she lives with her husband's family, who are conservative. Shyam describes Radhika as follows:

                             "She wore a plain mustard sari, as saris were all she was allowed to wear in her in-laws'

house. It was different apparel from the jeans and skirts Radhika preferred before her marriage".

                              Furthermore, Radhika must cover her head with her sari when at home, as

                                                              

"all married women in their house do it".  

These examples suggest that not only is it Radhika's in-laws imposing this dress code upon her, but the very institution of marriage, demanding she relinquishes her individual preferences in favour of social norms. As with Priyanka, marriage and

Western-style clothing are presented as mutually exclusive. The individualism of BPO culture is

constructed in opposition to practices central to social organisation such as marriage. Being an

individual implies resistance to incorporation into a social order. Marriage is still expected of

everyone, but these instances from One Night suggest that young Indians have not necessarily

resolved how to adhere to this expectation while keeping hold of the westernised lifestyles they

create for themselves as young, single adults. As they are apparently unwilling to do away with

the traditional idea of marriage, it is the other aspects of their lifestyles that are sacrificed. The

dichotomy is set up in these novels as a sign of how deep the anxiety, and the perception of a

clash, runs for many people, affecting all aspects of life, from the "macro" — marriage partners,

and who chooses them — to daily clothing.

In the world of BPOs presented in One Night, women cannot have successful or fulfilling independent careers unless they break with tradition on some level.

In One Night, Radhika is married but continues to go to work albeit dressed in a traditional

manner. In this instance, it is her job that causes the most conflict at home as she finds it difficult

to fulfill the obligations of a daughter-in-law while working at night. In this situation Radhika's — young women struggle to lead independent lives without breaking with tradition. In Radhika's case she breaks expectations about a married woman working outside the home.The motif of choices of clothing represents a generational clash in both novels, but this clash is evident in numerous other ways as well. Ultimately, the clashes between the old and the new, the traditional and the modern, the Indian and the Western are what lie at the heart of anxieties. One cause for generational anxiety is the fact that young BPO workers often earn more than their parents, which can shift household dynamics, unsettling parental authority . Financial independence enables identity to be formed via consumption. The characters take on these jobs either as a way of contributing to family income, or so that they do not have to financially rely on their families.

 While the young characters generally celebrate this freedom, the flip-side is also explored in One Night, through the character of Military Uncle. He is the only call-center worker who is not in his twenties, but a fifty-something retired army officer. He is not a dominantpresence throughout the novel and Shyam describes him early on in hazy terms as he does not

know him well. Shyam believes Military Uncle was thrown out of his house by his son for not

getting along with his daughter-in-law. His military pension is too meagre to survive on

and without the support of his son he has to take the job at the call center to make a living.

Because he is older, he is assumed to be traditional. When Priyanka announces she is getting

married, Shyam recounts:

                                     "Even Military Uncle got up and came to shake hands with Priyanka. His

generation like it when young people decide to get married".

              Military Uncle does not really feature as an individual in One Night, but as a representative of the older generation. The only point where he speaks up and expresses his opinions, he is expressing regret at having previously been conservative and intolerant:

                                          "I want to be with my son and grandson. I miss them all the time. Two years ago I was living with them, but my daughter-in-law did things I didn't like — she went to late-night parties and got a job when I wanted her to stay at home … I argued with them before moving out. But I was wrong. It's their life and I have no right to judge them with my outdated values. I need to get rid of my inflated ego and visit them in the US to talk it over".

                The son and daughter-in-law who reject him are not let off without judgment, however. During the night in which the events of the novel are taking place, Military Uncle asks for Shyam's help in

editing some photos of animals to email hisgrandson in the US. He receives the following reply from his son:

          "Dad, You have cluttered my life enough, now stop cluttering my mailbox. I do not know what came over me that I allowed communication between you and my son. I don't want your shadow on him. Please stay away and do not send him any more emails".

               By presenting both sides of this incident of generational conflict, Bhagat is suggesting that the

younger and the older generations could be more tolerant and open-minded towards each other.

The older generation could accept that society is changing and that their offspring are unlikely to

behave as they did at that age. The younger generation should recognize that these changes could result in selfish behavior, and they should try to minimise this.

In conclusion,

                                       Tensions between tradition

and contemporary social change prompted by globalisation. The aping of the West and the proliferation of Ersatz Western lifestyles is sometimes seen to result in cultural rootlessness

creating a materially-obsessed economic elite. These judgments often center around perceptions

of gender roles. While these anxieties certainly have elements of truth and could be the cause of

some concern, One Night and Stilettos also present complex counters to these assumptions. The

protagonists in both novels do not always reject traditional values radically, although their familial

elders often perceive their actions as being such rejections. The same young women are ultimately

seeking closer relationships with husbands and parents than their "modern" lifestyle allows them.

Tensions arise when their independence and individualism conflict with the traditional, culturally-

and socially-derived relationships they also value. All protagonists display certain levels of

preference for Westernized lifestyles, but both Stilettos and One Night demonstrate that these

material attachments are not things around which life should revolve. Personal fulfilment, however

such should arise, is prioritized over superficial symbols of affluence or success. These tensions do

not result in a radical rejection of traditional values, but a reformulation of how they could coexist

with the contemporary realities of a globalizing India. Sociological studies are helpful in discerning

what the actors directly involved in a profession that symbolizes India's economic rise feel about

themselves and their work.

                       However, the study of literature can also provide nuanced insight. The author of One Night has stepped back and reflected upon how they perceive the changes in their society and therefore provide a contrast to informants who may be headily

preoccupied with what their job means to them personally. There is no doubt about the fact that in

the second decade of the twenty-first century, two decades after India's economy liberalized and

opened up to global investment, profound economic, social, and cultural changes are underway.

But change does not equal wholehearted rejection of the old and novel such as One Night at the

Call Centre in the Boardroom enable us to see and reflect on this.