| Title | : | KEEP OFF THE GRASS |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 8172237561 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9788172237561 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 253 |
| Publication | : | First published May 1, 2008 |
KEEP OFF THE GRASS Reviews
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3.5
five point someone meets English August.
fun filled light hearted read of an American with Indian roots coming to India to find his inner self.
Little bit of philosophy with a continuous undertone of comical delight.
The last line of each chapter is the next chapter title. And the book ends with "Keep off the grass" :D
Loved the Ruskin Bond epilogue :) -
An extremely lame attempt at Holden caulfield meets 3 idiots meets are you experienced. NRI banker, goes to IIM to do a bit of soul searching, finds friends, does drugs, spurns success. Nonsense. predictable, bland writing.
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Nothing new same tried and tested formulae, 3 friend one is rich one is intelligent one is looking for inner self
Don't expect much like you will discover yourself or something, you will definitely feel it's a fiction but at the time sametime it will not disappoint you. One time read !! -
Keep Off the Grass is the first novel by Karan Bajaj. It's the story of Samrat who leaves his Investment Bank job in Manhattan to join IIM to do MBA. He comes here and what happens and is he another confused Desi in America? His life goes Topsy tirvy in India and he gets lost in the smoke of Grass or Marijuana and rivers of alcohol. This is a novel of self discovery and how Samrat reaches there is what the book about.
People who don't read generally ask me my reasons for reading. Simply put I just love reading and so to that end I have made it my motto to just Keep on Reading. I love to read everything except for Self Help books but even those once in a while. I read almost all the genre but YA, Fantasy, Biographies are the most. My favorite series is, of course, Harry Potter but then there are many more books that I just adore. I have bookcases filled with books which are waiting to be read so can't stay and spend more time in this review, so remember I loved reading this and love reading more, you should also read what you love and then just
Keep on Reading. -
I loved the book, its been a long time since I read something so good. I like his writing style very conversational, the book doesnt drag on its just enough! It's a book that looks at identity, without the stupid new-age crap most writers talk about. Its a normal young person just trying to figure out who is, in a normal setting, that we can all relate to!
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The thinking man's chetan bhagat is what some call the author. I totally agree.
Definitely more hard-thought-inducing than Chetan Bhagat and for me, certainly more entertaining.Some anecdotes in the movie, '3 idiots' (at least the more 'filmy' parts) seem to be taken from this one rather than Chetan Bhagat's 'five point someone'. But well! Thats just my opinion.
Anyway, a darker , a mroe satirical take on elite campus life as compared to many other contemporary,similar and concomitant works by ivy-bschool-league Indian authors. Worth a try though some parts are too ambiguous/ridiculous to be taken at face-value to be reality.(The last reason is the only factor influencing a rating-drop from a potential 4 pointer to a 3 pointer) -
Dark and inspiring. Its not about the destination but the journey. "The quest for the infinite cant be fulfilled by the finite".
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I am done reading "Keep off the grass" by Karan Bajaj. I purchased this book when I was very new to this Online sites where we can get books on heavy discounts. Since 3 years, this book has been on my shelf and finally, I picked this 250 pages of a wonderful odyssey and took 2 whole days to complete it. I could have finished this in 3-5 hours straight but the book is so amazing that I preferred taking breaks, digesting the wonderful story and then continuing ahead. And this has really paid off. I will always remember this book somewhere in the background of my mind whenever a dilemma would come in life regarding the selection of my happiness or the race to build lots of money, position in some firm and other materialistic satisfaction. This book is by Harper Collins, the publisher whom I think I have never tried before. I think I should give them more chance because only then I will get to read more wonderful stories like this one. :-)
Born in 1979, Karan Bajaj is an Indian American author whose debut novel Keep Off The Grass (2008) became a bestseller. His travel adventures have greatly motivated him to write. Following the success of his debut novel, his second novel titled Johnny Gone Down came out in the year 2010. Both his books have together sold over two lakh copies in India itself. After completing his engineering from Birla Institute of Technology, Ranchi, in 2000, Bajaj went on to graduate from the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore in 2002. He has worked as a Brand Manager for Procter & Gamble, and as a Management Consultant for Boston Consulting Group. He is presently a Brand Manager with Kraft Foods, New York and continues to write as well. He has been given awards for his professional endeavours too.
Summary Of The Book
Keep Off The Grass is about a brilliant 25 year old Non Resident Indian (NRI), who is stuck with an identity crisis. A Yale graduate who makes half a million every year as an investment banker at Wall Street, Samrat Ratan chooses to return to India to discover his roots,happiness, and everything else that seems elusive.
His quest in his homeland starts with one of the most popular business schools in India, the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) at Bangalore. Contrary to the person he was before he enrolled himself into IIM-Bangalore, his grades and self-esteem fall as he gets high on marijuana frequently. His life becomes nothing less than a roller-coaster ride thereon.
Samrat remains perpetually stoned and experiences bizarre adventures, including sharing a smoke with and being almost consumed by flesh-eating Aghori saints on the banks of the river Ganges in Benares, meditating on the foothills of the mighty Himalayas, and indulging in a one-night stand with a Danish hippie in Dharamshala.
This hilarious and introspective debut novel by Karan Bajaj traces Samrat’s journey and keeps the readers intrigued till the very end.
Keep Off The Grass was a semi-finalist for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award and was also nominated for the Indiaplaza Golden Quill Award.The film rights of the book have been sold to Mosaic Media Group, and Ben Rekhi has been signed up as the director for it.
Coming to the author, the above paragraph itself tells how class a story-teller he is. Recently, I saw his pictures on Internet where he captioned how he went to travel to Himalayas with his foreigner girlfriend and got married there. He, his girlfriend were the only two people present in this certain-kms-above-sea-level marriage. :-) After seeing this, I got excited to read this book as soon as possible which got released in 2008. In the initial paragraphs itself, you get an idea that you are going to read something that shall remain with you for a long time in life. I was definite, then itself, that this book is going to give a peaceful and meaningful climax and yes, that's what I got in the end.
Author has not over-done anything. He has kept all the incidents short and up-to-the-mark. He has made it sure that every time a page is turned, a reader does not continue with the same thing that was going on the previous page and he gets something new to read. Story is itself quite unique, that you would have read above in the summary of the book that's being taken from Flipkart. The confusion and decision initially to leave for India from Manhattan gives a fast paced start to the book. Once, he comes to India, people's question to him regarding how can he leave his job from Manhattan and come to do MBA in India makes us laugh every time imagining him giving a confused explanation.
His initial friendship with 2 boys isn't the same typical friendship shown in every another book in India. In his story, the chase towards excellence can be easily seen in the IIM environment which pressurizes a youngster too much. The trip to Himalaya is short but its the turning point in the book. The internship in Benaras and his learning there, is also written awesomely. In the end, the way protagonist takes his final decision throws many said/unsaid messages on reader. :-) Every chapter's title is the same as the last sentence of the previous chapter. An amazing style, Karan Bajaj. :-) In all, I would give the book 4/5. Definitely, try this one.
Thanks.
ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU!!! -
I was hooked, I read in time of a personal crisis and the humor helped me calm down enough to sleep peacefully
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It would be apt to review this book in bullet points, I think; considering how the protagonist perpetually hated management practices and consistently reminded us of that.
- The book raises the right question (and I think there is only one); the one we all, almost always, ask and fail to find an appropriate answer to.
- In the end, the protagonist does not really find ‘the answer’; he just decides to walk ahead in a certain direction, full of confusions and doubts and hope. In my view, that is the best answer when you are pondering over something bigger than life while trying to contain everything within it.
- It is an easy read and for most parts an interesting one. The writing compliments the characters, and there is no attempt to force complicated ‘literary’ words and phrases into it.
- The IIM life is well explained and visualized, and classroom lectures are kept at the periphery – all good and measured.
- The ‘Kurdish’ joke is funny.
- The story is hurried in later parts. Perhaps the author (or the editor) decided to keep the page count well short of 300 and chucked out a large portion of what could have been a rightfully right part of the story. I wish the book had about 50 more pages describing his adventures in the Himalayas, Benares and Manhattan; just mentioning those exciting locations and narrating a two-three page long experience each time is not enough. Those left out 50 pages are one big negative, imo.
- The characters become linear after a while; and there are many. I would want to know who Sarkar is other than the dude in love with ganja and devil may care attitude. Peter, the Danish girl, Raja bhaiya all are important enough to impart some wisdom towards making his final decision. Ruskin Bond is a welcome surprise; but again barely mentioned.
In conclusion, it is a good first book and a daring one. Not many venture into tough existential questions about life and its meaning, and try to find an answer in their first book. For that only Karan Bajaj gets an extra star from me.
I am about to read his second novel in coming days and I hope to find him more mature and better as a thinker and a writer.
For those having two minds about reading Keep Off the Grass, my advice is to give it a try. The book might not shake you out of limbo but will give a gentle nudge in the right direction. And if it does, that will be a mighty achievement for the writer and the reader both. -
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. You can view the original review on
Genuine Jenn
This was a totally different read for myself. I am not into business or Wall Street but I was really into this book. It really was a new story line for myself, with some ganja, sex and foul language. I have been fascinated by stories taking place in India lately and have enjoyed both books I have read by Karan Bajaj. This is a book about Samrat who is wanting to find out more about himself by venturing to India where his parents left to set up a life in the US. Samrat decides to head off to India on a whim to take courses at a business school where he meets some very interesting new friends. Smoking pot, drinking and not sleeping is what Samrat and his two friends do during the two year program. I love how his one friend can smoke up all the time, skip classes and still ace everything. This journey takes so many turns and keeps you glued to the pages to see what else can possibly happen. Will Samrat find what he is looking for or will he float through two years in India lost. I really enjoyed the characters in this book and found the story line to have a steady flow to it. I'll admit to having a ah ha moment when I figured out the play on words with the title but closer to the end there is another ooh maybe that is what the author means. The story is told by Samrat as a memory of his journey.
If you are looking for something different than the normal mystery, fantasy or contemporary romance this is a fun read about college life in India while just trying to find oneself and being truly happy.
I give this book a 4 out of 5 stars. -
About Title = Title itself suggest the book content, but one may be able to understand that only after turning all pages.So go for it...
Age Group = Youngsters.
Adult Book = As some of the text is not suitable for the minor readers,hence I gave it Adult Book tag.
Language used = Mostly simple English (keeping dictionary nearby would ease reading for novice)
Advise = Go to next line only when you understand the previous one, as the author crafted each and every word precisely. Try to finish complete chapter in single, continuous attempt. Otherwise you will loose the link. Each chapter is on average about 25 pages.
What I liked = The book is having linkage from one chapter to another. Ending chapter opens up the next chapter. I mean to say "End is beginning"
All characters name and descriptions used seems to be too real, and most of the Indian readers may found such characters near by them.
Good cache lines, Bollywood dialogues, American accent, NRI, Firangi, IIM campus, friends, enemy, students, professors, colleagues, Boss , driver, police, politician,culture, religion, Meditation, bear, marijuana (smoke), aghori bava, etc. in short author included almost all aspect of life in India.
About End = Happy or say bright ending leads some positivity towards life, this is what I think author believes and gave the right shape to end the story.
PS = I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. -
Having read Johnny Gone Down, I thought to read the writer's first novel,Best part of this book I think is that its protagonist is a dystopian character, kind of megalomaniac,self absorbed,always referring to his achievements whenever caught off guard in critical situation.So,You don't really like the character and things he does,but you at some level identify with him.He reminisces Nikhil Gogol (Namesake )or Holden Caulfield ( the catcher in the rye).
Things which are described in novel, I think having been in similar situation I could identify with many things, college life in India, work culture,friendship.Its very accurate.There is also a special surprise for you, if you are a Ruskin Bond fans, like me.
"I reviewed a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review"
I will summarize rest of things in following adjectives : page-turner,entertaining,realistic,pulp,loquacious,go for it. -
I assumed this would be another campus novel, peppered with stories of the rigours of life at a top B-school, placements and the inner machinations of the ratrace. Instead I was pleasantly surprised to find that the campus was no more than an incidental backdrop for a coming-of-age story. There was a blurred, shifting view of things around (and not just because of the intoxication) that seemed more real, somehow easier to relate to, than an 'all ends well' story. 'Keep off the grass' was a worthy read for its sweet honesty.
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What Chetan Bhagat did to IIT's is what Bajaj did to IIM's. But well I must give credit to Karan for writing it better than Chetan Bhagat. I enjoyed reading the book but unfortunately I can't rate it very highly. In this category of dark humour books English August stands out like none other(its freakin awesome)
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What an ordinary book. I mean it talks about the life on campus. The book sounded very cliche to say the least.
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This is a really useless & meaningless book! The only reason it gets that one extra star from me is because there is Ruskin Bond in the book. This doesn't even deserve half a star :X
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Read this in college..This book is bad..REALLY bad!
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Emptiness, we all feel a void within us from time to time, a feeling of being lost, we keep asking ourselves core questions about our existence like, Is this what we want from Life? Is it all to it? Are we missing on something important? Most of the time we get back to the routine before even venturing to think about them in detail, back to the same life that we are questioning.
Keep off the grass is the story of Samrat Ratan, a US-born Indian origin Investment Banker who seeks a connection with the world around him, so in search of it he goes back to his roots joining the IIM Bangalore where he meets Shine Marker, a pot-loving, laid out genius & Vinod Singh, an ex-Army Office who fought in the Kargil War. As a Firangi Desi, he attracts attention for choosing to come back to India leaving the so-called well-settled life, and there begins his journey deeper into the world his parents left behind decades ago, the chaos, the madness and the underlying peace.
Keep off the grass is not a new story, we have a similar narrative in Chetan Bhagat’s Five Point Someone which is funnier than this but Karan Bajaj’s writing has put his heart writing it, especially when Samrat is lost in the whirlwind of his mind, the details of it make this an enjoyable read that can be completed in a couple of hours.
“YOU ARE HERE BECAUSE YOU ARE FAIRLY RESTLESS, SOMEWHAT DISSATISFIED… SEARCHING BUT NOT KNOWING WHAT TO SEARCH FOR. HAPPY, PERHAPS, BUT AT A LOSS TO UNDERSTAND WHAT HAPPINESS REALLY MEANS.” -
The story of a Yale-Valedictorian but frustrated-with-his-work-life NRI investment banker who moves to India to pursue an MBA from IIM Bangalore and the incidents that lead to self-discovery and self-acceptance.
Contrary to what most media reviews say, "racy" is one word that never crossed my mind when I read it. In my view, the author does a great job to keep things real, and keep them to the point. Accepting who you are and where you want to go are two genuine crises that one faces in their early 20s, today.
Through the travails of Samrat, the aforementioned NRI, the author makes some good points on why B-schools are suited to engineers, what the classic traits of an entrepreneurial Indian are, and why you should "never compare notes from an IITian even if he's your best friend and a fellow stoner".
A must read.
Also, keep off the grass. It's probably for the best. -
Keep off the grass is typical - VERY typical of college memoirs, very typical of everyday philosophy, snuggling neatly intothe genre of modern day "journey of self-discovery". It's a light & enjoyable read. It's full of cliche's ... maybe if I read it immediately upon buying in 2011, I'd have found it less so ... but in the last 15 years, just about everyone writes college memoirs ridden with uneducated philosophizing. This novel is predictable in parts, yet it's fun. The protagonists are not very relateble, but sufficiently likable. The incident at Banaras ghats ... & the way the chapter ends ... is quintessential cliche' :D
Despite this, I am giving it four stars because its ease of being read, entertainment, & cuteness. The closing incident, in fact the closing chapter is so cute. awww! -
3.5
Found it in a second-hand book shop and the title sounded interesting to me. I wanted to explore stories related to grass.
It was a fun read. Enjoyed Samrat's self-discovery from the US to Banaras, to Dharamshala, to Bangalore and IIM Bangalore. I don't know what to expect from it but it turned out to be a story for search of meaning.
It was quite relatable to what he felt and learnt throughout the journey and most importantly, it felt like a story of someone like me.
The realisations in the story aren't objective/scientific or spiritual per se, but I enjoyed how personal they were. Maybe we don't need to find objective meaning in life, our subjective satisfaction is quite enough to roll through. -
As I was reading this one, I realized that I have read it a while back with floating memories.
I generally liked the book and story-line.
It is a good book that touches things that very relatable. E.g. on feeling of void/existentialism that lots of us face at one time or another. Another one was resolve (loss at it) to study harder and change ones life course.
The thing that I didnt liked much was that at times it presented things in a quite dramatic/extreme light. I think in writing it has/can be more realistic with nuances. -
Read this one again. For some reason, I really liked this book and I will always be thankful because this book introduced me to Vipassana. Overall, light book and it has its moments where the protagonist tries to find himself by quitting his job in a bank in Wall Street and coming to India for an MBA. I have read other books from Karan Bajaj as well (Johnny gone down, The Seeker) and he is definitely one of the better Indian writers writing about Spirituality/big questions in modern context
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Riffled through the book without really getting invested in the story and characters. The story sort of just happens without getting intense at any point. I picked up the book as I had read Johnny gone down by the same author during college days which I did find exciting. Probably would have found this book also interesting back then, I don’t know.
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This book had its moments of humour. A light and breezy read. Mildly predictable at some places and the choice of characters. Gives a flavour of the people and mindset’s in elitist institutions and the aftermath of the choices they make.
