Five Point Someone
Character analysis of Hari
Hari Kumar is the principle narrator of Chetan Bhagat’s debut novel Five Point Someone. In his ragging session, the narrator introduces himself as “I am Hari Kumar, sir, Mechanical Engineering student, All India Rank 326”. He describes himself as short-heightened and having a twisted balloon figure. He seems to develop an immediate liking for Ryan Oberoi, and also finds Alok Gupta compatible. The three become a group on their very first day at IIT.We see Hari struggling through the extensive syllabus, tests, quizzes, semester exams, and especially in Vivas. Even his friends know that Hari turns into a “corpse during viva”. We know he has been a good student in school because he had been disheartened after the first IIT quiz scores are out. He says that even though he was not an intellectual child, someone like Einstein, he still managed to get good grades in his schooldays.
He does not like being fat but is too lazy to do anything about it. Ryan, at one point, tries to get Hari into shape but does not succeed much. But he is a true friend. He cares a lot about his other two friends- Ryan and Alok. Their friendship outgrows the pressure of studies on them. After their poor grades in the first year, Alok separates from them but Hari stays with Ryan. He has a strange liking for Ryan, in a way that he wants to become like the cool guy- intelligent, creative, free-willed, brave and good-looking.
Through Ryan’s narration towards the end of the novel, we come to know that Hari’s father is a colonel in the army. And that Hari has no TV, no music, and no laughing loud at his home. Ryan also mentions that Hari’s father used to hit him with a belt when he ever dared to answer back his superiors. Hari’s mother does not speak much. Ryan calls Hari confused because he does not want to live for others but be like others. Through Ryan’s narration, Hari’s troubled childhood is briefly discussed in the novel.
Alok describes Hari as “ordinary, unattractive, fat and dull”. Yet, Hari dares to undertake the task of stealing Prof. Cherian’s keys. He is almost in love with Cherian’s daughter, Neha, and this makes it easier for him to go to Cherian’s house and get the keys. After the daredevil encounter with Prof. Cherian while Hari is on his way back with the set of duplicate keys, he gets really scared of the professor and apologizes to him. This does not stop him from attempting to steal the papers.
Hari and Neha’s love story is also an important part of the novel. It reveals the sensitive side of Hari’s personality. He admires the girl, is attracted to her pretty features, and does not care about what her father will say when he learns about them. It is Hari’s love for Neha that he agrees to steal the test papers. He believes that good grades will help him win over the strict professor.
After the big fiasco, Hari understands that he cannot take vengeance from the system. He tells Neha that studying at IIT is about knowledge and “making the most of this system, even if it has flaws.” He begins sincerely working in this regard and attends all the classes, finishes assignments on time and prepares for tests.
Hari, as a fictional character, represents a typically Indian, middle-class family boy who happened to have a very strict father. But once he gets into a premier institute, he is unable to cope with the academic system. He tries to work hard but never gets the acceptable grades that would help him get a good job after college. He’s blessed to have two great friends, and also finds the love of his life during his college years. At the end of the novel, we see Hari settled in Mumbai with a job, which he actually hates just like the cramped city.
Authored by VedicaBloggers
Read about Prof. Cherian.
