Quest for True Love: Someone Like You. Review on Someone Like You - Nikita Singh

The two best selling authors of Indian romances are Durjoy Datta and Nikita Singh. Durjoy was born and brought up in Delhi. He has an engineering degree from Delhi college of Engineering and management degree from MDI, Gurgaon.

He is the author of several best-selling books including Of course I Love You!, You Were My Crush!, She Broke Up, I Didn’t! and If It’s Not Forever….It’s Not Love with Nikita Singh. Durjoy was recognized as young achiever by the Teacher’s Achievement Awards and in 2011 he was chosen as one of the young achievers in the field of media and communication by Whistling Woods International. Nikita Singh is also the author of best-selling books Love@Facebook and Accidently in Love and co-author Durjoy Datta of If It’s Not Forever…It’s Not Love and Someone Like You.

‘Someone like you’ is a romantic story of college life. ‘Romance usually refers to love emphasizing emotions or libido’1. The college life has intervened very fantastically with love, friendship and betrayal. The feeling of romance starts from this age, so everyone thinks about own appearance. The cosmopolitan culture of MacDonald is also reflected in the novel. This is a story of relationship between college guys. It is like a movie, having picturesque quality. We can visualize all pictures in front of our eyes. When we read novel, surely we entered in the college life and enjoy it once again. The novel is written in first person narration of girl Niharika, who unfolds the story of college guys nature, aspiration, brutality, aggressiveness, love and hate, life of enjoy and death. The life in the novel is a magical world and dream land of youngsters. It takes you back to your college days. The story starts with Niharika, common girl who thinks herself as an average girl. She thinks her sister Simran is one of the beautiful girl. Simran provides many tips to Niharika for beauty. Niharika first time find herself as beautiful girl and adjusted herself with short skirt. The modification of Niharika was exposed by every new comer in the college. She was acquainted with Simran’s boyfriend Veerat in Delhi college. Niharika was also longing for same boyfriend that’s why the title of novel is Someone like you. Niharika was in search of love and she encountered with Akshat. He is a handsome boy, son of lord person. He falls in love at first sight with Niharika.

They went for dating one day and enjoy the company of each other. When Niharika gives this good news to Simran that I got someone like Veerat but unfortunately she rejects Akshat as a perfect womanizer and fraud bstard. The climax starts from here between true love and artificial love. Niharika leaves for Nagpur, joining Indian Engineering College to forget Akshat and to make the end of their relationship. She came across one of the very sweet shy Tanmay. They enjoy the first day of college, watching movie and facing the ragging of the fcking president of college Chetan Mehata. It makes clear Tanmay is a good friend and nothing more than this. But the entry of Karthik on ragging place makes the changes in the life of Niharika. At the same time re-entry of Akshat in college makes reader to hold the novel very tightly and enjoy the love triangle between Niharika, Akshat and Karthik. Tanmay was bosom friend of Niharika interested into football game. He concentrated on football because last three years IEC lost their ranking. Tanmay was selected from junior in team with the help of Karthik. Both became intimate friend and lover of foot ball on the other hand Niharika also joined with Pia her roommate. Here novel turns friend as a friends forever. Tanmay’s character is very touching being very small, he takes his college into final and enjoy celebration of drinking with his team. He became very famous and practiced very hard on football. Though he loves Pia but neglected, because Pia was in love with Vishal. Tanmay drunk at night after won the match, he sing a song “ I love you! …… I love you! …… I love you!. you are so beautiful!. You are my sunshine!.”  He makes fun with Karthik and unfortunately he dies in an accident and the table turns down. Niharika became very sad, she blames Karthik for the death of Tanmay. Karthik taught him to drink after won the match as well as he had given old bike, which is responsible for Tanmay’s death.

After some days, Niharika understand that Karthik was not responsible but Akshat her boyfriend. He followed Tanmay thanking that he is Karthik on his bike. Tanmay borrowed bike for enjoyment after match. Karthik also thought that Tanmay had promised him, he will not drink on the bike riding. He destroyed his bike and workshop thinking he was responsible for friend’s death. Niharika followed Karthik to tell all the incident created  by Akshat and Chetan Mehata. Here character of Akshat exposed, he is going to sleep with two sisters. “He remembered the last time he had taken someone as fine as Niharika to bed. Nagpur was a fruitful playground for him. Every year, just as the new batch enters, he came to the campus to his old friend f*cking president of college and entraps one of the many beautiful juniors”2. He had given bribe to police officer to shut up the mouth about Tanmay’s accident. Narrator used epiphany for realization of true love. Pia was at first in love with Vishal but later realized that Tanmay was a sweetheart who loved her vise versa she also loves him. He never became trouble between Pia and Vishal. She falls to understand true love of Tanmay. She advised Niharika ‘don’t make the same mistake as me, if you love someone’. At the same time picture of Karthik flashes in front of Niharika’s eyes. She realized her true love is not Akshat but Karthik.

The last scene opens with football final match in Indian Engineering College. To complete the dream of Tanmay became the goal of Niharika, Karthik and Pia. Karthiks entry in football team was amazing to the reader. He played slowly at first and attacked at the last session. He gives victory to the college and his love and friend. He won football match and heart of Niharika on playground. Akshat went away after punching Karthik on football match, he never come back. They never entered in those power and revenge game to gate back their friend Tanmay.

The book is easy and light read. It is written in first person which makes help you to read the novel. The style is simple and straight forward. It attracts the young generation to read this novel. Someone Like You is a powerful and touching story of friendship, love and betrayal

Warm regards,

Prof Shahaji Subrao Mastud