Bestselling author and columnist Chetan Bhagat took quite a hit during the #MeToo movement when he was slapped with allegations by two women. During a session today with Sahitya Aaj Tak in New Delhi, Bhagat addressed the consequences of the allegations of women against him and how it affected him and his family. Calling the session '3 Mistakes of My Life', this was the first event Chetan attended and addressed the repercussions of #MeToo movement during which he also revealed that he had asked his wife Anusha to leave him.
He quoted, "I come from a humble family. I did not want to lead a life of a celebrity. Therefore, I mingled with everyone. I got into trouble because of this attitude. I told my wife Anusha to leave me. Life would be easier for her, I told her." However, to his surprise, Anusha retorted, "Are you mad? You and I are like Lord Shiv and Goddess Parvati (Shakti). We are 'Ardhanaareeshwar' [a composite androgynous form of Shiv and Shakti]; we are one." This response was all it took Chetan to realise how much his wife means to him.
So who wanted to kiss whom? @iratrivedi’s self-explanatory email from 2013 to me, esp last line, easily shows her claims from 2010 are false, and she knows this too. This mental harassment of me and my family has to stop. Please don’t harm a movement with #fakecharges #harassed pic.twitter.com/SWeaSCfHLd
— Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) October 15, 2018
"There I was doing chatting (with another woman). My view about my wife changed that day." He called those days trying times for the family and added, "I saw a new aspect of my wife. She is stronger than me... Just imagine how I can face my mother-in-law, who is a South Indian and me a Punjabi." And further added, "When you are on your peak, people get attracted towards you. But the true ones stick to you when you are in trouble."
As he addressed the allegations of harassment claiming that the second woman was wrong, he quoted, "I can't force myself on any woman. I am not like that. I am a human being. I can make mistakes. But I know the law... I am re-evaluating my life after this episode." He is currently working on promotions of his upcoming book, The Girl in Room No. 105, which is a murder mystery. Bhagat added, "This novel is about unlove at a time when it s an un-generation. People unfollow , unfriend..."
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 18, 2018 07:06 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).