Patna, Feb. 22: You could call him an idiot for trying to make a living by writing novels when he could have continued as a successful investment banker. But as Rancho — the character played by Aamir Khan in 3 Idiots — said: “You must do what you are good at.” That’s exactly what the sales figures of his novels echo.

Chetan Bhagat — the author of best-selling novels like Five Point Someone (the inspiration for 3 Idiots), One Night @ the Call Centre (which was adapted into Salman Khan-starrer Hello), The 3 Mistakes of My Life and 2 States — was in town today to address students and teachers of a private institute at SK Memorial Hall.

The IIT and IIM graduate had only good things to say about the recent development in the state that had helped it to move from an era of backwardness and negativity to a positive image, under the able guidance of the “dynamic” chief minister Nitish Kumar. Smattering his speech with Bhojpuri words and phrases, he said the residents of the state were known for their hard work and intelligence and their ability to innovate was world famous.

“I was like Rancho in school and college. Always trying to innovate,” said Bhagat, uninhibited about comparing himself with the popular character.

But he was critical of the contemporary education system that creates too much pressure on children.

“In 3 Idiots, Joy Lobo — a student — commits suicide because he cannot cope with the pressure of education. The incident is a reflection of the real life where the pressures of education and examination proves too much for students,” he said.

The best-selling author also shared his struggle to publish his first book. “When I wrote the book, no one was interested to publish it. I was a new writer and had to convince the publisher 10 times before he agreed,” said Bhagat.

Of course Five Point Someone — and the three subsequent books — have created publishing history.

“Highs and lows are a part of a student’s life. But one should not be daunted by failure. It is only a part of the learning process,” said Bhagat.

He added that failure and success were not just parts of a common man’s life but everyone has to go through it. To prove his point, he gave the example of Bollywood actors like Amitabh Bachchan and Hrithik Roshan whose career charts have gone up and down.

Bhagat also had a few thoughts to share on the events that have gripped Egypt and other parts of the Arab world. He said corruption, inflation and unemployment could lead to such events anywhere.

On being asked about importance being given to IIT students, the author said though hard work and intelligence are crucial factor behind the success of any person branding matters a lot.