Bestseller author and columnist Chetan Bhagat on Friday said that the economic slowdown is a big issue. He also said that his next book has the economic slump in the backdrop of the story.

"My next murder mystery book has economic slump as backdrop," Chetan Bhagat said.

In a session at Sahitya AajTak, Chetan Bhagat talked about the economic slumpdown and said that the reason why people were not protesting against it was because they are distracted.

"Why are people not on roads? It is because of the cheap data which is available these days." He said that people won't mind watching HD quality videos if they are jobless.

He also talked about pollution in the city and said, "You don't have to buy cigarettes anymore, it's there in the air."

When asked about a Greta Thunberg-like movement happening in India, Chetan Bhagat said that it is very difficult to sway people over long-term issues.

"People get swayed by things happening now," Chetan Bhagat said, while adding, "It is hard to motivate poeple...hard make an issue if its a long term pain."

During the session, Chetan Bhagat said that he was writing murder mysteries these days which will include humour and the Indian family characters.

"I cannot compete with authors like Agatha Christie but I can bring the Indian context to the stories," Chetan Bhagat said.

When asked about the numbers used in his book titles, Chetan Bhagat said, "It is a trademark of me being an engineer."

Talking about his most accomplished book, Chetan Bhagat said that in terms of popularity, Five Point Someone and Two states have been really successful.

When asked about the motivation for writing, Chetan Bhagat said, "I feel like a stepping stone for that part of India who don't know English much. That is how I want to be remembered."