Salman Rushdie

The 1980s and 90s saw a renaissance of Indian writing in English making the task of choosing the
top ten authors of this genre especially challenging. The renaissance was spearheaded by Salman
Rushdie with his path breaking novelMidnight’s Children in 1980. Ever since his success, there has
been a glut of Indian authors writing in English. These contemporary writers are not confined to
people living in India, but like Rushdie, a large number of them are part of the Indian diaspora.
Earlier writers like Nirad C. Choudhuri, R.K. Narayan, Mulk Raj Anand or Raja Rao used English in
its classical form. However, Rushdie, with his Pidgin English, signaled a new trend in writing as
well as giving voice to multicultural concerns. Although his Midnight’s Children, Shame, The Moor’s
Last Sigh, Fury, and Shalimar the Clown received critical acclaim for their themes as well as his
use of magic realism, the book that generated the most controversy was The Satanic Verses. He
was accused of blasphemy by many Muslims because of certain allegedly irreverent references to
Islam’s Prophet Mohammad. A fatwa was issued by Iran’s Ayotollah Khomeini in 1989 calling for
the execution of the author. Many countries banned the book including India. Rushdie had to go
into hiding in U.K. Till date, Rushdie remains a hunted man with a price on his head.

Vikram Seth

Next on the list should be Vikram Seth who produced some magnificent works like The Golden
Gate, A Suitable Boy, An Equal Music, and Two Lives. His first book is written in verse form and
chronicles the lives of young professionals in San Francisco. But the work that propelled him into
the limelight was his second book, A Suitable Boy, which was based in a post-independent India.

Arundhati Roy

If Rushdie’s work liberated Indian writing from the colonial straitjacket, Arundhati’s Roy’s
book, The God of Small Things, radically changed perceptions about Indian authors with her
commercial success. She won the Booker prize and remained on the top of the New York Times
bestseller list for a long time. With her also started the trend of large advances, hitherto unheard
of among Indian writers.

Rohinton Mistry

The other authors who should be included in the list are: Rohinton Mistry, V.S. Naipaul, Amitav
Ghosh, Jhumpa Lahiri, Shashi Tharoor, and Upamanyu Chatterjee. Mistry’s books shed light on the
issues affecting the Parsi community in India. Although the novels are long and at times
depressing, the beauty of the books lies in their lyrical prose. Some of his better known works
include Such a Long Journey, Family Matters, and A Fine Balance.

V.S Naipaul

One of the most enduring figures in the field and a nobel laureate, V.S. Naipaul, is of Indian origin
although he was born in Trinidad. His prolific writing career includes works such as A House for Mr.
Biswas, India: A Wounded Civilization, An Area of Darkness, India: A Million Mutinies Now, and A
Bend in the River. Naipaul is another writer who has courted controversy for a long time. His often
scathing commentaries on developing countries like India or the Caribbean and his critical
assessment of Muslim fundamentalism on non-Arab countries have been subjected to harsh
criticism.
Amitav Ghosh

Another respected name that should feature on a list of the top ten contemporary Indian writers is
Amitav Ghosh, who has won many accolades including the Sahitya Akademi Award and the Prix
Medicis Etrangere of France. Although less prone to controversy, he is responsible for producing
some of the most lyrical and insightful works on the effect of colonialism on the native people. His
books include The Circle of Reason, The Glass Palace, The Calcutta Chromosome, and The Hungry
Tide.

Jhumpa Lahiri

Jhumpa Lahiri, a recent entrant into the world of Indian writers, tackles the much-debated topic of
cultural identity of Indians in a far off land. Lahiri took the literary world by storm when her debut
book, The Interpreter of Maladies, won the prestigious Pulitzer Prize in 2000. The Namesake, her
first novel, is an ambitious attempt to chart the lives of a family of immigrants through the eyes of
a young boy. Both her books have received brickbats as well as accolades but she deserves a
mention for tackling a subject long ignored by other Indian writers.

Shashi Tharoor

The list would be incomplete without a mention of Shashi Tharoor’s satirical works like The Great
Indian Novel and Show Business. His latest book, India: From Midnight to Millennium, is a non-
fiction chronicle of India’s past and its projected future.

Upamanyu Chatterjee

Lastly, Upamanyu Chatterjee deserves a mention as he was one of the first Indian authors who
found success outside of India with his 1988 debut novel,English, August. His wry sense of humor
and realistic portrayal of India has given us the witty and amusing, The Mammaries of the Welfare
State. However, he hasn’t been able to replicate the success of his debut novel with his later
works, especially in the West.

Indian writers have distinguished themselves not only in traditional Indian languages but also in
English. Indian writers have established a place in the fiction category as well. Many of their Books
have gone on to become Bestsellers not only in India but around the world. VS Naipaul, Salman
Rushdie, Arundhati Roy and Kiran Desai have won the prestigious Man Booker Prize, with Salman
Rushdie going on to win the Booker of Bookers. If you haven't yet had a bite of Indian literature or
would like to read some more, here's a list of some of the Best Indian Fiction you must read.
Love and Longing in Bombay by Vikram Chandra
Title: Love and Longing in Bombay
Author: Vikram Chandra
Price: Rs 250

Vikram Chandra's second book, a collection of short stories. In a waterfront bar in Bombay, an
enigmatic civil servant tells stories to a group of friends. In "Dharma," an old soldier returns home
to find that his house is haunted by the spirit of a small child; in "Shakti," two great ladies engage
in ruthless drawing-room warfare; in "Kama," a policeman investigating a murder journeys into
the mysteries of his own heart...

Review:Immensely absorbing ... Impeccably controlled, intelligent, sensuous and sometimes

grim, Chandra's timeless and timely book is remarkably life-affirming, considering the dark areas
of the heart he explores. — Publisher's Weekly (USA).
Learn More
A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry
Title: A Fine Balance
Author: Rohinton Mistry
Price: Rs 225

A Fine Balance, critically Mistry’s most successful work to date, tells the story of four characters
(Maneck, Dina, Ishvar and Omprakash ) and the impact of Indira Ghandhi’s state of emergency on
them. One of the most successful aspects of this book is its carefully crafted prose:
The morning express bloated with passengers slowed to a crawl, then lurched forward suddenly,
as though to resume full speed. The train’s brief deception jolted its riders. The bulge of humans
hanging out of the doorway distended perilously, like a soap bubble at its limit.

This intricate opening paragraph, which is typical of the precise prose of A Fine Balance
throughout, helps propel the novel forward through what is one of the most memorable portraits
of post-Independence India ever written.

Review:"It is impossible not to seethe at the injustices of the police state, and impossible not to
take these characters passionately to heart: this is a novel that can stand with the best of
Dickens."-New Yorker
Learn More
The Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri
Title: Interpreter of Maladies
Author: Jhumpa Lahiri
Price: Rs 195

Jhumpa Lahiri’s Interpreter of Maladies, a debut collection of short stories, is nothing less than a
work of art. Ms. Lahiri won the 2000 Pulitzer Prize for Literature, and other prizes as well, for good
reason.
The cast of characters is interesting and quite far-ranging: a young American boy, a middle-aged
man giving tours in India, a young American woman. All the stories involve Indian immigrants or
their children and take place mostly in the U.S. — Boston is a favored locale — although some
stories are also set in India, notably the title story, “Interpreter of Maladies.” 

Review:...[The stories have] very unHollywood-like denouements that are Lahiri's trademark —
endings with multiple stray ends that leave you asking what happened next. Kind of like in real
life.-AsianWeek - Heather Harlan
Learn More
The Impressionist by Hari Kunzru
Title: The Impressionist
Author: Hari Kunzru
Price: 550
In India, at the birth of the last century, an infant is brought howling into the world, his
remarkable paleness marking him out from his brown-skinned fellows. Revered at first, he is later
cast out from his wealthy home when his true parentage is revealed. So begins Pran Nath’s
odyssey of self-discovery – a journey that will take him from the streets of Agra, via the red light
disrict of Bombay, to the green lawns of England and beyond – as he struggles to understand who
he really is.

Review:‘Combines a very readable, effortlessly witty style with fantastic imagery, which takes you
from dusty, sleepy Agra to hot, fragrant Africa. Brilliant and funny, a must read to while away the
languid, sweaty days of summer when the electricity sighs and fades out at noon and the water
cometh not’-Bulbul Sharma, Today
Learn More
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
Title: The God of Small Things
Author: Arundhati Roy
Price: Rs 250

In her first novel, award-winning Indian screenwriter Arundhati Roy conjures a whoosh of
wordplay that rises from the pages like a brilliant jazz improvisation. The God of Small Things is
nominally the story of young twins Rahel and Estha and the rest of their family, but the book feels
like a million stories spinning out indefinitely; it is the product of a genius child-mind that takes
everything in and transforms it in an alchemy of poetry. The God of Small Things is at once exotic
and familiar to the Western reader, written in an English that's completely new and invigorated by
the Asian Indian influences of culture and language.

Review:"The quality of Ms. Roy's narration is so extraordinary at once so morally strenuous and
so imaginatively supple that the reader remains enthralled all the way through."- New York
Times Book Review
Learn More
Swami and Friends by R K Narayan
Title: The God of Small Things
Author: Arundhati Roy
Price: Rs 199

Swami and Friends is the first of a trilogy of novels written by RK Narayan, a celebrated English
novelist from India. The novel, which is also Narayan's first, is set in pre-independence days in
India, in a fictional town - Malgudi, which has almost become a real place in India today, due to
the wide recognition and popularity of Narayan's many novels. His novels are known for their
'deftly etched characters, his uniquely stylized language and his wry sense of humor'.
Swami and Friends is the story of a 10-year-old boy, growing up during this particular time, his
innocence, wonder, mischief and growing pains. He is a student at Albert Mission School, a school
established by the British which gives importance to Christianity, English literature and education.
His life is dramatically changed when Rajam - a symbol of colonial super power - joins the school
and he and Rajam become friends.

Review:"The novels of R.K. Narayan are the best I have read in any language for a long time. . . .
His work gives the conviction that it is possible to capture in English, a language not born of India,
the distinctive characteristics of Indian family life."--Amit Roy, Daily Telegraph
Chetan bhagat

hetan Bhagat is a best-selling Indian author who's most notable novel is a story about three
friends in IIT who are unable to cope.- Five Point Someone- What not to do at IIT. Based on
real events, his most third and most recent book to hit stands 'The 3 Mistakes of my Life' is a
dark, witty tale about modern India. He is also the scriptwriter for 'Hello', the Bollywood movie
based on his second book One Night @ the Call Center.
So here's more about this Best-selling Author and his work...
About the Author
Chetan Bhagat graduated from IIT Delhi and completed his post-graduate studies from IIM
Ahmedabad. His first book, Five Point Someone - What not to do at IIT released in May 2004 won
him the Society Young Achiever's award in 2004 and the Publisher's Recognition award in 2005.
His style of story telling was quite different from other Indian Authors before him, more informal,
the characters anyone could relate to, and based on true incidents and settings that were
believable and entertaining made his first novel a huge success. 

His second book, One Night @ the Call Center, was released in India in October 2005 and
continues to be a bestseller as of January 2008. The book is about six people who work at a Call
Center and one night which changes it all for them. The book is being made into a big budget
Bollywood film called 'Hello' starring Salman Khan, Katrnia Kaif among others.

After a Span of 3 years Chetan Bhagat's third book, "The Three Mistakes of My Life" was recently
released in May 2008.

After eleven years in Hong Kong, the author relocated to Mumbai in 2008, where he works in an
investment bank. Apart from books, the author has a keen interest in screenplays and spirituality.
Chetan is married to Anusha, his classmate from IIMA and has twin boys Ishaan and Shyam.
'The 3 Mistakes of My Life' by Chetan Bhagat
The book based on real life events begins in a dramatic fashion with Bhagat receiving an e-mail
from Govind a fan who had taken many sleeping pills and was writing to him while waiting for the
deadly sleep’s embrace. Chetan was shaken enough by the incident to track the boy down to an
Ahmedabad hospital. Fortunately he was still alive to tell the tale. The book is loosely based on the
three mistakes Govind made in his life.
Set in the urban, but not quite metropolitan, city of Ahmedabad Chetan tells a story of this young
boy and his two friends..a story about business, cricket, and religion.

Read some Questions and Answers with the Author Regarding the Book.

Some Reader Reviews of The 3 Mistakes of my Life-

Youth Curry: The 3 mistakes of my life: review
"'The 3 Mistakes of My Life' is actually 'Five Point Someone' part deux. The only difference is, the
three 'five pointers' are not in an IIT but strugglers in the real sense of the word - running a small
business of their own in Ahmedabad.

Fans will not be disappointed. This book has all the ingredients CB is loved and lapped up for.
Characters and storyline one can relate to. The small joys and the big frustrations of growing up
(which are pretty much common across India)."

livemint.com: Book review | The 3 mistakes of my life

"What strikes you first about Chetan Bhagat’s novels is the fact that this author writes about
Indians and for Indians. His characters are young, ambitious and passionate and have the same
moral, social and religious dilemmas as many of the young Indians today. At the same time their
context and sensibility too is unabashedly Indian."
'One Night @ the Call Center' by Chetan Bhagat
The story begins with a train journey from Kanpur to Delhi, During the journey, the author meets
a very beautiful girl. The girl offers to tell the author a story on the condition that he has to make
it into his second book. After a lot of hesitation, the author agrees.

The novel revolves around a group of six call center employees working in Connexions call center
in the Delhi suburb of Gurgaon in Haryana. It is filled with a lot of drama with unpleasant things
happening to all of the leading characters. The story takes a dramatic and decisive turn when they
get a phone call from God.

Read some Questions and Answers with the Author Regarding the Book.

Some Reader Reviews of One Night @ the Call Center

Youth Curry: Head vs Heart vs Hair (One Night @ the Call Center Book Review)
"Chetan Bhagat's "One Night at the Call Centre" is a book that I would classify as 'flick-lit'. Why? "

Roopinder Singh: One Night@the Call Center- Review

"Chetan Bhagat has written another book that has its finger on the pulse of the youth."
Five Point Someone- What not to do at IIT
Five Point Someone is a story about three friends in IIT who are unable to cope.
The book starts with a disclaimer, "This is not a book to teach you how to get into IIT or even how
to live in college. In fact, it describes how screwed up things can get if you don't think straight."

The novel is set in the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, in the period 1991 to 1995. It is about
the adventures of three mechanical engineering students (and friends), Hari Kumar (the narrator),
Ryan Oberoi, and Alok Gupta, who fail to cope with the cruel grading system of the IITs and come
to be known as five pointers due to their perennially low 5.something GPA's.

Read some Questions and Answers with the Author Regarding the Book.
Some Reader Reviews of Five Point Someone- What not to do at IIT
Spectrum-The Tribune: A perfect ten for Chetan Bhagat
"Chetan Bhagat might have scored a five-point average in IIT, but Kannan Shastri gives him a
perfect 10 for Five Point Someone. Youthful, funny and highly original, the book guarantees more
than a few laughs."

Chillibreeze.com: Book Review: Five Point Someone - What Not to do at IIT

"If you are an IITian, you will probably relate very well to this light-hearted narrative about the life
of three average guys at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (And if you are an IITian you
would also know what “average” in IIT means)."

Mahatma Gandhi’s autobiography still a bestseller

New Delhi, Oct 1 (IANS) It has been 140 years since the birth of Mahatma Gandhi. And his
autobiography continues to be a bestseller with annual sales of 200,000 copies even in these
rapidly changing times.

As India marks the Mahatma’s birth anniversary Friday, the Ahmedabad-based Navjivan Trust said
the sales of “My Experiments With Truth”, named by US President Barack Obama as one of his
inspirations, remain high despite competition from other publishing houses.

Until 10 months ago, Navjivan Trust alone had the copyright on all of Gandhi’s works.

“The expiry of the copyright has had no adverse impact on sales. It is still as high as before,”
Jitendra Desai, managing trustee Navjivan Trust, told IANS over telephone.

“The sales of the autobiography are about 200,000 annually, in all languages,” he stressed.

The Navjivan Trust is concerned that Mahatma Gandhi’s books must remain accessible to the
common person. Its own publications of Gandhi’s works are low priced and affordable.

Some publishers have begun to reprint some works of the Mahatma using fancy paper — and
selling them for as high as Rs.4,000.

Most of Gandhi’s written works have been compiled into 100 volumes. These are known as the
Complete Works of Mahatma Gandhi, and they run into about 50,000 pages.

The apostle of non-violence is said to be the only public figure to have written so much.

“He wrote without stopping. When his right hand got tired, he would use his left. There is still so
much of his work not in the public domain - as many as 30,000 pages are scattered in the form of
letters and othes writings,” Anupam Mishra, director Gandhi Peace Foundation, told IANS over the
phone.

These unpublished writings are with individuals and institutions.

Scholars and admirers of Mahatma Gandhi feel this should all be compiled and brought under a
designate authority.

“Now we want to regularise and make available the original corpus of his work. The concept is to
collect, restore and reprint all the regional ‘Gandhiana’ and to bring it into public domain,” said
Dina Patel, a senior Gandhian scholar from Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad.

Gandhians, representatives of the cultural affairs ministry as well as legal experts have met to
discuss whether a perpetual copyright was feasible and what could be done to ensure that literary
works were not altered and placed out of context.

In 1944, Gandhi signed a deed where he assigned the copyright of his writings to the Navjivan
Trust in Ahmedabad.

According to the country’s Copyright Act of 1957, the works of a person go into the public domain
60 years after his or her death.

Under this clause, the Navjivan Trust lost the copyright on Gandhi’s works on Jan 1, 2009.

Since its inception, the trust has published some 300 volumes of Gandhi’s works including articles,
letters and speeches, apart from translations of his autobiography.

“We hope that since Navjivan and Sarva Seva Sangh have not stopped publishing cheaper
versions, Gandhiji’s works remain within the common man’s reach,” said Ramachandra Rahi,
secretary of Gandhi Smarak Nidhi.

More on best seller autobiography in india : 'Resul, Rahman, Gulzar trinity of Indian Cinema'

Resul, Rahman, Gulzar trinity of Indian Cinema’

 Musician A.R. Rahman, lyricist Gulzar and sound designer Resul Pookutty are the trinity — the
Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh — of Indian Cinema, said Maharashtra Governor K.
Sankaranarayanan.
The governor was speaking at the launch of the Malayalam autobiography of the Oscar-winning
sound designer, ‘Shabdatharapadham’, late Thursday evening. He presented the first copy of the
book to Rahman.

Congratulating all three for their contribution to the Indian film industry, Sankaranarayanan
credited them for the success of Oscar-winning film “Slumdog Millionaire”.

“Resul’s work as a sound designer, production mixer, editor and post-production re-recording
mixer, has brought international acclaim to Indian cinema,” the governor said.

Lyricist and filmmaker Gulzar and musical maestro Rahman also congratulated Pookutty for
coming up with the autobiography in a short time.

‘Shabdatharapadham’ has been co-authored by Baiju Natarajan.

The autobiography has been published by Penguin Books India and supported by the Malayala
Manorama publications.

Executive Editor of Malayala Manorama Jacob Mathew, Chairman of the Leela Group Captain C.P.
Krishnan Nair, Resident Editor of Penguin Books Dileep Raj, cricketer S. Sreesanth and other
eminent personalities were present on the occasion.