The beauty of Indian Literature

Indian English Literature (IEL), also cited as Indian Writing in English (IWE), 

refers to the body or classification of works by authors in India who write in English, but their vernacular or co-vernacular language could be one of the numerous languages of India. It is also associated with the works of members of the Indian diaspora. 

The stepping stones of Indian Writing in English were laid during the period of British rule in India. Now the stone laid 2 centuries ago has turned into a marvelous stone sculpture.

The very definition of the adjective “Indian” here is vague. Many of these authors neither live in India nor are citizens of India. As a listing, this production comes under the broader realm of postcolonial literature – the production from previously colonized countries such as India. 

The works in Indian English literature are not tested by native but also enjoyed by foreigners.

1. Raja Rao, 
2. Rabindranath Nath Tagore, 
3. RK Narayan, 
4. Nissim Ezekiel 
5. Nayantara Sehgal, 
6. Anita Desai, 
7. Amitav Ghosh,
8. Vikram Seth, 
9. Rohinton Mistry,
10.  Salman Rushdie 
11.  Kushwanth Singh,
12.  Shashi Tharoor, 
13.  Sudha Murthy, 
14.  VS Naipul, 
15.  Kamala Surayya, 
16.  Arundhati Roy, 
17.  Aswin Sanghi,
18.  Amish Tripathi, 
19.  Chetan Bhagat, 
20.  Aravind Adiga, etc. 

 These authors looked after the Indian English literature. In the GenZ era, it is guarded by many writers who are getting awards and accolades all over the world. 

Indian English literature has a relatively recent history, it is only two and a half centuries old. The first book written by an Indian in the English language was by Sake Dean Mahomet, titled Travels of Dean Mahomet, Mahomet’s travel narrative was published in 1793 in England.

1. Raja Rao was an Indian philosopher and writer, who authored Kanthapura and The Serpent and the Rope which are Indian in terms of their best storytelling qualities. 
2. Rabindranath Tagore (1861–1941) wrote in Bengali and English and was responsible for the translations of his work into English. 
3. RK Narayan was also a great writer who contributed over many decades to Indian English literature and even continued to write till his death in 2001. 
4. Nissim Ezekiel was an Indian Jewish poet and was a basal part of postcolonial India’s literature history, specifically for Indian Poetry in the English language.
5. Among the later writers, the most remarkable man is Salman Rushdie, who was born in India, now living in the United Kingdom. Rushdie with his famous work Midnight’s Children received the Booker Prize in 1981, Booker of Bookers 1992, and Best of the Bookers in 2008. Rushdie ushered in a new trend of writing which uses a hybrid language – English generously peppered with Indian terms – to convey a theme that could be seen as an illustration of the vast canvas of India. Rushdie also brought in the magic realism mode of writing kindred with Gabriel García Márquez. 
6. Nayantara Sehgal was one of the first female Indian writers in English literature to receive the worldwide privilege.

1. Some of the most acclaimed works among the Indian English literature from great authors include “Gitanjali”, a poem by Tagore. The songs of Tagore’s Gitanjali have a profound connection with nature, God, and mortal life, while most of its scenes are based on monsoon, autumn, and spring. 
2. Arundhati Roy’s “God of Small Things” which won the Booker Prize in 1997 plots the story of Rahel and Estha and their childhood experiences and their lives were destroyed by “Love Laws” and the book explores how small things affect people’s behavior and their lives.
3. Aravind Adiga’s novel, “The White Tiger” won the 40th Man Booker Prize in 2008. 
4. The satirical and yet fictional novel by Shashi Tharoor titled “The Great Indian Novel”. 
5. “Five Point Someone” and other numerous bestsellers from Chetan Bhagat. 
6. “Wings of Fire” by our Late President Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam.
7. Mythological series from Amish Tripathi, etc.

1. An Autobiography: The story of My Experiments with Truth by MK Gandhi, 
2. The Guide by RK Narayan, 
3. A Fine Balance and Family Matters by Rohinton Mistry, 
4. The Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri, 
5. A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth, 
6. The Glass Palace by Amitav Ghosh, 
7. The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai, 
8. Rich Like Us by Nayanthara Sehgal, 
9. In Custody by Anita Desai, 
10. Train to Pakistan by Kushwant Singh