Er. Neha Godbole: Top 10 Indian Writers in English

These Indian writers have fashioned a niche of their own in English with their awe-inspiring works of literary fineness. Indian writing has navigated an elongated haggard path of uplifting evolution. The renaissance in Indian writing was kicked off in the 1980's and the predecessor of this faction, the hallmark of Indian writing of this era was Salman Rushdie.

Salman Rushdie

Indian literature witnessed renaissance in 1980s and 90s. Salman Rushdie, an Indian-British novelist and essayist, spearheaded this renaissance with his path breaking novel, "Midnight Children" in 1980. He exploded to recognition with the book and from the time when he kissed success, there has been plentitude of Indian authors scripting in English. His work always revolves around the Indian Subcontinent as a vital theme and his principal theme of "paranormal pragmatism" has always been adjacent to the essence of this land. Scripting his thoughts in Pidgin English, Rushdie gestured a new trend in writing and furnished a tone of voice to multicultural apprehensions. His "Midnight Children", "The Moor's Last Sigh", and "Shalimar Clown" were critically acclaimed for their themes and the use of delightful practicality. But the book that dotted deadly controversy was "The Satanic Verses". He was indicted of profanity by countless Muslims because of certain supposedly disrespectful references to Islam's Prophet Mohammad. Arousing the wrath among Muslims globally, a fatwa was issued by Iran's Ayotollah Khomeini calling for the execution of the novelist. The book was banned in many countries including India. Rushdie veiled himself in U.K. and till date his name is there in the "wanted list" with a price on his head.

Arundhati Roy

If Rushdie has enlightened Indian writing from shackles of colonial limitations, Arundhati Roy"s book "The God of Small Things" drastically changed insight concerning Indian authors with her viable victory. She touched glory with her first book itself, which to an extent is an autobiographical account of her own childhood experiences in Ayenemen. The book grabbed fourth position in the New York Bestseller list for quite a long time and rights for the book were sold to 21 countries. Arundhati kicked off the trend of large advances which was previously missing among Indian writers. Since then, she evidently lent her influence to convey hundreds of social issues in India to the forefront. Being a passionate antagonist of globalization and neo-imperialism, she embodied the importance of the masses in various socially noteworthy issues. This witnessed the rise of a second era where commercial success fundamentally altered opinions on Indian writers. She won the Booker Prize in 1997 for her novel, The God of Small Things and has also written two screenplays and several collections of essays. Her writings on various social, environmental and political issues have been a subject of major controversy in India.

Vikram Seth

The Kolkata born, Vikram Seth deserves to be next on the list. The man of many languages and wise businessman penned outstanding works like "The Golden Gate", "A Suitable Boy", "An Equal Music", and "Two Lives". The first book written by him was in verse form and records the lives of young professionals in San Francisco. "A Suitable Boy", 1441 paged novel pushed him into the lime light. The book brimmed with lives of the Indian migration, was based on post-independent India, and it received diverse views from the critics. "An Equal Music" in 1999 was predestined on the lives of classical musicians in Europe; it was a solemn verse to the musicians and their music that conveys to the bizarre world. The obstinate grip of Indian authors was established through his writings and he still persists to motivate young writers gazing to roll a new world.

V.S. Naipaul

Though born in Trinidad, the Indian origin, V.S. Naipaul, is one of the most withstanding statures in the field and a Nobel laureate. He scripted contrasting soul-stirring novels like "A House for Mr Biswas" and "India: A Wounded Civilization" and became the first ever Indian origin to triumph the Booker prize for his book "In a Free State". Praises are ushered on him since then for his self constructive narrative. He bagged the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2001 that fruitfully recognized his convincing regime in the world of literature. "An Area of Darkness", "India: A Million Mutinies Now", and"A Bend in the River" are other works that brought him recognition. Naipaul too had his share with controversies. His sarcastic comments on countries like India or Caribbean and his decisive appraisal of Muslims fundamentalism on non-Arab countries have been topics of ruthless denigration. Fearlessly, he prolongs to be the epicenter of literary development even today.

Rohinton Mistry

The Mumbai-born Rohinton Mistry, shifted to Canada and there penned his first novel "One Sunday" which bagged the annual contributors award from the Canadian fiction magazine. He also received the commonwealth writer prize for "Such a Long Journey" whereas "A Fine Balance" was shortlisted for Bookers Prize. His novels throw light on concerns distressing the Parsi community in India. The beauty of his books lies in their lyrical prose though his novels are long and depressing at times. Mistry's works are a pool of human emotions that mount above situation or provision. His characters are philosophical porch of unsophisticated love and he dwells in the ordinary only to transform into the extra-ordinary.

Amitav Gosh

Amitav Gosh is another name that can never be missed out from the list of top contemporary writers. Born in Kolkata, he now lives in New York. Ghosh debuted with a novel named "The Circle of Reason" which won the Prix Medicis etranger, one of France's top literary awards. The Shadow Lines won the Sahitya Akademi Award & the Ananda Puraskar. The Calcutta Chromosome won the Arthur C. Clarke Awardfor 1997. Sea of Poppies was shortlisted for the 2008 Man Booker Prize. It was the co-winner of the Vodafone Crossword Book Award in 2009, as well as co-winner of the 2010 Dan David Prize. Ghosh's most distinguished non-fiction writings are In an Antique Land (1992), Dancing in Cambodia and At Large in Burma (1998), Countdown (1999), and The Imam and the Indian (2002). Although less prone to controversy, he is liable for producing some of the most lyrical and insightful works on the consequence of colonialism on the native people. He was awarded the Padma Shri by the Indian government in 2007. In 2009, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.

Chetan Bhagat

The 34-year old Deutsche Bank executive turned out to be one of India's best-selling authors by writing about modern India in a colloquial challenging approach that hits a chord with young readers. He authored five bestselling novels, Five Point Someone (2004), One Night @ the Call Center (2005), The 3 Mistakes of My Life (2008), 2 States (2009) & Revolution 2020: Love, Corruption, and Ambition. All five books have stayed bestsellers since their release and two have inspired Bollywood films (including the hit film 3 Idiots). In 2008, The New York Times called Bhagat "the biggest selling English language novelist in India's history". Bhagat is always surrounded by controversies for his blatant remarks.

Jhumpa Lahiri

The latest novice in the world of Indian writers is Jhumpa Lahiri. She embarks upon the much debated topic of cultural identity of Indians in far off lands. Her debut book "The Interpreter of Maladies" stormed the literary world as it won the esteemed Pulitzer Prize in 2000. Her first novel "The Namesake" a striving endeavor to graph the lives of a family of immigrants through the eyes of a young boy. Both her books have acknowledged criticism as well as great compliments but she merits a site for undertaking a subject long disregarded by other Indian writers. Lahiri is a member of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities, appointed by U.S. President Barack Obama.

Kiran Desai

In 2006 Kiran Desai became only the second Indian woman to win the Man Booker prize for her second novel, "The Inheritance of Loss". She is also won National Book Critics Circle Fiction Award. The daughter of distinguished Indian novelist Anita Desai, Kiran Desai is at the forerunner of a new generation of Indian writers in English exploring themes of globalization and exploitation in 21st century India. Her first novel, "Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard", was published in 1998 and received great compliments from such notable figures as Salman Rushdie. It went on to win the Betty Trask Award, a prize given by the Society of Authors for the best new novels by citizens of the Commonwealth of Nations under the age of 35. In September 2007 she was a guest on Private Passions, the biographical music discussion program hosted by Michael Berkeley on BBC Radio 3. In May 2007, she was the featured author at the inaugural Asia House Festival of Asian Literature.

Amit Chaudhuri

Amit Chaudhuri is doubtlessly the only Indian writer to be as well-known for his literary works as his musical career. A proficient classical singer, he has performed in India, the U.K. and the U.S. and has also released an album titled "This is Not Fusion". Chaudhuri's books have won him abundant awards around the globe, including the Los Angeles Times book prize in 2003 for "Freedom Song". His latest novel, "The Immortals" (2009) merges his love for music and literature and has won significant applause for its portrayal of the pleasures of music. He was included in the panel for the Man Booker International Prize 2009, alongside writer Jane Smiley and essayist Andrey Kurkov. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. His other work includes "A strange and Sublime Address", "Afternoon Raag", and "A New World."