Claimer -When the idea of this writeup came to my mind I knew I am picking a topic which will appeal to very few and can be very dry, but then I decided that once in a while we should indulge ourselves, so here is a collection of my thoughts on Indian Author that I have read and Liked.
My love for books & an inclination for Indian Authors isn’t a news for any of you. A very good friend of mine introduced me to this face of writing. I think its 4 years now that I have been exploring our writers and in this write up I’ll exclusively talk about the authors who have impressed me in some ways or the other. Its an entirely personal view & many acclaimed writers might not find place in my list. SO here it goes
.:. Fallen In Love with them .:.
*~Ruskin Bond~
Signature Style: Simplicity. For me he is more Indian than all of us. Known for his writings for children & adults, he has an appeal which touches our heart.
Writes About: Nature& people around him. He writes about mundane things and still makes them look special.
Should Read if: You love simple things in life, are feeling low and want to appreciate what’s around you. He can make you yearn for the simplest thing through his writings.
Downside: None
Best work till date: For me all his works are his best. But still if somebody wants to start reading him then it should be with “Ruskin Bonds Mini Bus”(have already reviewed it).
*~Chitra Banerjee Devakaruni~
*Signature Style: She creates a magical world with words. Uses loads of fables around her stories. Largely the protagonists are females but male characters are not the feeble ones.
Writes About: Indians settled abroad and their trials & tribulations.
Should Read if: If you want to be transported to another world & if you wish to read about the real world but with a dreamy spec.
Downside: Sometimes too magical to be true.
Best work till date: Arranged Marriage, Sister of My Heart* & Unknown errors of life*. Mistress of spices *is one her most acclaimed works but for me it comes fourth.
*~Shashi Tharoor~
*Signature Style: Will create a story with which you can identify and you’ll feel you the know the character. Case in Example is “Show Business” if you read the book you’ll feel its Big B’s story but then he takes enough turns to avoid any controversies.
Writes About: What happens in life, real incidents laced in fictional mode.
Should Read if: You want to read something that is fictional but yet very real.
Downside: None for me.
Best work till date: Five Dollar Smile* & Riot*. Am still reading “The Great Indian Novel” and it’s a master piece. He has brilliantly blended Mahabharata with Indian independence & Kaurava’s with Indian Congress.
*~Manju Kapur~
*Signature Style: Feminist.
Writes About: Ladies in different situations in different eras. Her work ranges from pre independence to Babri Masjid phase to contemporary situation
Should Read if: you want to read about strong female protagonists.
Downside: Limited reach.
Best work till date: Home, Difficult Daughters & A Married woman(in that order)
*~Chetan Bhagat~
*Signature Style: Contemporary & youthful.
Writes About: youth & their lives.
Should Read if: You want to remember your college days & want to talk about contemporary issues. Downside: Though none for me but have heard people saying appeals to young people.
Best work till date: Five Point Someone*(its special to me as I could connect to it). One Night at Call Center too was good but on 2nd read. He is coming Up with his third book tentatively called “Three” and am eagerly waiting for it to release next month.
*~Sudha Murthy~
*Signature Style: Social Issues & short stories.
Writes About: Though she has written fiction also but largely writes about real life pathos.
Should Read if: Want to read about social issues
Downside: limited appeal.
Best work till date: Dollar Bahu, Maha Shweta & Wise and Otherwise.
*.:. Liking them.:.
Rohinton Mistry
Writes usually on Parsi Background only. His books too range from pre independence era to present. Have read “Family Matters” from him, loved it for the real portrayal. I think his style can be categorized as depressing but real. Have “Fine Balance” with me, hope to read it soon.
Kavita Daswani
Her books have strong female protagonists either married & trying to save their marriage or trying to get married or trying to settle down in career. Chic Lit, period. Her best works would easily be ‘For Matrimonial Purposes’ & ‘Everything happens for a Reason’.
Swati Kaushal
Till now only book has come from her stable, “A Piece of Cake” a wonderful account of a single-working woman. Her second book “The Other Half of Me” is expected to release soon. She is worth reading for wonderful portrayal & real to life characters.
Anurag Mathur
Claim to fame “Inscrutable Americans” . These days largely writes “Political Satire”, read “Department of Denials” from him. The only problem with him is that he starts well but fizzles out in the end.
*.:. Hope these are not one time wonders .:.
Have loved reading authors like Rajashree Thakur(Trust Me), Deeptha Khanna(The Day I turned 16), Jaideep Verma(Local), Nikita Lalwani(Gifted*) and I hope they come back with more books and better too.
Worth A mention is Preethi Nair(Books like The Colour of Love, Gypsy Masala, One Hundred Shades of White) she deserves to be read once.
*.:. Trying to Understand Them .:.
*(Books mentioned in brackets here are the ones which are unfinished chapters of my life)
V.S. Naipaul (A House For Mr. Biswas), Vikram Sheth (A Suitable Boy), Kiran Desai (Inheritance of Loss).
*.:. I think I should Read them .:.
*Shobha De(Speedpost), Anita Desai, Anita Nair… I expect you all to educate me more.
Most of the writers mentioned above were discovered by my drive to find & read more. I consider myself lucky that my experiments have played well.
I have connected well with Indian authors as their writings are lot more emotional and the setup being Indian suits my sensibilities. Agreed they don’t write about mysteries, Terrorist plans against the whole humankindor any other nail biting events but.they write about normal situations, things which we encounter.things & situations which are ours.and if we don’t support Indian Writings who else will?
Hoping to have a good discussions in the comment section & I hope the mideset Against the Indian Author’s changes, they deserve a chance. Happy Reading.
(* Books already reviewed by me)