"For a wonderful creation of masterwork in literature two powers must concur, the power of man and the power of the moment, because the man is not enough without the moment."
To our most surprise Indian English Literature has come a long way from a few estimated English books a year to millions of new publications every day. In 2020, the stats say that the Indian book market was valued at over Rs 739 billion.
Can you believe it? Do we really have so many book lovers? Our Writers are loved and being read throughout the globe?
Well Guessed we do! and not only did a few authors marked their presence in the industry in less than a month with their incredible stories and writing but proved their mettle and left a great impact that they gradually inculcated an interest among people for an alternative to booming even the entertainment journey.
Kavishala presents our readers the list of the top 5 Indian authors that must be acknowledged and deserve a mention in the Top authors of World’s list.
1. Chetan Bhagat
Chetan Bhagat, one of the great obsession in the country. Ever since his debut, he has emerged as a literary force and idol to reckon with. Having constantly whipped up bestseller after bestseller, he has proved his mettle as a popular storyteller.
Chetan Bhagat is a well-known author, columnist, Bollywood screenwriter, social media influencer as well. He was included in the T.I.M.E list of the World’s 100 most influential people in 2010.
Being born on April 22 in1974, and raised as an army kid, he studied in Army Public School and graduated from IIT Delhi with a B.Tech degree specializing in mechanical Engineering.
His passion for writing started when he was in 5th standard and he was told to write content for the school magazine, prolonging that interest he continued with his graduation and post-graduation from IIM Ahmedabad.
Chetan Bhagat's Life in Brief :
He got his very first job through campus placements at Peregrine Investment Holdings in Hong Kong but lost it after 6 months. Then he joined Goldman Sachs further as an investment banker, his share of interest towards writing started to show when while at his job he got his first novel published called ‘Five Point Someone” that later got declared as ‘bestseller’.
Still not making it a huge thing he continued with a job profile and joined Deutsche Bank when while working through that he published another two novels that also got declared as ‘bestseller’.
Looking at his rising potential and career at being an author, he decided to quit and pursued writing full time.
Consequently, his writing career is philosophical and appreciates its flexibility. He had accomplished entering Bollywood life with his captivating and effervescent stories. After selling 4 best-selling novels, he decided to write dialogues and screenplays for Bollywood films based on his novels.
Five of his novels have been adapted into movies including:
- In 2008 ‘Hello’ was released based on One Night & the Call Centre.
- ‘3 Idiots’ was claimed to have been based on his book ‘Five Point Someone by him whereas the makers of the film denied that accusation and the controversy were put to sleep.
- In 2013 ‘Kai Po Che’ was released based on The 3 Mistakes of my Life.
- In 2014 ‘2 States’ released was based on his real-life loves storybook ‘2 States’ published in 2009.
- In 2019 ‘Half Girlfriend’ was released based on his book ‘Half Girlfriend’ published in 2014.
Famous Awards and Recognitions of Chetan Bhagat
- He was featured on Time Magazine's list of the World’s 100 Most Influential People of 2010 in the Artist’s Category.
- Listed ‘47’ among the “100 Most Creative People of 2010” in the Artists category.
- Won the “CNN-IBN Indian of the Year” Award in the Entertainment Category.
- Ranked No. 82 on the 2017 Forbes India Celebrity 100 List.
2. Arundhati Roy
Arundhati Roy originally called Suzanna Arundhati Roy is an Indian author, actress, and political activist who is best known for the award-winning novel The God of Small Things (1997) and her human rights activism. She is a renowned peace activist and has written a television serial called “The Banyan Tree” and the documentary DAMAGE: A film in 2002.
Arundhati was born in Shillong, Meghalaya to a Keralite Syrian Christian mother and a Bengali Hindu Father. She was raised in Aymanam in Kerela and later moved to Delhi when she was 16 years old and embarked on a Bohemian lifestyle and studies Architecture.
Early Life of Arundhati Roy
Her writings have left a great impact on the readers of India. She started by writing screenplays for several shows and even appeared in a few.
She attracted attention in 1994 when she criticized the movie ‘Bandit’s Queen’ by Shekhar Kapur that was based on the life of Phoolan Devi.
Roy began writing her first novel The God of Small Things in 1992 and completed it in 1996. The book cinematically catapulted Roy to international fame. The book received the 1997 Booker Prize for Fiction and was listed as one of The New York Times Notable Books of the year. Her recognized publications include:
Fictious Books -
- The God of Small Things (1997)
- The Ministry of Utmost Happiness (2017)
Non-Fictious -
- The Algebra of Infinite Justice (2002)
- Power Politics (2002)
- War Talk (2003)
- An Ordinary Person’s Guide to Empire (2004)
- Public Power in the Age of Empire (2004)
- The Checkbook and the Cruise Missile
Awards and Recognitions
- 1997 Booker Prize for ‘The God Small Things’
- National Film Award for Best Screenplay for ‘In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones’ (1989)
- Lannan Foundation’s Cultural Freedom Award in 2002.
- She was awarded ‘Special Recognition’ as a Woman of Peace at the Global Exchange Human Rights Awards
- Sydney Peace Prize in May 2004
- Sahitya Academy Award for ‘The Algebra of Infinite Justice.
- The Norman Mailer Prize in 2011
- Featured in 2014 list of Time 100, the Most 100 Influential People in the World.
3. Shashi Tharoor
Dr. Shashi Tharoor is among the top bestselling author of fifteen books, both fiction and non-fiction. He is a noted critic and columnist, a former Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, and a former Minister of State for Human Resource Development and Minister of State for External Affairs in the Government of India.
Shashi Tharoor was born on March 9, 1956, in London, England. He was born to an Indian expatriate family living in London which returned to Indian after his birth. He graduated from Delhi University in 1978. He was the youngest Ph.D. achiever at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts.
The career of Shashi Tharoor
Being a recognized authority in India, especially regarding its recent economic transformations and prospects, globalization, freedom of the press, human rights, literacy, etc.
He is also the author of hundreds of articles, op-eds, and book reviews in a wide range of publications including The New York Times, The Times of India, Newsweek, etc.
His writing career includes several published books as follows:
Fiction
- The Five Dollar Smile and Other Stories (1990)
- Show Business (1992)
- Riot (2001)
Non-Fiction
- Nehru: The Invention of India (2003)
- Bookless in Baghdad (2005)
- The Elephant, The Tiger, and the Cell Phone: Reflections of India- The Emerging 21st Century Power (2007)
- Shadows Across the Playing Field: Sixty Years of India-Pakistan Cricket (2009)
Shashi Tharoor's Awards and Recognitions :
- Rajika Kripalani Young Journalist Award for Best Indian Journalist under 30. (1976)
- Federation of Indian Publishers Hindustan Times Literary Award for The Great Indian Novel (1990)
- Commonwealth Writer’s Prize for Best Book of The Year for The Great Indian Novel (1991)
- Pravasi Bharatiya Samman (2004)
- Zakir Hussain Memorial “Pride of India” Award (2009)
- The inspiration of the Year Award at GQ’s Man of the Year Award (2009)
- “New Age Politician of the Year” Award at NDTV Indians of the Year Awards
- Digital Person of the Year (2010)
- PETA’s Person of the Year (2013)
- Sahitya Akademi Award for his book “An Era of Darkness: The British Empire of India’.
4. Khushwant Singh
Mr. Khushwant Singh was a renowned writer of all time who was born in 1915, Hadali. He graduated from King’s College, Cambridge University, and the Inner Temple in London. He had practiced law at the Lahore High Court for several years and later joined the Indian Ministry of External Affairs in 1947.
He also worked in the Department of Mass Communication of UNESCO in Paris and as a journalist in the All Radio in 1951 inclined him to pursue writing as a career. As a writer, he was best known for his trenchant secularism, humor, sarcasm, and his love for poetry.
Khushwant Singh's Extraordinary Achievements :
From 1956 after working at UNESCO, he turned to editorial services. He founded and edited Yojana, an Indian governmental journal in 1951-1953, The Illustrated Weekly of India, a newsweekly. He was also appointed as an Editor in chief of the Hindustan Times on Indira Gandhi’s personal recommendation.
From 1980 to 1986, Kushwant Singh led the responsibility as a member of the Rajya Sabha and was awarded the Padma Bhushan Award in 1974. Singh initially was a strong supporter of Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
Some of his Bestsellers throughout his writing career include:
- The Good, The Bad and The Ridiculous (2013)
- The Portrait of A Lady: Collected Stories (2013)
- The Sunset Club (2010)
- Death at My Doorstep (2005)
- Truth, Love and a Little Malice: An Autobiography (2002)
Awards and Recognitions of Khushwant Singh
- Padma Bhushan, Government of India (1974)
- Honest Man of the Year, Sulabh International (2000)
- Punjab Rattan Award, the Government of Punjab (2006)
- Padma Vibhushan, Government of India (2007)
- Sahitya Akademi Fellowship by Sahitya Academy of India (2010)
- Lifetime Achievement Award by TATA Literature Live! The Mumbai Litfest in 2013
5. R.K Narayan
R.K Narayan originally known as Rasipuram Krishnaswami Narayanswami was an Indian writer known for his fictional set based on a town in South India called Malgudi. He was a leading author of early generation Indian literature in English.
He was born on October 10, 1906, in Madras, India. Narayan completed his education in 1930 and worked as a teacher, later after recognizing his passion for writing he devoted himself to it. His first published work was a book review of the Development of Maritime Laws of 17th century England.
In 1930, he wrote his first novel and has succeeded in this field where his passion lies till the day he died.
He was born in Chennai and due to his father’s transfers had to move around, therefore, changed many schools. His interest in reading was evident from a very young age and his hobby soon became a habit. He later graduated and decided to become a stay-at-home writer. His initial books were not that popular until his third novel, ‘The dark room’. Narayan wrote many novels after this which were published and soon became a well-renowned author during his time in India.
Professional Life of R.K Narayan :
His first novel was Swami and Friends (1935) is a narrative content involving the nurturing and nuances of young boys. In 1953, his works were published in the United States for the first time by Michigan State University Press, who later relinquished the rights to Viking Press.
He had several bestsellers including the one that still hasn’t lost his essence is Malgudi the most adorable piece of work that even small kids like to read again and again. There are almost 34 best-sellers novels that he wrote and some of the best ones include:
- The Guide (1958)
- The Man-Eater of Malgudi (1961)
- The Vendor of Sweets (1967)
- A Tiger for Malgudi (1983)
Very Short Stories By R.K. Narayan
- The Grandmother’s Tale (1993)
- The Ramayana (1972)
- The Mahabharata (1978)
Awards and Recognitions of R.K Narayan :
- The Sahitya Akademi Award for Novel "The Guide" in 1958.
- Filmfare Award for the Best Story for The Guide (Film)
- Padma Bhushan in 1964.
- AC Benson Medal by The Royal Society of Literature in 1980.
- Padma Vibhushan in 2001.
- 2001 Honorary Membership of American Academy Awards in Literature.
"What is wonderful about great literature is that it transforms the man who reads it towards the condition of the man who wrote."