8 memorable classic books by Indian authors

The world of books fascinates and dazzles everyone. It takes us to places that are both fantastical and unknown. It has the potential to create an alternate universe for us that could be either utopic or dystopic. Books could take us to mythical places that we have only imagined of or to eerie dwellings that just makes us experience goose bumps. Such is the influence of books and literature, that societies and cultures all over the world have some or the other story to tell. This urge to knit a narrative of their own, has led to amazing literatures being produced all over the world.

India has always been a land that has produced and offered some of the finest literature to the world. Be it epics like ‘Ramayana’ and ‘Mahabharata’ or plays like ‘Abhigyan Shakuntalam’ and ‘Mricchakatika’, all have been studied in various fields all over the world. After gaining independence from the British, writers like A.K. Ramanujan, Satyajit Ray, Khushwant Singh, Mulk Raj Anand, etc created works that garnered much attention and appreciation.

Here are 8 memorable classic books by Indian authors.

The novel is set in the fictional Indian town of Bulashah, and describes a day in the life of an Indian sweeper named Bakha. It was inspired by Anand's aunt's experience when she had a meal with a Muslim woman and was treated as an outcast by her family. Through its plot, thee novels argues to eradicate the caste system in India.

Pic credit: Penguin India

The book recounts the Partition of India in August 1947 through the perspective of a fictional border village named 'Mano Majra'. The book, instead of depicting Partition only through the political events surrounding it, provides a human dimension to it. This humane touch brings in the sense of reality, horror and believability that followed Partition.

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The novel is based on Malgudi, a fictional town in South India. It centers on Raju, the protagonist and his journey from a corrupt tour guide to one of the greatest holy men in India. The novel was later adapted into a classic movie, ‘Guide’ (1965) starring Dev Anand.

Pic credit: Indian Thought Publication

The novel is set in a newly post-independence, post-partition India and begins in the fictional town of Brahmpur, located on the Ganges between Benares and Patna. It is a story of four families over a period of 18 months, and centers on Mrs. Rupa Mehra's efforts to arrange the marriage of her younger daughter, Lata, to a "suitable boy".

Pic credit: Aleph Book Company

The novel, which is set in Ayemenem in Kerala, explores how the small things effect people's behaviors and their lives. It revolves around the childhood experiences of fraternal twins-Rahel and Esthappen. Their lives are destroyed by the "Love Laws" of the land that lays down rules on who to love, how to love and how much to love?

Pic credit: Penguin India

The novel follows the journey of Biju, an illegal immigrant in the US who is trying to make a new life; and Sai, an Anglicised Indian girl living with her grandfather in India. Its main themes are migration, living between two worlds, and between past and present.

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The novel sketches a dark but humorous perspective of India's class struggle in a globalized world. It is told through the character of a village boy, Balram Halwai. Through his journey from a chauffeur in Delhi to killing his master for money and escaping to Bangalore, the novel examines issues of religion, caste, loyalty, corruption and poverty in India.

Pic credit: HarperCollins

The story is set prior to the First Opium War, on the banks of the holy river Ganges and in Calcutta. Ghosh portrays the characters as poppy seeds emanating in large numbers from the field to form a sea, where every single seed is uncertain about its future.

Pic credit: Penguin India