Indian Literature: Vikram Seth and Anita Desai

Vikram Seth

• Born June 20, 1952
• Indian novelist and poet
• Notable poetry collections include "Mappings" and "Beastly Tales"
• Published eight books of poetry and three novels
• "A Suitable Boy" propelled him into the limelight.
• "An Equal Music" deals with a violinist's troubled love life.
• "Two Lives" is a memoir about his great-uncle and aunt's marriage.

Anita Desai

• Born June 24, 1937
• Indian novelist and Emerita John E.Burchard Professor of Humanities at MIT
• Shortlisted for the Booker Prize three times
• Won the Sahitya Akademi Award for "Fire on the Mountain" in 1978
• Won the British Guardian Prize for "The Village by the Sea" in 1983
• Known for works like "The Peacock," "Voices in the City," "Fire on the Mountain," and "Games at Twilight."
• On the advisory board of the Lalit Kala Akademi and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.
• "Clear Light of Day" explores the life of the Das family in Old Delhi.

Sarojini Naidu

• Born February 13, 1879, died March 2, 1949
• Indian political activist and poet
• Former Governor of Uttar Pradesh.
• Played a crucial role in the Indian independence movement.
• First Indian woman to be president of the Indian National Congress and a state governor.
• Recognized as the "Nightingale of India" for her poetry.
• "The Golden Threshold" is her first collection of poems.
• "The Bird of Time" is her second and most nationalist book of poems.
• "The Broken Wing" includes "The Gift of India" and "Awake!" poems.

"Clear Light of Day"

• Set primarily in Old Delhi, the novel explores themes of family, forgiveness, childhood, and women's roles.
• Covers four sections of the Das family's lives: adulthood, adolescence and early adulthood, childhood, and a return to adulthood.
• The novel tells the story of the Das family who have grown apart with adulthood
• The story begins with Tara, whose husband Bakul is India's ambassador to the US. She meets her sister Bimla who lives in their Old Delhi home, teaching history and caring for their autistic brother Baba.
• Raja, their brother who lives in Hyderabad, is mentioned in their conversation.
• The first section ends with the sisters visiting their neighbors, the Misras.

"The God of Small Things"

• Set in Ayemenem, Kerala, it explores the stories of the twins, Estha and Rahel, and Ammu, their mother.
• The story unravels as the twins, now adults, reunite after years apart.
• The novel touches upon themes of caste, class, identity, and the influence of colonialism.
• The twins are haunted by their past and the death of Sophie, their cousin.

Girish Karnad

• Known for his plays that use mythology and history.
• "Yayati" established his usage of these themes.
• "Tughlaq" tells the story of the 14th-century sultan Muḥammad ibn Tughluq.

Vijay Tendulkar

• Leading Indian playwright, movie and television writer, literary essayist, political journalist, and social commentator.
• Known for his plays in Marathi.
• Famous for "Shantata!Court Chalu Aahe" (1967), "Ghāshirām Kotwāl" (1972), and "Sakhārām Binder" (1972)

Mahesh Dattani

• Indian director, actor, playwright, and writer.
• Known for plays like "Final Solutions," "Dance Like a Man," "Bravely Fought the Queen," "On a Muggy Night in Mumbai," "Tara," "Thirty Days in September," and "The Big Fat City."
• First playwright in English to be awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award.
• His plays addressed themes of religious tensions, gender roles, and identity.