Writing for India
58It seems like everyone around me is writing a book, and I don’t mean on Hub Pages, where it is a perfectly legitimate activity! I’m talking about people I know in real life – friends, former colleagues, acquaintances, budding cooks, doctors, lawyers and yoga teachers. Did someone say the Internet had killed the book business? Perhaps it has in a way, but it has also spawned a legion of writers who know that if no one offers to publish their gem, there’s always the World Wide Web!
But I digress. This is not meant to be a hub that mocks other people’s efforts. On the contrary. I marvel at the gumption it takes to write a book, the confidence in one’s abilities that it implies, the sheer hard work required. It’s not something I would ever attempt to do, being quite aware of my limitations. And laziness is the least of them!
Thankfully there are not many like me. There are plenty of people out there willing to tell stories, and this wonderful group is the new voice of India. Over the past few years a slew of Indian writing in English has hit the bookshelves and a significant proportion of it is of an amazingly high standard. Granted, there is a lot of rubbish out there as well, the result of convenient vanity publishing, but let that not diminish the genuinely good writing.
As one who has always devoured books with as insatiable an appetite as I have food, I find the proliferation of Indian writing irresistible. For years we have been fed on a diet of international literature (or not-so-literary writing) largely because we didn’t have a choice. For most Indians of my generation brought up in an urban milieu, English was the language of instruction at school and college. I learnt to read English long before I could any other Indian language, and with greater ease. As a result all the books I read were written in English, and were about a foreign milieu, peopled by characters that I had to stretch my imagination to relate to.
That has changed now thanks to all the Indians writing about people, places and attitudes I am familiar with, in a language I am comfortable with. At my library I tend to gravitate towards the Indian writing section (which grows every day, much to my delight), and am thrilled by the different genres I find there. Crime, humour, travel, romance, science fiction, fantasy, history, philosophy, cooking, self help…it seems like my countrymen are attempting to write everything, and doing a pretty good job of it too. Once in a while I come across a dud that makes me squirm, and my editing instincts come rushing to the fore, but even then I struggle on to the end because discarding a book halfway is something I am rarely able to do.
The best part of this scenario is that good English translations of great writing in all the numerous Indian languages are now available. We can access all the remarkable indigenous literature that we couldn’t earlier because of our inability to read the language. Modern writers are even offering contemporary versions of Indian epics like the Mahabharata and Ramayana, and suddenly mythology has gained a new cachet. Stories have been rescued from the mists of time and are being retold to an audience eager to capture a slice of the past.
It’s wonderful to see the emerging confidence of Indians writing in English. Their work is unapologetically Indian in spirit and ethos, and written in an English that is unmistakably Indian even while it adheres to all the traditional rules of grammar and syntax. And when often it doesn’t, what results is a peculiar Indian English that millions in the country, somewhat mystifyingly, understand with ease. ‘What to do? We are like that only!’
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"Stories have been rescued from the mists of time and are being retold to an audience eager to capture a slice of the past."
Consider me as another eager member of that audience.
Another great article from you and I have run out of superlatives! Cheers! :)
I love reading your hubs.
Who told you???? :D
Yes, how true - everyone and his aunt, cousin, brother, etc seems to have been bitten by the book bug! And you, dear girl, should be bitten - but what to do - you are like that only! :)
Phoenixritu, you are so right - and I am so waiting to read your tale! :)
Thank you quicksand! Do you read Indian authors? Sure you would enjoy their tales! :)
Thank you ed77burns! :)
Shalini, you only told me, no?!! :D
And you know me...those who can't, edit!!!
FP,
Although I have not read any of these fantastic Indian authors that you are promoting, I am ever so happy and willing to read your Hubs!
I know I am eating your head, but...keep writing!:P
While it is becoming easier to "publish" online, it is more difficult than ever to make any money from publishing fiction.
Author of Where the River Splits
Isn't it wonderful, fp, how the miracle of the Internet and the opportunity of self-publishing have given an impetus to writers and writer wannabees all over the world? Both marvels did not exist a little more than two decades ago.
Thanks for enlarging my sphere of knowledge with this very well-written hub ... only. :)
Very interesting...yes lots of people writing everywhere. And then you have someone like me who started research for a book and gave up when my computer crashed. Now I am reduced to writing comments on hubs :P
But you really need to try your hand at a book FP. Shalini will edit it. ;)Right, no, Shalini?
What's this? Two hubs in a row? I am impressed! And you certainly don't write in any way that is different from the norm and which can be characterized as 'Indian' as far as I can tell. Such a lucid flow of words is always enjoyable to people who like the words themselves :-)
Always a pleasure to read anything you pen FP. I agree totally with De Greek - such a lucid flow of words is a feast in itself.
Much the same thoughts that you have articulated so well had occurred to me the other day when I was at my club library: There is suddenly a plethora of books by Indian authors in the "New Books" section. They are well written and on every conceivable subject. Yet I wonder sometimes how long these dead-tree books (as Mark Zuckerberg referred to them somewhere) are going to last. Tablets, iPads, Kindles and what have you are fast taking over ...
"convinient vanity publishing" with that one term you just butchered all my plans to become a published author.now the publisher i have so assiduously cultivated and bribed and to whome i have committed the total printing expenses, the charge for publicity, the book launch,his overheads and a small bit towards the retirement fund stands to lose all that becasue even after all this and the grand launch even if i manage to buy my own books from different book stores to show a succesful launch i will still know you are out there somewhere smirking at me- and all the money will go down the drain.
and to think i had you marked out as a younger sister!!!!!!
you better not write a book FP. i for sure am NOT going to buy it.
Rashmi, be careful what you ask for!!! :D
Jeff, I often wonder how many of the published writers out there actually get to sell their books? It must be quite disheartening after all the hard work not to see any monetary returns.
drbj, any book of yours I would definitely read - do you have one on the anvil? Your interviews would make a great collection! :)
Diana, don't depend on your computer - go back to longhand. If there's a book in you, let it come out! :)
DG, I'm as amazed as you! I think two hubs in a row is one too many so I shall go back to my cave and hibernate! :D
Jaspal, 'dead-tree' books have a special charm that no electronic gizmo can replace! Let Mark Zuckerberg concentrate on facebook! :D
Neelesh, there's no danger of me ever writing a book, so I absolve of you any guilt on that front! :D
Thanks for reading, all of you! :)
I've always been told 'you should write a book' - and then other times 'you should write a book but I think you did with that letter or emails'.
I think I've resigned myself to the Internet venue - we write our 'books' one chapter (hub) at a time.
I still would love to write a book...heck BOOKS - but who has the time? I think just writing a bit here and there a drib and a drab at a time is making my dream come true though I'd still like to write a few/many books that someone could hold in their hand!
Audrey, you definitely should write a book - your funny stories would make a great compilation if you don't have the time to write one! :)
Reading your words about the growing Indian-authored book collection in your library called up a mental image of spring flowers bursting into bloom...I could feel your excitement! You are a gifted writer, FP. Please don't go back into hibernation. A cat nap or two, of course, are required. But that's it!
fp - I am thinking of publishing as a collection all my supernatural Interviews after I write a few more. Thanks for enjoying them.
My most recent book is available at Amazon. It's a light-hearted but at the same time serious examination of job search, interviewing, networking, etc. "Much of What You Know about Job Search Just Ain't So."
It sounds like you are living in a very exciting time in a very fascinating place!
ST, what a lovely analogy! It is indeed a wonderful season for Indian writing in English. Thank you for your kind comment - unfortunately my catnaps tend to be rather long! :D
drbj, your book on job searches is very timely. I'm sure a lot of people have benefited from it in the recent past. Keep writing! :)
mysterylady, have you ever been to India? Sure you would enjoy it! :)
I have been intrigued by India, but I also am afraid of it. In college when I read Forster's "A Passage to India," Mrs. Moore's experience in the caves left a lasting impression.
There's much more to India than that, mysterylady! Plan a visit! :)
If I ever get enough courage -- and cash -- for a visit, I'll let you know ahead of time. Maybe we can get together for a cup of coffee. (This won't be any time soon)
I've got my fingers crossed! :)
They do say all of us have at least one book inside.
For my part I try to encourage the older generations to write about their past, just a simple explanation of their life and how it was to live in that time.
The young today have no notion of our life and how we managed to get them to where they are.
For instance there was a recent question here on HubPages asking if the world could cope without computers...
I wonder if the question was asked out of naivety or ignorance !
Merlin, as long as people like you are writing books, the younger generation need have no fear! :)
Great Hub which I enjoyed reading. Here is South Africa too there is an upsurge of writing and publishing. I think the post-colonial experience has a lot to do with it, as does the Internet.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this interesti8ng phenomenon.
Love and peace
Tony
Thank you tonymac...for reading and commenting. Yes, the English did leave behind one great legacy - their language! :)
This was interesting, especially since I had misread where you were from and thought it said, "Indiana". Imagine my surprise to find that you don't, after all, live right down the street!
I agree with De Greek, you string words together as though English is your first and only language. I am completely envious!
Thank you sueroy! And Indiana or India - what does it matter when the world has shrunk so much thanks to technology! :)
Wonderful write and one that will move me to explore Indian writing.
Thank you arb...sure you will discover some gems once you start exploring! :)
Fabulous Hub Feline. Forgive me for my discretion in failing to Fan you before(and forgive my frivolous alliterations). This is wonderful information and after I visit your Hubs, I know I'll be checking the shelves for some of those new Indian authors. Although I've yet to visit India you better believe it's on my "do before I get too old" list. Cheers!
Thank you Green Lotus! Sure you will enjoy reading the work of Indian authors. And hope to see you in India one of these days! :)
Hi, I would love to read the Mahabharata in a way that I could understand, maybe it is in English somewhere but I have never seen it, I know some of its story but not a lot, fascinating though. it is good how the world is getting smaller with its way of thinking and writing, and if you do write a book we will all be over to get a copy!
There are many English versions of the 'Mahabharata', Nell - one you might enjoy is 'The Palace of Illusions' by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni - it's told from the female viewpoint. :)
Does anyone have short stories of mahabharatha?
Hi Chinnidivs, the recently released 'Jaya' By Devdutt Patnaik tells the whole story in short - worth reading.
FP, I have been a fan of Indian writers for years- my favorite book thus far, being "A Fine Balance" by Rohinton Mistry. I discovered this book while at a Bed and Breakfast in Orange, CA when my son was entering college four years ago and I have read much of his work since finishing this lush book. I find it fascinating to read about other cultures from someone within that culture. I understand those who say you don't have to be male to write a male main character, and imply this the adage to characters from other countries. But the detail and insights that rise from embodied experience are so profound; I am not sure I agree.
Thank you for this informative and enthusiastic hub. Here in the US, I also believe everyone is writing a book.
Ah, Rohinton Mistry! The interesting thing is that though he hasn't lived in India in years he continues to write about the country and her people in such exquisite detail!
So glad you enjoy Indian writing, storytellersrus - hope you discover many more wonderful writers. Have you read Amitav Ghosh? Or Vikram Seth?
Thanks for stopping by! :)
Feline Prophet, I have not read these writers. I appreciate the suggestions. Have you written hubs reviewing any of their books? Or do you have suggestions where I might start?
My two daughters have given me lists: for one, I read The Elegance of a Hedgehog and for the other, Little Bee. I would never have chosen these books, but I loved them both. Well, truth be told, it took me awhile to get into Hedgehog, because it was so dang intellectually superior. But after reading her pontificate on choir membership, I settled in and will be sorry to put it down. Little Bee grabbed my heart from the very beginning.
Storytellersrus, I am the original lazy bee! It takes me a long time to get around to writing a hub so you aren't likely to find reviews from me! :D
I would recommend Amitav Ghosh's 'Hungry Tide' to begin with - it's one that made an impression.
I have read some great Indian authors and also some craps. I read Indian authors not only those who write in English but also Hindi and other languages. I have read new versions of Mahabharata and the Rayamayana from the authors like K M Munsi, Rahual, Rangaya Raghav among many others.
A writer friend of mine has told me India is a large country, in terms of territory and population, you can easily sell ten thousand hard cover copies to the libraries around the country. Ten thousand hard copies sold, and you have already made money as a writer.
Very few writers in India actually make significant amounts of money - but that doesn't stop them from writing - fortunately! :)
Thanks for stopping by, Vinaya.
Hi Fe! How was your New Year celebration? I am about to take my daughter to the airport. Ugh.
Here in the US many also write because that is who they are, not because it is lucrative. Nice to see your name once again -and think of Garfield, lol!
Hey there Storytellersrus! Spent new year's eve at a bbq with old friends - it was wonderful! :)
And now it's back to routine! I wonder when that will include writing a hub! :D
I wonder too! I hope soon!!! Hugs and Happy New Year.
Great hub and l am happy to hear there are more Indian writers coming on the scene.
When visiting India, l have been overwhelmed with the amount of fantastic book stores, with books written in English.
Voted up, of course.
Thank you DF...hope you will visit again soon! :)
Fe, happy belated Lohri Day! Is that the right name? Jaspal told me he was going to a celebration bonfire. Do you know of a book or site describing it's mythology??? Hugs!
Thank you! Check your inbox! :)
Phoenixritu 16 months ago
I think the internet has given us a voice .. rather than kill the book business. Publishers love to weep, but "they are like this only". Nothing can kill the inherent human desire to hear or read a good tale.