World Book Day: Desi Edition
- Bisma
- Apr 23, 2019
- 4 min read
Note: This blog is a part of the public domain and return for Zypher.
World Book Day is here and we know that you’re as excited as us! Which books should I rent? Which books to read today? What is the nearest and quickest way to get books? A lot of thoughts must be running through your mind. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! This year, we want you to explore the world of Indian authors and to explore their fine craftsmanship in the art of writing.
From stories based in the post-partition period to kids with supernatural powers to the woes of arrange marriage, mythology and even poems. This list will definitely assist you to make the correct decision.
A classic written by RK Narayan that like his other stories, revolves around the fictional town of Malgudi. Guide is the story of a corrupt tourist guide Raju who over the course of time and partly, due to destiny ends up being a spiritual guide or sadhu near Malgudi. Narayan uses interesting everyday premises to establish his acute assessment of human behaviour.
Written during the period of Indira Gandhi’s Emergency State (although the name is not explicitly stated), A Fine Balance sheds light on important topics such as the caste system, sterility and emasculation, women empowerment, politics using the journeys of the protagonists Om, Ishwar, Dina and Maneck.
Awarded with the "Booker of Bookers" Prize and the best all-time prize winners in 1993 and 2008 to celebrate the Booker Prize 25th and 40th anniversary, this book is set in the post-partition and post-Independence era. Rushdie employs magic realism to explore an era filled with chaos and pathos. The protagonist Saleem Sinai is born at Midnight, the exact moment India becomes free. As old as the newly freed country, he’s bestowed with superpowers. Saleem uses his telepathic powers to unite all the ‘midnight children’ and discovers that they too have superpowers. The book blends the lives of midnight’s children with the chaotic period in which they live.
The entire story takes place over the duration of a day, and that’s the beauty of this book. In just one day, Lahiri manages to unravel years of story and emotions. An Indian American family comprising of Mr and Mrs Das and their children are touring India with their Indian guide Mr Kapasi. Lahiri provides insights on the stark contrast between the East and the West, the sanctity of marriage, infidelity, desire and travel all within this story that begins and ends in a day.
One of the longest single-volume fiction novels written in the English language, the novel is set in post-partition India and is still relatable to today’s audience. Mrs Rupa Mehra wishes to get her daughter Lata married and have her ‘settled’. Meanwhile, Lata is adamant and refuses to give in to her mother or her brother Arun. Lata and her suitors form the crux of this book. Seth uses the plot to comment on the society, the oppression of lower castes, Hindu-Muslim tension, the abolition of the Zamindari system and the intricacies of Indian families. A sequel ‘A Suitable Girl’ set in modern times is in progress.
Winner of Booker Prize in 1997, God of Small Things is based on the concept that small things affect people’s behaviour, decisions and their lives a lot. It is the story of two fraternal twins Rahel (a girl) and Estha (a boy) who are separated and unite at the end and meet each other for the first time after 31 years only to realize that there is no other person in the world who understands them more.
Set in the 20th century, Amitav Ghosh explores the fates of Burma, India and Malaya through the lens of small, privileged families residing in these areas. It explores a wide range of economic, socio-political issues ranging from the World War I, effects of colonization, rubber and timber industries, the true meaning of a free, independent nation and much more.
Through the perspectives of Biju (an undocumented immigrant living in the States) and Sai (an Anglo-Indian living in India), Desai shows two completely different and contrasting worlds. Set in the post-colonial period, the individuals struggle with their own identities, about the lure about life in the west, about the loss of roots from the East. Tradition and modern values clash head-on in this thought-provoking novel.
Chitra Banerjee rewrites the Mahabharata from the perspective of Draupadi (daughter of Drupad) later named Panchaali. Born as a miracle from the sacrificial fire, thriving in a patriarchal society, Panchaali is no damsel in distress. She is a woman who fights for her own destiny, continues to secretly love her husbands’ enemy, deals with her mother-in-law’s mind games, swears vengeance on the Kauravas, serves as a great wife and companion to the Pandavas and does this all in a world that is pitted against her and constantly pulls her down. A feminist approach to the magnificent epic, Divakaruni ensures that we view Draupadi as the hero she truly was.
You can’t say poetry without thinking about Tagore. Gitanjali is a collection of Tagore’s 100 most beautiful poems that fetched him worldwide recognition and the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913. The poems speak of patriotism, heterosexual relationships, life, and death and make you ponder for a long time. If you haven’t read it before, what better day than today to begin, and if you’ve read it earlier, visit it again today.
Which one did you finally choose? If you’ve read all of these, share with us your favourite and also tell us which are your favourite books by Indian authors?
Zypher wishes you a book-filled World Book Day. Happy Reading!
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