Table of Contents
(Click on an genre to navigate to the particular section)
- Indian Classics
- Literary Fictions from Indian Authors
- The 10 Never-Ageing Crime Thrillers By Indian Authors
Books are the best laudable magic one can ever bargain for. They take us to a world unseen, amidst the people never met; let us unleash the benediction of love and hope, kindle our spirit through unimaginable parlance and many a times toss us to the pandemonium of crime and thrill and science and what not. Books make us laugh, hold a satirical mirror to the hypocrisy around. Books sketch our tears, read us the stabbing pain of a failed love, billowing cries of the wars or sometimes just lend us a simple reality check of growing old. In every way, books have been the best companion for humans. Intricacies of the world can fit inside a book. Books teach us life; the joys of victories, the pain of crumbling down, the griefs and the malice and everything but through an author’s unalloyed imagination.
Criticspace which has been formed by a group of literature lovers, serves with the sole purpose of inculcating the habit of reading. This pandemic has been dreadful, however, it has also been a blessing in disguise. We all are somehow bestowed with an opportunity to reunite with many of our hobbies that we have unknowingly abandoned in our nihilistic work-life balance. Don’t you agree? So, when you are unable to hang out with your friends anywhere outside, why don’t we help you to make some new friends who will never ask you to move out of our comfy couch?
We at Criticspace have decided to launch this exclusive section of What Are You Reading Next. We shall scrub through the best books in every genre and let you choose your next read. So, if you have been missing your good old days of sipping on a hot cup of tea and reading out loud the heart-wrenching lines of Salman Rushdie or rib-tickling stories of Khushwant Singh, not to worry any more. Criticspace shall help you in churning out that hibernating awesome bibliophile in you.
Before we recommend the books to you, just a curious query. Do you know, after the USA, India is the biggest publisher for English Literature? Today, India has more than 9000 ingrained publishers who wish and strive to take Indian tales to the world market. Thus, beginning our first blog post with some of the best Indian Classics which have millions of followers worldwide.
10 Indian Classics You Must Read
India is a motley of culture and tradition. Every corner, every morsel of land spins a unique tale of persistence. India is more like a progressive nation nourished inside an ancient womb. Over the years, Indian literature, irrespective of the language, have burnished and travelled across the seven seas, bringing in the accolades for the tapestry of diversity we offer to the world.
To begin with, we have
- Abhijnanashakuntalam- The Tale of Shakuntala by Kalidasa
India was not born when Vasco De Gama discovered it, or was invaded by the Mughals. India has a beautiful cocoon of its own history. If we have to start talking about Indian Classics, no one can brush off the stockpile of Sanskrit or Tamil literature. Abhijnanashakuntalam was written by Kalidasa in Sanskrit and till date it has been translated into several foreign languages. The tale of Shakuntala and Dushyant and the lost ring is a timeless story of love labour lost and regained. You can find this book published by different publishers, both on online portals as well as in bookstores.
- The Home And The World by Rabindranath Tagore
Originally written in Bangla and named as Ghore Baire, Tagore’s novel has become a cult classic over the years. The conflict of ideologies, influence of western culture on the then Bengal’s youth, economic deficiencies glowering over a young man’s desires; this novel stands apart for an immortal depiction of human turmoil and emotions.
- My Name Is Radha by Manto
Saadat Hasan Manto is an author rebel and audacious enough to take you through the naked, unhinged truth of life. His fiction scorns at the beautiful façade and spits out the harsh reality. Way ahead of his time, Manto took a different lens altogether. In My Name Is Radha, you will find a fearless author delving deep into human’s plight. Brutal but beautiful. Undesirable but undeterred.
- Untouchable by Mulk Raj Anand
When the present world is facing the challenge of religious extremism, Untouchable is a novel published in 1935 as an argument to hold aloft the illusion of unity in diversity. Caste system does exist and this venomous truth is well depicted through a day in Bakha’s life in Anand’s debut novel. One of the first books written on India’s abominable caste discrimination, this book should be your choice to begin with Indian Classics that brings a dollop of reality on every page you turn.
- Train to Pakistan by Khushwant Singh
The humorous man of India whose jokes and political puns tickle us till today has been a victim of 1947 partition. Train to Pakistan churns your innards as it depicts the human perspective of India-Pakistan partition. The pages chime in the pain, the petrifying acts against humanity, the horror of leaving a land of your own, the void of nothingness and with a sense of reality and believability.
- Malgudi Days by R.K. Narayan
A collection of short stories, Malgudi Days by R.K. Narayan is something no one can give a miss. You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. Realistic, humorous, and most importantly it is humane. Every story, every protagonist will turn out to be someone known to the readers. Published decades ago, Malgudi Days still stands high as an Indian Classic.
- Tamas by Bhisham Sahani
Originally published in Hindi, the core essence relies on the communal disharmony in India. A Sahitya Academy Award winning novel, later translated into a critically acclaimed movie, Tamas excavates the malicious mentality that overpowers every human during a crisis.
- The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai
Human migration, in the name of slavery or in pursuit of greener pasture has been a privileged topic over fiction writing. Booker Prize Award of 2006 winner, The Inheritance of Loss narrates about Biju, an illegal immigrant to the USA trying to make a new life and also about Sai, an anglicised girl living in India with her grandfather. Kiran Desai has majestically merged the impact of colonialism into the modern world. A story of joy and despair, this book is highly recommended.
- Ibis Trilogy by Amitava Ghosh
Amitava Ghosh is one of the most prominent writers of Modern India. This bundle of three books; Sea of Poppies, River of Smoke, Flood of Fire will take you to the colonial upheaval, opium war and of course into a deep, complex and emotional storyline. Although in a trilogy, each book can stand alone as a masterpiece.
- Cutting For Stone by Abraham Verghese
A riveting tale where the frailty of life is marvellously stitched with the spirit of being human. A blend of Indian and Ethiopian culture and language, the storyline revolves around third world medicine, sexual awakening, and political revolution within an emotional and complex family drama.
These are some of the well-known classics written by the authors of Indian origin. Reading is therapeutic and honestly, for a matter of fact every individual has a unique need of therapy. The world of books is like Akshyapatra; inexhaustible. Just pick one of these and begin your journey into this world. It is better to start that never. Rest assured, you won’t regret this process of rediscovering your reading habit. Start with the classic and soon we will get back to you with 10 super-fantastic literary fictions.
A gold medallist in Applied Microbiology from VIT, India, Atrayee is a Health Educator and works in the internal communications department of a renowned MNC. To cut her long educational qualification short, her journey as an editor started with Elsevier and Cactus Communications. She is an author by herself and have published three works of fiction. She has done 5 ghostwriting projects which have been published under good banners. An avid reader of English and Bangla literature and a chai person, she sits with us as an editor, translator and ghostwriter. She calls herself an introverted city-life hater who one day plans to live in a small hut with a bunch of rabbits.