For a country as vast as India, I find few authors of merit, especially in the children’s genre. In fact, after R.K.Narayan, I can think of few others who I can genuinely claim I enjoy. This for a country with the second largest population in the world, and probably the largest English speaking population in the world!
Why the disconnect? Do we lack imagination – I think not! Do we as a people still feel that books are best written by a different race, or is it that we don’t see books as a valuable source of income? It is the latter I would guess. The copyright laws that are in effect in India as as effective as a dog told not to scratch his you-know-what on the side wall! The moment a book is out, and it shows any promise of being a partial success, we have printing presses queueing up to churn out cheap copies. It is no doubt then, folks prefer to bottle up their creativity with a hard cork screw than to let their family go hungry and stand outside restaurants waiting for scrap food!
If J.K.Rowling were born in India and tried an Indian publisher, I don’t think she’d be living in any 5 bedroom mansion anywhere! More importantly, I don’t think she would have taken the step of being jobless for a year to churn out a book. There are no social security payouts to carry one through lean times. Pretty much relatives, who would make sure they run in with a vigour of a Kerala-style oil massage what a thorough waste of time it is to frivolously indulge in creative writing!
On a serious note, I recently read several Indian authors, including Booker Prize winning authors and remain unimpressed. I realise it takes a long time for an occupation to mature, and it is slowly but surely getting to a point when people don’t think of Engg & Medicine alone as viable careers.
February 21, 2009 at 3:31 pm
I read Vikram Seth’s Suitable Boy and reached the same conclusion. First of all the book was so big that I could not read it at bedtime- needed a table and chair!!Basic point for a publisher of casual reading- he could have had 2volumes!! The book was so boring and badly written-wondered what all the hue and cry was about!! I got past only half of it.
February 22, 2009 at 1:00 am
I agree Jayashree. I had the same issue with a number of books including ‘An Inheritance of Loss’(Booker 97). I was sorry to say that the only thing good about the book was the title itself!
What perturbs me is the murky side that these writers wish to portray rather than the realistic side. Life goes on beyond disgusting surroundings – people, and their characterization is completely left out!
March 5, 2009 at 1:39 am
@saumya: Very true… the few books that become popular are very heavy (pun of course intended). One recent book that I read and liked was ‘The white tiger’, its reasonably light reading and short. But its a negative themed book.
I think the only reason movies survive is because of they make money when playing in theatres., pretty much after that piracy takes over and its a trickle back to the movie makers.
March 18, 2009 at 5:28 pm
White Tiger is good is it?It is sitting on my bedside table seething with frustration as my newfound kindle is taking all my time, and I haven’t started on it yet.
September 24, 2010 at 2:18 am
Hmm
Why does your RSS feed state this is your latest post?