Indian Writings in English : Perspectives and Prospectives

Indian Writings in English :Perspectives and Prospectives

"Indian Writings in English" is a term which is pretty self-explanatory. It's writings written by Indian in English, which is a  foreign language. This category of writings can be said to be quite a recent phenomenon, as it originated barely around a couple of centuries ago. It is, therefore, the youngest among all the writings/literature of all Indian languages. While it did have a late start, it gained momentum and has grown drastically over the decades. There were varied (and often conflicting) perspectives through the short but supercharged history of Indian Writings in English. Also, now that it has grown to be a recognised category of literature worldwide, it has new challenges to address and fresh avenues to explore.

Perspectives : 

The history of any language is traceable through its literature.


The history of Indian Writings in English is extremely abrupt and agitated.
It's abrupt as it was a language which came into with the colonisers and it was agitated as it was the centre of heated debates and contrasting viewpoints.


India is a land of several languages. It has around 22 officially recognised languages and countless vernacular tongues and regional dialects. Almost each of these languages has its own rich literature, which dates back to several centuries ago. Each language is hence, remarkable in its own way and has a distinct history, which is traceable through its literature.

Even with such a rich assortment of native languages, it is ironic that the link language of the nation is a foreign tongue i.e., English. While this is, of course, the result and residue of the 200 years colonial rule which our country was subjugated to, it is worthwhile noting the notions which actually compelled Indians to adopt a foreign tongue to such an extent and make it their own.


As English is a colonial language, people of India viewed it through many different perspectives, especially when it came to the question of creating literature in English. The various viewpoints can be broadly classified into two types:
1) Orientalists  2)Anglisists

Orientalists were the people who favoured Indian languages over English. According to them, English was a foreign language, and could never be good enough to fully express our 'Indian' emotions. Moreover, taking up and adopting something which belonged to our colonisers was looked down as 'slave mentality'. These people were of the firm opinion that using English would mean accepting the overlordship of the British. Therefore, they wanted to use only Indian languages and remain as different as possible from the British. Even among this group, there were innumerable splits as each had a varying degree of opposition against English. These people were harsh (and often unjust) critics of early Indian writers who were attempting to write in English. These people called such writers as hypocrites and accused them of not being devoted enough to their Motherland and mother tongue.

Anglisists were the people who encouraged the use of English in India. Many of these people belonged to the elite class and had hence been privileged enough to receive an education in English. According to their point of view, English was a gateway to modern science and knowledge. It was a way to introduce India to the outside world. Also, they argued that using something which exclusively belonged to the oppressors was an act of rebellion, not subjugation. The splits in this group were caused by the reason each one had for supporting English. Whatever be their reasons, it can be observed that these people were, therefore, the pioneers of the English language and in India. Many of these people were themselves writers who wrote in English and encouraged other writers to do the same.

To put it in a coherent manner, the various viewpoints about English held by Indians were as follows:

1. English has no place in Indian society as it is a foreign language. India has enough number of languages, each with its own beauty. It doesn't need a foreign language.

2. English is the language of the oppressor. Using and adopting it is a clear sign of a slave mentality. It's a symbolic way of bowing down and accepting the supremacy of England.

3. It becomes difficult to express thoughts and emotions in a clear and precise manner while using a foreign language. Emotions flow out naturally in the native language. So, it would be extremely hard and borderline impossible for Indians to be able to fully express themselves in English.

4. Writings in English would always remain inferior to the writings in native languages. This is because Indians are alien to the English language and cannot express themselves in a unique and creative manner using the language. What they do at best is to imitate the British writers, which is a ridiculous thing.

5.  English is a language of the aristocratic and elite class. It can never become the language of the Indian common masses.

6. English is a shallow and superficial language, best suited only for official use. It's no never comparable to any of the Indian languages


6. English makes it possible for Indians to have access to the new knowledge of the world I.e., scientific developments and such.

7. Using English would introduce Indians to the wide world outside. Indians will be free to present themselves and their own stories to the world, only when they have the knowledge of English.

8. Using the language of the oppressor in the fight against them is a sure shot sign of rebellion, not submission. Indians using English is an act of defiance and would surely engage the British.

9. Being introduced to English would uplift the masses, help break class barriers and aid social mobility.


At the onset, Indian writers who were writing in English did indeed try to mimic the Western writers. They often used pure English, unadulterated English by any Indian words. Some writers, especially poets, even went to the extent of using old English in their poems! This was a setback, as the rich and complex Indian experience cannot be captured perfectly with the use of "English",  both the style and language.

There was drastic improvement down the line. Writers gradually shunned the practice of aping the West and started to try and cultivate their own 'Indian' style. They brought words from their regional, vernacular languages and blended them seamlessly into the English language. They spoke about their own lives and surroundings, in their own personal style of write was their own. All of these developments led to Indian Writings in English growing rapidly in terms of both: quality and quantity.

Thus, each of the writers who strived and contributed to Indian writings in this period is with remembering; as their priceless contributions at this crucial junction of time made Indian Writings in English evolved into a distinctive genre of literature in India.
Some of the most important writers among them were Bankim Chandra Chatterjee (wrote the first Indian novel in English, Rajmohan's Wife) Mulk Raj Anand,  RK Narayan, Raja Rao, etc. Notable poets include Henry Derojio, Rabindranath Tagore, Miachel Madhusudhan Dutt, Toru Dutt, Sarojini Naidu, etc. Along with this name which is popular, it to be remembered that there are a number of unrecognized writers who contributed immensely to the growth of Indian Writings in English.

While the contribution of these exalted writers did lay the foundation, the current breed of writers has in their hands the hard task of building upon it. The work of the current writers will, in turn, lay down the ground for future writers to create further down the line.

Prospectives :

Though it can boast of being the link language of India and also the universal language of all domains that matter (science, technology, trade, commerce, etc); English still lags far behind, compared to other Indian languages, in the field of literature in India. Indian Writings in English is quite a late occurrence, compared to the literature of other Indian be which have been existing since ages. Though remarkable progress has been made in this field, there is still a lot which can be done.

Indian Writings in English has grown in leaps and bounds over the past few decades.
The end part of the 20th Century and the beginning decade of the 21st century have seen Indian writers gaining worldwide fame and applause. There are quite a few who have even won the Booker Prize. Several other prestigious awards have also seen Indian writers as their recipients. Such progress is certainly a significant achievement, given the late arrival of English into India. Indian Writings in English is now a source of global attention and appreciation.

Salman Rushdie (Booker Prize for his book, Midnight's Children - 1981)
Nayantara Seghal, Anita Desai, Arundathi Roy, Kiran Desai, Ruskin Bond, Vikram Seth, Shashi Tharoor are some of the names which have gained adulation and honours for their contributions to Indian Writings in English.

While such gigantic progress was heartening to witness in the previous decade, it's observed in the current decade that Indian Writings in English have slowly started to derail and denigrate.

A good number of writers nowadays write to appeal to the public and gain popularity;  instead of striving to produce quality writings which can contribute to the body of Indian Writings in English and raise it further. The challenge of Indian English authors now - a - days is to produce writings which have quality and are worth mentioning amongst the literature of the period. Presently, most of the English writings in India are just popular fiction, and most of them are not worthy enough to be considered as literature.

Besides, a number of writers in India nowadays look to carve out a career by presenting the country's rich culture, heritage, mythology and history in a bizarre and twisted manner. This is a horrific and shameful practice. Presenting own one opinion and understanding about mythology can be done without disrespecting or making a mockery out of it. Presenting history and mythology in an unjustifiable manner is to deliberately mislead the people who have no idea as out of our culture. This is a pressing problem in the present Indian Writings in English scenario, which can lead to serious complications down the line.

All this criticism is not to imply the lack of good English writers in India. They exist, of course, but they need to be given their rightful recognition and appreciation. Most of the good writers are of n  termed as amateurs, as opposed to the professional writers who only write to sell.

Public preferences have a considerable impact on what comes out as literature of a particular time period. So, the public has to be held equally accountable for the denigration of Indian Writings in English as their taste in literature is what determines the literary quality of an era. Choosing to read what is good over what is simple makes a ton of difference.  Some Indians even go to the extent of ignoring all Indian writers in English, under the impression that all of the Indian Writings in English is fairly inferior compared to Western Literature in English. This sort of complex is uncalled for and undermines the competency and skill of writers in our country. If the preferences of the public continue to be the same, the future of Indian Writings in English looks bleak.

With the advance of technology, the Internet has now provided a platform for everyone to showcase their talents to the outside world. Sites such as WattPad are particularly popular among amateur writers. Even readers of such portals are people with a sensible taste, who wish to read quality writings. It is observed that Writings found on such sites are of great quality, compared to the popular fiction of our era. This shows that there is no dearth of creativity or talent in India, just that the deserving ones need to be given the spotlight. Enough encouragement for such talents would mean an incredible future for Indian Writings in English.

Besides, there also arises the question of who or what all can be included under this category of "Indian Writings in English". NRI group of writers and third/fourth generations of Indian writers are the ones who are usually put under the scanner. These writers often feel that taking on any labels is limiting, and prefer to say that they belong to the world. Some have even gone on to question the very tag " Indian Writings in English" as it has a very colonial feel to it. This is an ongoing debate, which had originated parallel to the origin of Indian Writings in English. Each decade seems to bring forth it's own ideologies and suggestions, and reaching any conclusion seems unlikely in the near future.


Summing up, Indian Writings in English can be said to be a remarkable realm amongst literature. Its history is brief but convoluted. It grew and shot to heights in a very short period of time, but now stands in a very precarious position. While the public choices play a determining role, on one hand, the advent of online sites and ebooks is a ray of hope and encouragement to the young aspiring writers.