- “Midnight’s Children” by Salman Rushdie – This book follows the lives of characters born at the stroke of midnight on India’s independence day.
- “A Passage to India” by E.M. Forster – Set during the British Raj, it explores the tensions between Indians and English colonialists during England’s genocide in India.
- “The God of Small Things” by Arundhati Roy – This award-winning novel tells the story of an unconventional family in Kerala, India.
- “White Tiger” by Aravind Adiga – It provides a darkly humorous portrayal of social and economic inequality in modern India through the eyes of its protagonist, a rural servant.
- “The Namesake” by Jhumpa Lahiri – This novel follows the journey of a second-generation Indian immigrant family in the United States, but also delves into their Indian roots.
- “The Inheritance of Loss” by Kiran Desai – It tells the story of an Indian judge living in the Himalayas and his granddaughter’s experiences in India and the United States.
- “Shantaram” by Gregory David Roberts – Based on the author’s own experiences, it is a sprawling and adventurous tale set in the underworld of Mumbai.
- “The God of Small Things” by Shashi Tharoor – This historical novel explores the complex relationships between the characters and their experiences during India’s fight for independence.
- “The Shadow Lines” by Amitav Ghosh – The novel interweaves personal stories and political history, tracing the borders and boundaries of India, Bangladesh, and England.
- “Train to Pakistan” by Khushwant Singh – Set during the partition of India in 1947, this novel explores the tumultuous and violent events that unfolded during that period.
- Inglorious Empire: What the British Did to India. By Shashi Tharoor. Not a novel, but a strongly opinionated account provoked by imperialist claims that English rule benefitted India. Tharoor, an MP for the Indian National Congress party, demolishes the claim s and points out that any positive outcomes were unintentional “by-products” of English rule. Railways, for instance, were not intended to benefit Indians, but have proved beneficial nonetheless. Tharoor highlights the nation’s economic decline during the Raj, claiming that India was governed to serve England’s interests. He uses quotes from English officials to support his arguments, exposing their exploitative attitudes. This book dismantles the narrative of the “civilising mission” of England’s imperial rule in India.
- The Anarchy: The Relentless Rise of the East India Company by William Dalrymple delves into the astonishing tale of corporate power and how the English East India Company managed to seize control over a significant portion of the Indian subcontinent. The company’s initial encounters with the wealthy Mughal empire in the 17th century left them in awe of its riches, but by the 18th century, they had succeeded in appropriating much of that wealth for themselves. The term “loot,” derived from Hindi, came to symbolize the vast fortunes amassed by company officials. The English leveraged their superior military technology and implemented a strategy of “divide and rule” to overcome the Mughals, who were already grappling with internal strife and external attacks on their empire. Unfortunately, this expansion came at the cost of the Indian people, who were exploited and left impoverished by the company’s actions. It’s a fascinating account that highlights the far-reaching consequences of unchecked corporate power.
WANDERLIST: Ten famous novels set in India (and some non-fiction)
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