INDIAN AUTHORS AND BOOKS - 4 - ANSWERS

1. B. Birsa Munda

"Aranyer Adhikar" (Rights over the Forest - first published 1977), a Bengali novel written by Mahasweta Devi narrates the life and fight of Indian tribal freedom fighter Birsa Munda. For this novel Mahasweta Devi received Sahitya Akademi Award in 1979.

Her other notable literary works include Hajar Churashir Maa, Rudali. She was a self-recognised communist and worked for the rights and empowerment of the tribal people (Lodha and Shabar) of West Bengal, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. She was honoured with various literary awards such as Jnanpith Award and Ramon Magsaysay Award along with India's civilian awards Padma Shri and Padma Vibhushan.

(Birsa Munda's statue at Bokaro City, Jharkhand)

Birsa Munda (15 November 1875 – 9 June 1900) was a tribal freedom fighter, religious leader and folk hero who belonged to the Munda tribe. He spearheaded a tribal religious Millenarian movement that arose in the Bengal Presidency (now Jharkhand) in the late 19th century, during the British Raj, thereby making him an important figure in the history of the Indian independence movement. His portrait hangs in the Indian Parliament Museum; he is the only tribal leader to have been so honored.

2. C. Amitav Ghosh

Amitav Ghosh (born 11 July 1956 in Calcutta) is best known for his work in English fiction particularly Novels which use complex narrative strategies to probe the nature of national and personal identity, particularly of the people of India and Southeast Asia.

(The Ibis trilogy)

Educated at the Doon School, Dehradun, Ghosh received degrees from St. Stephen's College, Delhi University and Delhi School of Economics. Ghosh is the author of "The Circle of Reason" (his 1986 debut novel), "The Shadow Lines" (1988), "The Calcutta Chromosome" (1995), "The Glass Palace" (2000), "The Hungry Tide" (2004), and "Sea of Poppies" (2008 - shortlisted for the 2008 Man Booker Prize), the first volume of The Ibis trilogy, set in the 1830s, just before the Opium War, which encapsulates the colonial history of the East. Ghosh's "River of Smoke" (2011), is the second volume of The Ibis trilogy. The third, "Flood of Fire", completing the trilogy, was published in 2015 to positive reviews.

"The Shadow Lines" that won him the Sahitya Akademi Award "throws light on the phenomenon of communal violence and the way its roots have spread deeply and widely in the collective psyche of the Indian subcontinent". Ghosh's most recent book, "Gun Island", published in 2019 and dealing with climate change and human migration, drew praise from critics.

Ghosh's notable non-fiction writings are "In an Antique Land" (1992), "Dancing in Cambodia and at Large in Burma" (1998), "Countdown" (1999), and "The Imam and the Indian" (2002 - a large collection of essays on different themes such as fundamentalism, history of the novel, Egyptian culture and literature).

He was conferred the 54th Jnanpith award in December 2018 and is the first Indian writer in English to have been chosen for this honour.

3. K. Shivaram Karanth

Kota Shivaram Karanth (10 October 1902 – 9 December 1997), an Indian polymath, was a novelist in Kannada language, playwright and an ecological conservationist.

He has often been referred as the "Rabindranath Tagore of Modern India, who has been one of the finest novelists-activists since independence". He was the third writer to be decorated with the Jnanpith Award for Kannada.

Shivaram Karanth was influenced by Gandhi's principles and took part in Indian Independence movement when he was in college. His participation in the Non-cooperation movement did not allow him to complete his college education which he quit in February 1922. He canvassed for khadi and swadeshi in Karnataka led by Indian National Congress leader Karnad Sadashiva Rao, for five years till 1927. By that time, Karanth had already started writing fiction novels and plays.

Karanth began writing in 1924 and soon published his first book, "Rashtrageetha Sudhakara", a collection of poems. His first novel was "Vichitrakoota". Subsequent works like "Nirbhagya Janma" ("Unfortunate Birth") and "Sooleya Samsara" ("Family of a Prostitute") mirrored the pathetic conditions of the poor. His magnum opus "Devaddhootaru", a satire on contemporary India, was published in 1928.

(Karanth's "Chomana Dudi")

His novels "Marali Mannige", "Bettada Jeeva", "Alida Mele", "Mookajjiya Kanasugalu", "Mai Managala Suliyalli", "Ade OOru Ade Mara", "Shaneeshwarana Neralinalli", "Kudiyara Koosu", "Svapnada Hole", "Sarsammana Samadhi" and "Chomana Dudi" are widely read and have received critical acclaim. He wrote, apart from his forty-seven novels, thirty-one plays, four short story collections, six books of essays and sketches, thirteen books on art, two volumes of poems, nine encyclopedias, and over one hundred articles on various issues. Apart he also wrote two books on Karnataka's ancient stage dance-drama "Yakshagana" (1957 and 1975).

4. B. Hindi

"Subramanyam Bharati Award" is a literary honour established by "Kendriya Hindi Sansthan", an organization under Ministry of Human Resource Development which is annually conferred on writers for outstanding works in Hindi literature as a mark of respect for "Subramania Bharati", one of the greatest Tamil literary figures of all time. 

(Bharathi with his wife Chellamma)

Chinnaswami Subramania Bharathi, also known as "Bharathiyar" (11 December 1882 – 11 September 1921), was a Tamil writer, poet, journalist, Indian independence activist, a social reformer and a polyglot. A proficient linguist, he was well-versed in Sanskrit, Hindi, Telugu, English, French and Arabic. 

(English Translation of Bharathiar's "Panchali Sapatham", based on the story of Panchali (Draupadi), is an ode to "Bharat Mata")

Popularly known as "Mahakavi Bharathi", he was a pioneer of modern Tamil poetry. The songs and poems composed by Bharati are very often used in Tamil cinema and have become staples in the literary and musical repertoire of Tamil artistes throughout the world. 

5. A. Sitakant Mahapatra

Sitakant Mahapatra (born 17 September 1937) is an eminent Indian poet and literary critic in Odia as well as English. He was in the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) since 1961 until retiring in 1995 and has held ex-officio posts such as the Chairman of National Book Trust, New Delhi since then.

He has published over 15 poetry collection, 5 essay collections, a travelogue, over 30 contemplative works, apart from numerous translations. His first collection of poetry in Odia, "Dipti o Dyuti" was published in 1963, his second anthology, "Ashtapadi" came out in 1967 and won him the Odisha Sahitya Academy award, while his third and most celebrated anthology, "Sabdara Akash ("The Sky of Words" - 1971) got him the Sahitya Akademi Award, given by Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters. His other notable works are "Samudra" (1977), "Anek Sharata" (1981) and "Sabda, Swapna o Nirvikata" 1990 (essays).

He was awarded the Jnanpith Award in 1993 "for outstanding contribution to Indian literature" and in its citation the Bharatiya Jnanpith noted, "Deeply steeped in western literature his pen has the rare rapturous fragrance of native soil"; he was also awarded the "Padma Bhushan" in 2002 and "Padma Vibhushan" in 2011 for literature apart from winning the "Soviet Land Nehru Award", "Kabir Samman" and several other prestigious awards.