In the last decade Indian fiction has begun to blossom. At present there are at least a handful of Indian authors who have won awards worldwide and their audience is now not restricted only to the sub continent.

“The Golden Gate”(1986)Vikram Seth. This novel written in verse was originally inspired by Pushkin’s “Eugene Onegin”. The novel follows the lives of a group of youngsters in San Francisco, based on his experiences as a student there.

“Midnight’s Children”(1981)Salman Rushdie. The novel, divided into three books, is an allegory of happenings that took place before and after midnight of 15 August 1947, India’s independence. It won the Booker’s Prize in 1981.

“The White Tiger”(2008)Arvind Adiga. The novel compares India’s rise in the global economy from the eyes of a partly educated Rickshaw puller’s son. The novel won the Booker Prize in 2008.

“Sea of Poppies”(2008)Amitav Ghosh. The story is set on the banks of Ganga and in Calcutta. It revolves around the lives of the local inhabitants there.

“A Suitable Boy”(1994)Vikram Seth. The novel follows the lives of four families over a course of a few months, as a mother searches for a suitable boy for her daughter to marry.

“The Shadow Lines”(1988)Amitav Ghosh. The novel is built on a series of memories of several people to show lines that bring people together and those lines that hold them apart. It chronicles a series of events from the point of view of several people.

“The Interpreter of Maladies”(2000)Jhumpa Lahiri. The work is a collection of short stories on the lives of Indians as well as American Indians who are caught between their traditions and the modern way of the world. It won the Pulitzer Prize in 2000.

“The God of Small Things”(1997)Arundhati Roy. The work is a politically charged novel, set in Kerala. The story is of the childhood experiences of a set of fraternal twins. The novel captures Communism and the Caste System in Kerala.

“The Great Indian Novel”(1989)Shashi Tharoor. The story takes the great epic of the “Mahabharata” and remodels it into the Indian Struggle for Independence. Figures from Indian history are changed to fit the role of Indian mythological characters.

“The Alchemy of Desire”(2006)Tarun Tejpal. This fascinating piece of writing by the writer-journalist captures the brimming voices of India as it tells the tale of a young couple insanely in love. The story brimming with ideas is one of heartache and the state of the country.