Great video, Avdoot, and a very good point for discussion. In my opinion, I do not believe Indian fiction is on a decline or lacklustre. However, I cannot agree more about the "marketing" point that you mention. It does prove it's point on it's own, with the fact that all you came across in Indian literature is Durjoy Datta, Amitav Ghosh, Amish Tripathi or Chetan Bhagat. Vikram Sethi and others that you mention are great authors, but there are many gems in various regional literature, that teaches us about different cultures and societies. India in itself are like multiple countries in one- with every state coming with it's own flavour of culture. So, the familiarity aspect that you mention may not be true if you look towards regional literature. Also, regarding the authors not being celebrated- is kinda true when you look at it on the surface level. BUT- Indian authors have a niche audience, and this audience does celebrate their authors. There are programs, felicitations and celebrations of authors who may not be popular or treated as "celebrities" in the normal world, but within this niche ecosystem of readers, these authors do get their dues. I would like to recommend a few hidden gems from the Indian fiction, which I think deserve to be explored, if a reader wants to deep-dive into Indian fiction literature somewhere in between the two extremes from Durjoy, Chetan Bhagat, Amitav to Vikram Sethi, Anita Desai and others: 1. Age of Frenzy by Mahabaleshwar Sail (Translated from Konkani, tells us about Goa, it's culture, Portuguese colonial rule etc) 2. Leila by Prayag Akbar (A dystopian satire that beautifully paints a picture of Indian politics) 2. Ghachar Ghochar (Vivek Shangab, translated from Kannada) 3. Bombay Balchao by Jane Borges (A poignant tale about the catholic community in South Bombay) 4. I named my Sister Silence by Manoj Rupda (Translated from Hindi, tells us about the grim story of marginal people who end up joining the Maoist) 5. The Two Wanderers by Bappaditya Chakravarthy (explores Buddhism culture, however I am yet to read this) 6. The Boy Unloved by Damodar Mauzo (Translated from Konkani, a contemporary fiction based in Goa that really leaves the reader pondering) 7. Em and the Big Hoom by Jerry Pinto (In my TBR, but deals with important issues like mental health and depression.) I am sure there are many more hidden in other states- Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Odhisha, Gujarat, North-East, Kashmir etc. Exploring Indian fiction is a journey in itself.
Just started reading, in love with it ❤ Was searching for books but to my surprise even the Indian youtubers were suggesting all foreign books!! Has been two days gathering recommendations of books by indian authors. But again it was chetan bhagat (who I'll not read because not my taste) among others!! Ngl got some good books too but these recommendations of yours 😁 thank you so much. I hope I read every one of these asap ❤❤
I believe as a person who has started english novels with Chetan Bhagat and Ravinder Singh etc. once you get into reading, especially English novels, you move on from these authors at some point. There's a disconnect that I feel in reading Indian background stories in English, I would rather say, I enjoy them better in their own language and therefore I started reading books in my mother tongue and enjoy them more. :)
Most of the literature we have in various parts in india,is in regional languages.We have a very tremendous amount of literature that we should translate to english and publish it globally.And indian society and people as well as government should promote reading and writing also read it.
I agree, I picked up his "The 3 Mistakes of My Life" and I was like what on earth is happening? How the hell are these poor guys who own a sports store on rented land going to Australia? + the ending sucks, I can't understand was it supposed to be full of action or what?
Indian fiction is something i can relate to and is familiar.... So hands down Indian fiction works for me. .. But you need to select the right ones.... Fiction by Bengali or South Indian authors is a work of art.... They are less popular but brilliant.... Rooted in our culture, and full of lessons in life....
@ Good for you. Indian books need their own magic system, instead of the pre defined magic systems, which I used to love, but now it feels like lazy writing.
As an Indian redear I really feel that Indian booktubers should promote more of indian literature, fiction books and authors. As for myself i do love to explore many genres like fantacy , classic lit , crime thriller, si-fi ! But I don't get good enough of them by Indian authors! However, I've my favourite regional author like Satyajit Ray , Ravindranath Tagore. I love their writings since childhood and I still read their works.
For the first time, I hear someone talk about the fact familiarity with the characters and plot being a hindrance in enjoying the book. It applies to me as well which is why I rarely pick up a contemporary novel with regional setting. Fantasy and Suspense interest me more because they are too distant from my life. Ashwin Sanghi is my favourite Indian author right now
My reasons - 1 - Indian booktubers haven't put enough effort into promoting good Indian authors/books(not targetting you just speaking in general) Same goes for bookstragrammers. Majority of what people buy these days is based on what their favourite book influence has recommended. Indian book influencers NEED to promote good Indian books. Its high time now. 2 - Colonial hangover. As much as it may sound weird but stillmany peole have this incorrect colonial hangover that somehow a book written by a white person is always better than a book written by Indian author. I even came across some weird comment that ' I dont like to read books which have Indian names' . So we are still just getting out of this hangover and I hope in future people embrace more Indian authors and more Indians also taking up writing and we get better writers as well
Idk why but it's weird to have Indian names in a book . However, I don't have problems with Indian names when I am reading historical fiction and mythologies. Btw I do like to read Indian authors book also
I so agree with the first point! Indian booktubers gotta stop blindly imitating their Western counterparts when it comes to following "diversified" reading trends. You will find enough reels and videos on booktubers reading a book from every country in Europe or even every state in USA but you won't find a good Indian counterpart where one is doing a book from every Indian state or reading translations from all the 22 odd official languages of India or say do a reading challenge involving Sahitya Akademi winning books and so on...
As a reader who loves to read various authors from India and other parts of the world, I have seen that there are not much people in our country who are interested in books that are written in hindi or any other Indian language. That's why lots of great classic Indian books are not that famous like any other well promoted books... Definitely in hindi also quality of books is degrading, but still some are there to keep our hope high.✊ (Although I find world literature more relatable and interesting, so I am going to explore more this year.☺️)
Great topic brother! I personally come from the Czech republic - a country with lots of book lovers. Literally if you travel, you will always see someone reading a book (including me 😁). But our own writers were not that much preferred until recently. I had the same attitude, I utterly avoided books by Czech modern writters. But slowly a change came. Our booktubers started bit by bit to include national writters and they were totally amazed. They spoke about so many fascinating topics, varieties of genres and their enthusiasm was so infectious that I myself have dared to try the same. And it changed my mind too. For example I am currently reading Czech book set in a jungle environment during a war time, so not our current time and our country at all but I got immersed inside the book immediatelly, it is so interesting. Our writters are coming with fascinating topics like very less known time in our history and they try varieties of genres. Along with it there are many people who speak about those books and promote them further. It's not that we prefer Czech books but slowly and steadily we are starting to give them the same value as to very high acclaimed international authors. So from my opinion there are many factors involved in it. It is the courage both of the writer and the reader to come out of the comfort zone and try something different and sometimes not easy too and the attention the books themselves get by their readers. And maybe there are other factors not so obvious too. But I hope for the best in your motherland too.
Absolutely insightful comment I can’t thank you enough, yes it’s a slow process but we ll get there I’d love to read some great Czech literature, feel free to recommend 🙌
@ReadTravelBecome I would gladly recommend many titles, though not all of them have English translation. Still I can mention three books that touched me deeply: Years of silence by Alena Mornstajnova (a historical family story where the word 'silence' has a big meaning), The sound of the sundial by Hana Andronikova (this book is partly set in India as the main hero works for the Bata company) and All the beauties of the world by Jaroslav Seifert (a memoir of our big poet).
In India, sadly saying the habit of reading books (fiction,non-fiction etc) is missing. Parents only want their students to read those books which are in the syllabus, so there is no culture of reading books. 😢 Children are allowed to play 'video games' but not allowed to read books because they think that it only waste time( as per some respected relatives)
From what I feel, English is not a native Indian language, and a minute portion of the Indian population is comfortable and willing to invest in English fiction books. Further, Indian fiction falls short due to the presence of multiple languages in the country (which, in fact, should be an advantage). There's a plethora of fiction books written in different regional languages that need to be translated into English for reaching a wider audience. Recently, Niyogi Publishers has been working on the same, and i highly recommend going to their stores (much from them isn't available on online platforms) and checking out their amazing collection of translated fiction. Lastly, I totally agree with the last point. The culture and ecosystem supporting reading is dying fast, public libraries are hardly present these days, rarely authors, publishers, or readers are looked up to.
As an Indian, I feel that writing is often viewed more as a hobby, something we engage in during our free time, rather than a potential career path. Very few people pursue a career in literature, as our society does not strongly encourage exploring the literary world. This lack of support prevents many from delving into novels and other forms of creative writing. In local villages and towns, there is so much untold potential and stories that could be shared, and there are many people eager to read them. However, the main issue lies in the lack of promotion and support for literature.
One should explore bengali fiction books by sunil ganguly, shirshendu mukhopadhyay, samaresh Majumdar and many others.. They are greats and their works are availbale on english translation by well-known publishing house like rupa, penguin, oxford. Just go and give a try.
I feel that the fourth point is one of the most important point you have discussed till now . Because I love reading but my parents literally asked me if I gain something while I read novels or poem or a prose or any other thing which will not help me increase my marks and I feel that that is one very very very very very very big problem. Encouraging someone only to read to gain something makes the person hate or dislike that particular action. And for me reading from every genre helps to make a better person to make a better character or a personality of a person because sometime you cannot gain some life tips from just a non fiction but a fiction book can teach you much more than just what the nonfiction taught you. A combination of all the genres is what makes reading more fun and enjoyable. Not promoting Indian authors and their books in the market of Indian literature is really a big problem because some authors or writers are really very very underrated but people refuse or fail to see or read those works by them because it is not marketed enough and later fails to reach the public and a gem gets hidden forever. I have seen this pattern in Indian literature as well as in Indian entertainment industry that when a particular genre gets currently famous then all the other people try to copy and do the almost exact thing with just a bit of editing and continue to promote them and publish them just because that particular genre is in demand. Like if a non fiction book gets famous all the other authors will write non fictions only and if in a movie a horror genre will get famous or a mythological genre will get famous than the majority people will do the exact same. That's a huge problem people fail to recognise. The famous writer Chetan Bhagat, I have read almost all books of him but he always writes from a point of Bollywood movie. Many of his books were adapted into movies but I don't like a story because though his writings are really easy to understand but as a reader I have read diverse categories of literature and it made me realise that his women characters kind of really problematic. My first novel which made me fall in love with reading was a book by Durjoy Dutta, his " the boy who loved" book and since I always liked a dark book his book was perfect for me as a first novel. But Some of his other novels are not that good ...But I have also read Amish, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni who writes so well but are not recognised or promoted enough .
As a 10th grader, I extremely agree with you that we, students of the Indian education system, struggle to build the habit of reading. Even after this I managed to buy some books and tried to build reading habit but whenever I think that I should read that novel or that self-help book my mind always comes up with one thing that I'm in class tenth I've boards so rather than reading other books I should be studying for my exam.. I'm really exhausted with this thinking cycle where I really can't start any book I have. My parents also say that you shouldn't be reading that book, I still hope that one day I will be able to read all those books which I've planned to read and make my own book collection like yours. You're a true inspiration for me because you see the world of literature in the way I see.❤❤
may your tribe increase. //I still hope that one day I will be able to read all those books which I've planned to read and make my own book collection like yours// please don't loose that hope
I am not going to read something because it is from my country. I'll support the author but I am just not going to read it because it happens to be written by a countryman. The book needs to be good and it's concept/ premise intriguing. Like every other reader, I also read to for enjoyment. But the biggest reason that puts me off is books not being in english. I can read and write in hindi and marathi but I am nowhere near as proficient in them as I am in english. So as a aspiring author myself I just can't invest the necessary time in it.
There's a great fantasy book in Tamil called Ponniyin Selvan or PS , which was made into a movie by director maniratnam. It is very popular and much loved in the locality. But it is a Tamil book. So many don't know and many can't read the language in other states. If books like these are translated to different languages, then these gems can also be popularized worldwide. Thanks to mani sir , because of him the book was again the talk of the town and many youngsters and elders started reading the book as well as listen to audio books before watching the movie. Many readers thought this should be taken as a web series instead of a movie as many scenes were deleted or modified to fit it into a 2 part movie
so as a gay person, unfortunately I see not many queer books on the market, and when i do its often a western one. I would love to see a MlM book written by an Indian
I would just like to mention that these days , children here are reading a lot ! My daughter is in class 4, an avid reader , explores different genres and I know many such children are out there who are reading a lot! Parents have to be encouraging and need to understand that reading other books is as important (!if not more) as reading text books and performing well in school.
Mostly indian parents think reading fiction book is waste of time. They never encouraged children to read fiction book rather than read text book so qualified competitive exams
In Indian fiction, you could try reading Manoj Das. His writing is extremely witty and the way he frames sentences is really intriguing. You could pick up "The Escapist" or his "Tiger at Twilight"
I am an Indian-American, avid reader, and only in English. Besides the excluded mention of the books of Salman Rushdie, I would like to mention two other authors. -All This Could Be Different by Sarah Thankam Mathews (Was a finalist for the National Book Award for Fiction) -The Many Deaths of Laila Starr by Ram V (Ram Venkatesan) Graphic novel
7:14 How could you not consider Ruskin Bond an Indian author? The landscapes he writes about, the people he talks about and even ghosts he talks about are Indian. I can resonate with the things he is talking about...so i would definitely consider him an Indian author atleast over Jhumpa Lahiri. Also, besides that, the genre of non fiction in india is not limited to 'self help' books. There is a wide range of books on commentaries on politics, history and international relations. And those are the books i would want to be discussed among the youth. That being said, you covered all the dimensions and that too deep insights. So, kudos to that.
Oh yes, just from an ethnic perspective And true that, non fiction is so much more: hence I fully stressed on fiction. The range of non fiction in India is incredible
Very relevant topic as an Indian. I noticed the same thing last year, that I don’t reach for Indian authors much because I don’t find them telling the stories I want to read or the quality I am looking for( not a fan of books where romance is central or of Bollywood type stuff). If great books are there they might not be in English or they are not being marketed right. At the end I think it all comes down to demand for books( aka the majority of the Indian public) and the respect authors and fiction writing gets in India- which is pretty much non existent. If there is demand the publishing houses will supply - so ultimately it’s on the Indian public, schools, parents and the governments to support and encourage writers and books of all kinds. And that will only happen when they see value in it. Sorry to say majority of the people in daily life I know- do not read for leisure especially not fiction. Plus It’s so easy to slide down the rabbit hole of the other forms of entertainment ( often to our detriment)that reading at best takes a back seat and at worst it gets thrown from the car all together. It’s really sad because I am sure there is a lot of talent in this country but without the right soil even the best seed cannot sprout.
You are right about everything! I always wonder why they don't mention lyricists'names! Now youtube is also like that. If you try to talk about a book they don't watch!
Somebody please translate the taranath tantrik book from bengali to English already. We have an English book that only covers just the two chapters of the literature Edit: you will love this book if you know bengali. My bengali friend used to translate these stories to me they are just wonderful. And I also agree with people only reading self help books and not reading stories for fun.
I definitely think the decline of libraries plays a huge part. The only library with a nice collection of fiction books accessible to me is a private paid one requiring membership. Most other libraries focus on academic knowledge and aren't meant for leisure reading. The other options are purchasing books new or used, not an affordable option for all. I remember short stories or even novellas in regional languages would get serialised in newspapers and magazines but a general decline in print media likely hasn't helped. Personally, I just don't find a lot of Indian authors writing in the genres I am interested in, although I do my best to give them a try when I come across any. And perhaps it is because of the social and cultural landscape but Indian diaspora writers seem to be writing far more imaginative works of fiction than those within the country.
Heyy Avdoot . It's been a long time since I watched your video and whenever I watch I get my intellectual filling. Hopium is something that many Indian authors are thriving on. The problem is the same you have mentioned in the video that people want to read for getting something in material sense not to expand their thinking horizons. Great video Indeed ❤ P. S. I will always be grateful to Chetan Bhagat whose books were the good start for me but I have to say this, he has become quite repetitive and not evolved with time.
All valid points... Want to add some more. 4. I have found the best indian fiction in translated fiction written by RESIDENT indian authors who write in VERNACULAR. cause they are not pandering to anyone and the plots and characters are really strong. They dont patronize the readers. They are just telling their stories. 1. Popular 'Indian' author books in english are written by expats who frankly pander to the western audience. The stories are full of page long imageries of pickles drying and monsoon etc. Its written at a very slow pace. Which makes it very boring. With stereotypical characters. 2. A lot of expat and resident indian authors (specially women) write very meloncholic stories which have very downer vibes. Again making it a struggle to finish. And these are the ones that get awards and visibility. 3. Most people who can afford to buy and read books have studied in english medium schools which makes English our first language. That too in convents. There the books in libraries were very typically british authors. So we have read a lot of it and are familiar with the names of the authors.
The first time i read proper indian fiction was in 2023 in my shool library. I had picked out five point someone by Chetan Bhagat and omggg i loved it so much and im still waiting to own my own copy because wow that book reminded me so much of my fav indian movie "3 idiots". I didnt know at that time if the movie was inspired from the book but Chetan really is a super great author & i was so happy to find out my fav movie was from his writing.
Ppl are really obsessed with the title of a book when it comes to blind selection but they are really missing out some great authors or the works which represent India in true sense In my opinion north eastern writers like Temsula Ao, Estrine Kire, or South Indian like Perumal Murugan, they really touch the inner workings of Indian cultures and society. But their titles are not that catchy that’s why ppl don’t bother to look it in the first place.
The genres explored in most Indian literature doesn't have mass appeal. You mentioned reading being encouraged in US schools. This does happen in some Indian schools and when it does people tend to gravitate towards fantasy, horror and mystery genres instead of books tackling social issues. Even among international authors people gravitated towards Eoin Colfer, JK Rowling, Enid Blyton and Lemony Snicket over Grisham or Dostoevsky. I feel that if we receive good books in these genres then that will definitely help the popularity of Indian books and authors. As you had mentioned in the video itself, Stephen King is a great example of this.
I do respect your opinionated views... I just want to add that I am a Bengali and have a significant access to regional bengali literature and I have got a great many authors hands down who have been exploring various genere of fictions and non- fictions ... I can't say in broader perspective though, it is TRUE that Gripping, thoughtful and insightful compositions are being written ... but yes it being a regional language doesn't get exposure... I do respect the literatures no matter within the border or beyond the border...
I think we need to ask why major publishing houses are not working on their strategy, adapting for 2025 and publishing a more diverse mix of books. Like you said, it's like there's always a clone of bestsellers and their marketing plans feel like a page out of a 1999 MBA textbook. This is probably a reason why all these self-helps are getting published and promoted. Publishing houses - hiring marketing geniuses, not some person who knows their textbooks inside out!
This is such a eye opening video! Perspective is so good...4th point is relevant and I always had that in my mind "Our academics,schools should introduce the children to reading world and also encourage" if that's the case there is no necessary of moral or value classes and means of entertainment would be so fascinating in the world of books! 📚
You articulated reason 1 so well , same reason I didn't often pick indian author. I enjoyed books of chitra Banerjee, ashwin sanghi, amish tripaathi, vivek Shanbagh. Planning to read more this year. I started as reader in my mother tongue kannada, and I'm proud to say I started with amazing works in kannada that has got my standards high. I request you to read some works of S L Bhyrappa - Parva, (Mahabharat retelling) Sartha(historical fiction),Yaana ( science fiction).
Valid points stated in the video. However, I feel that now, more than ever, Indian fiction is gaining more popularity albeit slowly. I think it's a matter of time as Indians are still exploring and getting used to works of fiction by Indian authors. We have quite a few of them - Amish, Amitav Ghosh, Ashwin Sanghi, Chetan Bhagat, Anuradha Roy, Vivek Shanbagh, Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar, Perumal Murugan, Manoj Rupda, Bhavani Iyer, Mamang Dai, Esterine Kire, Vikram Chandra and others. There are a few writers who write in regional languages (Vivek Shanbag, Perumal Murugan and Manoj Rupda are examples) and so, their translations need to be available for larger consumption. To my knowledge, never before in India have there been so many authors offering their work for the market. Therefore, I think it'll take time for people to consume these books, explore more and appreciate the works of these authors. I accept that not all books are good/ interesting. But I guess, the market will sort that out. We'll have to wait and see. That's my take on it.
I don't read English books as much, but I think in hindi there is going alot, so many new writes are coming trying new genre, and being celebrate also. In hindi books marketing was never attempted seriously but new publications like hindi yugm and more are changing it, which reflects on the sales as well. The ecosystem is a problem but social media is playing an impactful role, channels like you promote reading culture and making a strong community. And yes celebrated hindi authors are here divya prakaash dubey, manan kaul, nilotpal mrinal, satish vyas. So Hopefull this will only grow from here.
I assume a lot of it is that India has such rich stories like Ramayana and Mahabharata that is already popular. Another thing is Western fiction is often seen as a compliment to its movies and shows rather than just competition. Stephen King has so many movie adaptations which makes people want to read his other books. Similarly with Japanese fiction, many people get into reading manga because that way they don't have to wait for the anime's next season to come out. Maybe they could have writers create original stories for Indian franchises. Imagine a book that fits into the OMG (Oh My God!) franchise where, like the movies, a new character is helped by God with their struggles. People who like the franchise would want to pick it up and it might even be successful enough to be the plot of a third film.
Very interesting video... Not sure, but my belief is Indian fiction is very rich when it comes to regional language but not hindi and english... I have read a few very nice gujarati books, and I am sure it's for all the regional languages...
Indian literature should not be confined solely to Indian English literature. Native Indian languages play a much greater and more significant role in shaping it. As a Malayali, I can vouch for the brilliance of our writers-they are undoubtedly world-class, if not better. This is true for every native language in India. The only major hurdles are the lack of quality translations and effective marketing, both of which can be overcome with focused efforts.
Indian fiction is currently not in good shape. But I do see good non-fiction books on Indian polity, history, stories of entrepreneurs coming out and being received well. Indian origin authors like Tasha Suri are being received well in UK and U.S. markets. Indian fiction writers need to up their game and compete with international markets in terms of quality, that’s a tough reality due to globalization. They need also need to tell stories without falling to the tropes they are conditioned to through existing books and movies.
my school had graded assessments where we were asked to pick a fiction work from a list of books do character analysis, write about author's perspectives and many more other writings regarding that book. i developed a habit of reading from those tests, glad that i didn't just do it forsake of being graded. yes true! India needs to rejuvenate its reading culture and indians need to celebrate the authors and not just fall for heavily marketed but not so good books. and book youtubers need to talk about Indian books too! be it bad or good, like try searching for those yet to be discovered book and simply talk about it.
Finally someone talking about reading is not for education! we as readers want something else from reading which is more fruitful than good marks and good job... We get contentment from each book when we finish it! If anyone still puzzled Don't listen to music until and unless you want to become a musician or will be participating in some singing reality show... 😅
If anyone wants to read 'dark(blood and gory ) epic fantasy' they can read "Sons of darkness" by Gourav mohanty. It's a mixture of game of thrones and Mahabharata, it has also garnered quite an attention from foreign book tubers. It's a 3 book series and the second book is coming this year.
The poison of love by K.R.Meera and Keepers of Kalachakra by Ashwin Sanghi are 2 of the books by Indian Authors , which I recommend to many as those stories have stayed with me
Completely agree with your points brother,💯. Indian authors are not celebrated with recognition and adulation the way they actually deserve. Literature needs more diversity in India.
The only indian book I would recommend is behind the bars and black warrant. Its sooo amazing that one gets so amazed by the way every real story of prisoners leave you awestruck. The journalist is just amazing!
I am an author and what you say resonates with me. My genre is murder mystery and I wish marketing my book would be easier. If you want to read it my latest book is Murder at the Club by Sushama Kasbekar
Hi, Avdoot. Thank you for the video. As an Indian fiction-author, I can totally relate to everything you said. You seem to have a following, are definitely well read, and have a great sense of what is good and what is not. So here's a suggestion: Why don't you find one hidden gem by an Indian fiction-author a month and talk about it? You would be doing a great service to Indian writing, and also introducing your non-Indian audience to a new world. In any case, keep up the good work. Cheers!
There's a assamese novel name "Aseemat jar heral Seema ( who lost their limit in infinity )" by Kanchan Baruah . It's a mind blowing story. I hope in future someone can translate it into English.
Thank you for shedding light on this topic. Agreed with all the points mentioned, specifically the second one. What a great video! You are doing great. 👏
Indian fantasy authors need to understand that unlike other mythologies, they can't take the stories and characters of Indian mythology as they are just copying the story with a different asthetic. Instead they should take the asthetic and not the characters, like Tumbbad and Baahubali which used the Indian mythology asthetic to tell a completely original story.
I have read books from Amish Tripathi (10 books), Ashwin Sanghi (8 books), Akshat Gupta (4 books), Divya Prakash Dubey (4 books), Saksham Garg (1 book only published), Srishti Chaudhary (2 books are published), Kevin Missal (3 books), Parakh Om Bhat (1 book), Bharat Sundareshan (1 book), Niraj Poonam Miharia (1 book). On way to read books from Arundhati Roy. Till now I have read 64 books.
Reading to just gain something is the main reason for reading books here in India. It is kind of sad and one thing that I noticed is that a lot of study halls are popping up from last few years but people refer to them as libraries not study halls. I mean yes some libraries do have separate study halls but these "libraries " are just study halls with no books in sight,maybe a few competitive exam books if they are feeling like it. I get so excited to hear a library has opened up, only to have my hopes dashed when it turns out to be another study hall
The book I read the long silence was good but the ending was very abrupt. You wait for that part in the whole novel where everything falls apart but just to find out author forgot to even gives any attention to it!
Since I am from Kashmir, I promote best regional (Urdu ) literature on my UA-cam channel. I do audiobooks so that my other Indian friends who can't read Urdu but can understand Urdu can benefit from these best books. ❤
@@adityak935 idk why these converted m*slims who live in Kashmir are ashamed of speaking Kashmiri. the official language of jammu & kashmir is literally urdu, a language that originated in UP. they're just like the converted punjabi m*slims who can't speak punjabi.
I thought amish's writing was good but i didnt enjoy shiva trilogy so much because the fact that its about a god who i rever felt really weird. It almost felt blaphemous (im not saying it is , i just personally felt thay way) So i know that i will have the same problem with all books in that genre.
9:08 I agree with 1st 3 points. But for the 4th point, it's true but it has its drawbacks in respective countries. Indians being STEM concentric ulUS being more literature
Finally someone who values quality over money. Money is evil. We read it in childhood, now it a reality. Its robbing us from true beauty. Everything that you speak or do has to have monetary reward attached to it. Pathetic times. Still prople like you gives me hope. In India, we are moving backwards. Fascism at its peak.
I'm a die hard fan of RK Narayan and enjoy Indian books just as much as western ones, but I've a lot of trouble finding books that will suit my taste. As someone who doesn't have much of an interest in socio-economic heavy backdrops(God of small things was amazing though, one of my favs), mystery, thriller or such, I've come across barely any Indian coming of age books for an Instance. Books like perks of being a wallflower, catcher in the rye, the bell jar have heavily influenced in what I aspire to have in my writing, someday I'd hope to see more books that cater to themes similar in Indian english literature too
I only read Bengali and English language books. But I know that there are so many works in so many languages which I want to read . But I'm not fluent in those language so that's heartbreaking. We need more translations.
There is excellent regional language literature in India. My experience with Marathi literature was always outstanding. While reading those books, people would certainly feel that they are transcended. But , as an Indian i would like you to promote good books from good authors from India.
2:40 completely agree with these points. Personally for me when I started reading hindi fiction as a kid like Banke lal comic and other such stuff I often faced criticism from school and home to read religious stuff more or books about freedom fighter. Basically it taught me that fiction is bad and I should hide I read it. So I did had access to hindi book online (i used archieve) but I had access to a lot of western books in fiction. Also most author who write Indian fiction in English have really bad English (Amish) I tried readong them but couldn't. I did read some romaces some were good but most are saturated like Bollywood. My main in self-help book and non fiction. I can't read fiction without feeling guilty😂😂😂
Another thing that I find is that, as a Hindi literature reader, I really can't find the book I want to read in good condition. Hindi upanyas are really hard to find in a bookstore. When I was in school, my school had a good collection of Hindi literature, so I read them a lot, but today, I can't find it easily like that.
I also asked my local bookseller about hindi novels, he said these days no one want to buy it. So they don't order them. But I still remember while I was in school I used to buy my hindi books from them. So I think not a lot of people want to buy it from bookstores.
Thank you so much sir, you channel is one the best booktube channel।for me, i wait for your videos, daksh jindal sir videos, helly, indian booktuber and few others, i rewatch yourvideos beacuse your recommendations are not those familiar books and i have to come back again, Keep this work up sir❤❤❤
what are books from around th eworld including india which are about cults ,black magic,which might have stuff about ritual sacrifices of animals to humans ,etc. fiction,non fiction etc
Great video, Avdoot, and a very good point for discussion. In my opinion, I do not believe Indian fiction is on a decline or lacklustre. However, I cannot agree more about the "marketing" point that you mention. It does prove it's point on it's own, with the fact that all you came across in Indian literature is Durjoy Datta, Amitav Ghosh, Amish Tripathi or Chetan Bhagat. Vikram Sethi and others that you mention are great authors, but there are many gems in various regional literature, that teaches us about different cultures and societies. India in itself are like multiple countries in one- with every state coming with it's own flavour of culture. So, the familiarity aspect that you mention may not be true if you look towards regional literature. Also, regarding the authors not being celebrated- is kinda true when you look at it on the surface level. BUT- Indian authors have a niche audience, and this audience does celebrate their authors. There are programs, felicitations and celebrations of authors who may not be popular or treated as "celebrities" in the normal world, but within this niche ecosystem of readers, these authors do get their dues.
I would like to recommend a few hidden gems from the Indian fiction, which I think deserve to be explored, if a reader wants to deep-dive into Indian fiction literature somewhere in between the two extremes from Durjoy, Chetan Bhagat, Amitav to Vikram Sethi, Anita Desai and others:
1. Age of Frenzy by Mahabaleshwar Sail (Translated from Konkani, tells us about Goa, it's culture, Portuguese colonial rule etc)
2. Leila by Prayag Akbar (A dystopian satire that beautifully paints a picture of Indian politics)
2. Ghachar Ghochar (Vivek Shangab, translated from Kannada)
3. Bombay Balchao by Jane Borges (A poignant tale about the catholic community in South Bombay)
4. I named my Sister Silence by Manoj Rupda (Translated from Hindi, tells us about the grim story of marginal people who end up joining the Maoist)
5. The Two Wanderers by Bappaditya Chakravarthy (explores Buddhism culture, however I am yet to read this)
6. The Boy Unloved by Damodar Mauzo (Translated from Konkani, a contemporary fiction based in Goa that really leaves the reader pondering)
7. Em and the Big Hoom by Jerry Pinto (In my TBR, but deals with important issues like mental health and depression.)
I am sure there are many more hidden in other states- Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Odhisha, Gujarat, North-East, Kashmir etc. Exploring Indian fiction is a journey in itself.
Incredible, beautiful comment. Thank you so much for sharing!
thank you for these recommendations! each and every one of them sounds super interesting!
Just started reading, in love with it ❤
Was searching for books but to my surprise even the Indian youtubers were suggesting all foreign books!! Has been two days gathering recommendations of books by indian authors.
But again it was chetan bhagat (who I'll not read because not my taste) among others!! Ngl got some good books too but these recommendations of yours 😁 thank you so much.
I hope I read every one of these asap ❤❤
I believe as a person who has started english novels with Chetan Bhagat and Ravinder Singh etc. once you get into reading, especially English novels, you move on from these authors at some point. There's a disconnect that I feel in reading Indian background stories in English, I would rather say, I enjoy them better in their own language and therefore I started reading books in my mother tongue and enjoy them more. :)
I would suggest to add "Stories of True" by B.Jeyamohan (collection of short stories based on real personalities . translated from Tamil)
Most of the literature we have in various parts in india,is in regional languages.We have a very tremendous amount of literature that we should translate to english and publish it globally.And indian society and people as well as government should promote reading and writing also read it.
Great point!
Exactly 💯
@@ReadTravelBecomeGlad to get comment from you bhaiya.Great fan ❤
Yeah 👍
That's what the Sahitya Academy does, but obviously can do a much better job on social media
Honestly Chetan Bhagat is so bad (and so irrelevant) that he shouldn't be the standard for Indian fiction.
I agree, I picked up his "The 3 Mistakes of My Life" and I was like what on earth is happening? How the hell are these poor guys who own a sports store on rented land going to Australia? + the ending sucks, I can't understand was it supposed to be full of action or what?
💯💯💯
I Agree
@@The_Math_Enthusiastfirst mistake of your life 🤣
@@SanyamKaushalmine too😂😂
Indian fiction is something i can relate to and is familiar.... So hands down Indian fiction works for me. ..
But you need to select the right ones.... Fiction by Bengali or South Indian authors is a work of art.... They are less popular but brilliant.... Rooted in our culture, and full of lessons in life....
Please suggest some good fiction
Exactly
Can you please recommend some?
I’ve heard a lot yes, looking forward to exploring these
@@ksrinibash9934 pls do read stranger triology by novoneel chaakraborty. it's fabulous
Need High Fantasy / Epic Fantasy books from Indian authors, instead of Mythological fictions genre.
Kinda ironic that I'm working on my fantasy drafts lmao
@ Good for you. Indian books need their own magic system, instead of the pre defined magic systems, which I used to love, but now it feels like lazy writing.
For real
As an Indian redear I really feel that Indian booktubers should promote more of indian literature, fiction books and authors. As for myself i do love to explore many genres like fantacy , classic lit , crime thriller, si-fi ! But I don't get good enough of them by Indian authors! However, I've my favourite regional author like Satyajit Ray , Ravindranath Tagore. I love their writings since childhood and I still read their works.
I agree
For the first time, I hear someone talk about the fact familiarity with the characters and plot being a hindrance in enjoying the book. It applies to me as well which is why I rarely pick up a contemporary novel with regional setting. Fantasy and Suspense interest me more because they are too distant from my life. Ashwin Sanghi is my favourite Indian author right now
My reasons -
1 - Indian booktubers haven't put enough effort into promoting good Indian authors/books(not targetting you just speaking in general)
Same goes for bookstragrammers. Majority of what people buy these days is based on what their favourite book influence has recommended.
Indian book influencers NEED to promote good Indian books. Its high time now.
2 - Colonial hangover. As much as it may sound weird but stillmany peole have this incorrect colonial hangover that somehow a book written by a white person is always better than a book written by Indian author. I even came across some weird comment that ' I dont like to read books which have Indian names' . So we are still just getting out of this hangover and I hope in future people embrace more Indian authors and more Indians also taking up writing and we get better writers as well
These are great points. White supremacy does exist yeah. I personally dont experience it but your points are relevant
Thanks for sharing!
Reason 2 is for me I don't prefer indian😅
Idk why but it's weird to have Indian names in a book . However, I don't have problems with Indian names when I am reading historical fiction and mythologies.
Btw I do like to read Indian authors book also
I so agree with the first point! Indian booktubers gotta stop blindly imitating their Western counterparts when it comes to following "diversified" reading trends. You will find enough reels and videos on booktubers reading a book from every country in Europe or even every state in USA but you won't find a good Indian counterpart where one is doing a book from every Indian state or reading translations from all the 22 odd official languages of India or say do a reading challenge involving Sahitya Akademi winning books and so on...
It is a name why the hell is it weird @@BibbliophilesBrush
As a reader who loves to read various authors from India and other parts of the world, I have seen that there are not much people in our country who are interested in books that are written in hindi or any other Indian language. That's why lots of great classic Indian books are not that famous like any other well promoted books... Definitely in hindi also quality of books is degrading, but still some are there to keep our hope high.✊
(Although I find world literature more relatable and interesting, so I am going to explore more this year.☺️)
Meghna Verma YT talks about really good Indian gems.
Beautiful, we need passionate people like you🙌
Great topic brother! I personally come from the Czech republic - a country with lots of book lovers. Literally if you travel, you will always see someone reading a book (including me 😁). But our own writers were not that much preferred until recently. I had the same attitude, I utterly avoided books by Czech modern writters. But slowly a change came. Our booktubers started bit by bit to include national writters and they were totally amazed. They spoke about so many fascinating topics, varieties of genres and their enthusiasm was so infectious that I myself have dared to try the same. And it changed my mind too. For example I am currently reading Czech book set in a jungle environment during a war time, so not our current time and our country at all but I got immersed inside the book immediatelly, it is so interesting. Our writters are coming with fascinating topics like very less known time in our history and they try varieties of genres. Along with it there are many people who speak about those books and promote them further. It's not that we prefer Czech books but slowly and steadily we are starting to give them the same value as to very high acclaimed international authors. So from my opinion there are many factors involved in it. It is the courage both of the writer and the reader to come out of the comfort zone and try something different and sometimes not easy too and the attention the books themselves get by their readers. And maybe there are other factors not so obvious too. But I hope for the best in your motherland too.
Absolutely insightful comment
I can’t thank you enough, yes it’s a slow process but we ll get there
I’d love to read some great Czech literature, feel free to recommend 🙌
@ReadTravelBecome I would gladly recommend many titles, though not all of them have English translation. Still I can mention three books that touched me deeply: Years of silence by Alena Mornstajnova (a historical family story where the word 'silence' has a big meaning), The sound of the sundial by Hana Andronikova (this book is partly set in India as the main hero works for the Bata company) and All the beauties of the world by Jaroslav Seifert (a memoir of our big poet).
In India, sadly saying the habit of reading books (fiction,non-fiction etc) is missing. Parents only want their students to read those books which are in the syllabus, so there is no culture of reading books. 😢 Children are allowed to play 'video games' but not allowed to read books because they think that it only waste time( as per some respected relatives)
That's a really important point, we need to change this!
Ya mine parents also😢
That's so true!!
So true!
From what I feel, English is not a native Indian language, and a minute portion of the Indian population is comfortable and willing to invest in English fiction books.
Further, Indian fiction falls short due to the presence of multiple languages in the country (which, in fact, should be an advantage). There's a plethora of fiction books written in different regional languages that need to be translated into English for reaching a wider audience. Recently, Niyogi Publishers has been working on the same, and i highly recommend going to their stores (much from them isn't available on online platforms) and checking out their amazing collection of translated fiction.
Lastly, I totally agree with the last point. The culture and ecosystem supporting reading is dying fast, public libraries are hardly present these days, rarely authors, publishers, or readers are looked up to.
Couldn’t agree more, thanks for sharing that thought 🙌
As an Indian, I feel that writing is often viewed more as a hobby, something we engage in during our free time, rather than a potential career path. Very few people pursue a career in literature, as our society does not strongly encourage exploring the literary world. This lack of support prevents many from delving into novels and other forms of creative writing. In local villages and towns, there is so much untold potential and stories that could be shared, and there are many people eager to read them. However, the main issue lies in the lack of promotion and support for literature.
That’s an interesting perspective
One should explore bengali fiction books by sunil ganguly, shirshendu mukhopadhyay, samaresh Majumdar and many others..
They are greats and their works are availbale on english translation by well-known publishing house like rupa, penguin, oxford.
Just go and give a try.
🙌
Im so glad so much of Bengali literature is getting translated so people from other state can read. Bengali literature always has been amazing.
I've read the adventures of Feluda by Satyajit Ray and loved it!!
I feel that the fourth point is one of the most important point you have discussed till now . Because I love reading but my parents literally asked me if I gain something while I read novels or poem or a prose or any other thing which will not help me increase my marks and I feel that that is one very very very very very very big problem. Encouraging someone only to read to gain something makes the person hate or dislike that particular action. And for me reading from every genre helps to make a better person to make a better character or a personality of a person because sometime you cannot gain some life tips from just a non fiction but a fiction book can teach you much more than just what the nonfiction taught you. A combination of all the genres is what makes reading more fun and enjoyable. Not promoting Indian authors and their books in the market of Indian literature is really a big problem because some authors or writers are really very very underrated but people refuse or fail to see or read those works by them because it is not marketed enough and later fails to reach the public and a gem gets hidden forever. I have seen this pattern in Indian literature as well as in Indian entertainment industry that when a particular genre gets currently famous then all the other people try to copy and do the almost exact thing with just a bit of editing and continue to promote them and publish them just because that particular genre is in demand. Like if a non fiction book gets famous all the other authors will write non fictions only and if in a movie a horror genre will get famous or a mythological genre will get famous than the majority people will do the exact same. That's a huge problem people fail to recognise. The famous writer Chetan Bhagat, I have read almost all books of him but he always writes from a point of Bollywood movie. Many of his books were adapted into movies but I don't like a story because though his writings are really easy to understand but as a reader I have read diverse categories of literature and it made me realise that his women characters kind of really problematic. My first novel which made me fall in love with reading was a book by Durjoy Dutta, his " the boy who loved" book and since I always liked a dark book his book was perfect for me as a first novel. But
Some of his other novels are not that good ...But I have also read Amish, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni who writes so well but are not recognised or promoted enough .
Incredible comment, thanks a lot for sharing your thoughts, I really appreciate it☺️
As a 10th grader, I extremely agree with you that we, students of the Indian education system, struggle to build the habit of reading. Even after this I managed to buy some books and tried to build reading habit but whenever I think that I should read that novel or that self-help book my mind always comes up with one thing that I'm in class tenth I've boards so rather than reading other books I should be studying for my exam.. I'm really exhausted with this thinking cycle where I really can't start any book I have. My parents also say that you shouldn't be reading that book, I still hope that one day I will be able to read all those books which I've planned to read and make my own book collection like yours. You're a true inspiration for me because you see the world of literature in the way I see.❤❤
You are going to do great, keep going!
You can read after your board exams, in holidays. Or just 15 to 20 mins. For everyday. Strict schedule though. Not more than that.
may your tribe increase. //I still hope that one day I will be able to read all those books which I've planned to read and make my own book collection like yours// please don't loose that hope
@@sivasankaransomaskanthan8264 Yea definitely, thanks for your words..
I am not going to read something because it is from my country. I'll support the author but I am just not going to read it because it happens to be written by a countryman. The book needs to be good and it's concept/ premise intriguing.
Like every other reader, I also read to for enjoyment. But the biggest reason that puts me off is books not being in english.
I can read and write in hindi and marathi but I am nowhere near as proficient in them as I am in english.
So as a aspiring author myself I just can't invest the necessary time in it.
There's a great fantasy book in Tamil called Ponniyin Selvan or PS , which was made into a movie by director maniratnam. It is very popular and much loved in the locality. But it is a Tamil book. So many don't know and many can't read the language in other states. If books like these are translated to different languages, then these gems can also be popularized worldwide.
Thanks to mani sir , because of him the book was again the talk of the town and many youngsters and elders started reading the book as well as listen to audio books before watching the movie.
Many readers thought this should be taken as a web series instead of a movie as many scenes were deleted or modified to fit it into a 2 part movie
so as a gay person, unfortunately I see not many queer books on the market, and when i do its often a western one. I would love to see a MlM book written by an Indian
I would just like to mention that these days , children here are reading a lot ! My daughter is in class 4, an avid reader , explores different genres and I know many such children are out there who are reading a lot! Parents have to be encouraging and need to understand that reading other books is as important (!if not more) as reading text books and performing well in school.
👏👏👏
I have had a hunch about few of your reasons but i was not sure if it were true. Quite a delightful video btw.
Mostly indian parents think reading fiction book is waste of time. They never encouraged children to read fiction book rather than read text book so qualified competitive exams
In Indian fiction, you could try reading Manoj Das. His writing is extremely witty and the way he frames sentences is really intriguing. You could pick up "The Escapist" or his "Tiger at Twilight"
I am an Indian-American, avid reader, and only in English. Besides the excluded mention of the books of Salman Rushdie, I would like to mention two other authors.
-All This Could Be Different by Sarah Thankam Mathews
(Was a finalist for the National Book Award for Fiction)
-The Many Deaths of Laila Starr by Ram V (Ram Venkatesan)
Graphic novel
Your video and perspective really gave great insights into indian literature and it will be helpful for the emerging authors in india..
Thank you 😇
7:14 How could you not consider Ruskin Bond an Indian author? The landscapes he writes about, the people he talks about and even ghosts he talks about are Indian. I can resonate with the things he is talking about...so i would definitely consider him an Indian author atleast over Jhumpa Lahiri.
Also, besides that, the genre of non fiction in india is not limited to 'self help' books. There is a wide range of books on commentaries on politics, history and international relations. And those are the books i would want to be discussed among the youth.
That being said, you covered all the dimensions and that too deep insights. So, kudos to that.
Oh yes, just from an ethnic perspective
And true that, non fiction is so much more: hence I fully stressed on fiction. The range of non fiction in India is incredible
Very relevant topic as an Indian.
I noticed the same thing last year, that I don’t reach for Indian authors much because I don’t find them telling the stories I want to read or the quality I am looking for( not a fan of books where romance is central or of Bollywood type stuff).
If great books are there they might not be in English or they are not being marketed right.
At the end I think it all comes down to demand for books( aka the majority of the Indian public) and the respect authors and fiction writing gets in India- which is pretty much non existent.
If there is demand the publishing houses will supply - so ultimately it’s on the Indian public, schools, parents and the governments to support and encourage writers and books of all kinds.
And that will only happen when they see value in it.
Sorry to say majority of the people in daily life I know- do not read for leisure especially not fiction.
Plus It’s so easy to slide down the rabbit hole of the other forms of entertainment ( often to our detriment)that reading at best takes a back seat and at worst it gets thrown from the car all together.
It’s really sad because I am sure there is a lot of talent in this country but without the right soil even the best seed cannot sprout.
You are right about everything! I always wonder why they don't mention lyricists'names! Now youtube is also like that. If you try to talk about a book they don't watch!
thanks for putting out ur perspective loved it the way you highlighted 🎉
Appreciate the support! 🙏
Somebody please translate the taranath tantrik book from bengali to English already. We have an English book that only covers just the two chapters of the literature
Edit: you will love this book if you know bengali. My bengali friend used to translate these stories to me they are just wonderful. And I also agree with people only reading self help books and not reading stories for fun.
There are TNT Comics
@anontaku1 yea but its a Re-imaging
I definitely think the decline of libraries plays a huge part. The only library with a nice collection of fiction books accessible to me is a private paid one requiring membership. Most other libraries focus on academic knowledge and aren't meant for leisure reading. The other options are purchasing books new or used, not an affordable option for all. I remember short stories or even novellas in regional languages would get serialised in newspapers and magazines but a general decline in print media likely hasn't helped.
Personally, I just don't find a lot of Indian authors writing in the genres I am interested in, although I do my best to give them a try when I come across any. And perhaps it is because of the social and cultural landscape but Indian diaspora writers seem to be writing far more imaginative works of fiction than those within the country.
Heyy Avdoot . It's been a long time since I watched your video and whenever I watch I get my intellectual filling. Hopium is something that many Indian authors are thriving on. The problem is the same you have mentioned in the video that people want to read for getting something in material sense not to expand their thinking horizons. Great video Indeed ❤
P. S. I will always be grateful to Chetan Bhagat whose books were the good start for me but I have to say this, he has become quite repetitive and not evolved with time.
Appreciate you, hope you enjoyed the video!
All valid points... Want to add some more.
4. I have found the best indian fiction in translated fiction written by RESIDENT indian authors who write in VERNACULAR. cause they are not pandering to anyone and the plots and characters are really strong. They dont patronize the readers. They are just telling their stories.
1. Popular 'Indian' author books in english are written by expats who frankly pander to the western audience. The stories are full of page long imageries of pickles drying and monsoon etc. Its written at a very slow pace. Which makes it very boring. With stereotypical characters.
2. A lot of expat and resident indian authors (specially women) write very meloncholic stories which have very downer vibes. Again making it a struggle to finish. And these are the ones that get awards and visibility.
3. Most people who can afford to buy and read books have studied in english medium schools which makes English our first language. That too in convents. There the books in libraries were very typically british authors. So we have read a lot of it and are familiar with the names of the authors.
6:39 in Ramayanas case, everyone remembers valmiki, Tulsidas, kamban
The first time i read proper indian fiction was in 2023 in my shool library. I had picked out five point someone by Chetan Bhagat and omggg i loved it so much and im still waiting to own my own copy because wow that book reminded me so much of my fav indian movie "3 idiots". I didnt know at that time if the movie was inspired from the book but Chetan really is a super great author & i was so happy to find out my fav movie was from his writing.
Ppl are really obsessed with the title of a book when it comes to blind selection but they are really missing out some great authors or the works which represent India in true sense In my opinion north eastern writers like Temsula Ao, Estrine Kire, or South Indian like Perumal Murugan, they really touch the inner workings of Indian cultures and society. But their titles are not that catchy that’s why ppl don’t bother to look it in the first place.
The genres explored in most Indian literature doesn't have mass appeal. You mentioned reading being encouraged in US schools. This does happen in some Indian schools and when it does people tend to gravitate towards fantasy, horror and mystery genres instead of books tackling social issues. Even among international authors people gravitated towards Eoin Colfer, JK Rowling, Enid Blyton and Lemony Snicket over Grisham or Dostoevsky. I feel that if we receive good books in these genres then that will definitely help the popularity of Indian books and authors. As you had mentioned in the video itself, Stephen King is a great example of this.
I do respect your opinionated views... I just want to add that I am a Bengali and have a significant access to regional bengali literature and I have got a great many authors hands down who have been exploring various genere of fictions and non- fictions ... I can't say in broader perspective though, it is TRUE that Gripping, thoughtful and insightful compositions are being written ... but yes it being a regional language doesn't get exposure... I do respect the literatures no matter within the border or beyond the border...
I think we need to ask why major publishing houses are not working on their strategy, adapting for 2025 and publishing a more diverse mix of books. Like you said, it's like there's always a clone of bestsellers and their marketing plans feel like a page out of a 1999 MBA textbook. This is probably a reason why all these self-helps are getting published and promoted.
Publishing houses - hiring marketing geniuses, not some person who knows their textbooks inside out!
This is such a eye opening video! Perspective is so good...4th point is relevant and I always had that in my mind "Our academics,schools should introduce the children to reading world and also encourage" if that's the case there is no necessary of moral or value classes and means of entertainment would be so fascinating in the world of books! 📚
You articulated reason 1 so well , same reason I didn't often pick indian author. I enjoyed books of chitra Banerjee, ashwin sanghi, amish tripaathi, vivek Shanbagh. Planning to read more this year.
I started as reader in my mother tongue kannada, and I'm proud to say I started with amazing works in kannada that has got my standards high. I request you to read some works of S L Bhyrappa - Parva, (Mahabharat retelling) Sartha(historical fiction),Yaana ( science fiction).
Once upon a time in Delhi is just an historical gem
Just give it a try
Will be hoping to get a review from you
Valid points stated in the video. However, I feel that now, more than ever, Indian fiction is gaining more popularity albeit slowly. I think it's a matter of time as Indians are still exploring and getting used to works of fiction by Indian authors. We have quite a few of them - Amish, Amitav Ghosh, Ashwin Sanghi, Chetan Bhagat, Anuradha Roy, Vivek Shanbagh, Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar, Perumal Murugan, Manoj Rupda, Bhavani Iyer, Mamang Dai, Esterine Kire, Vikram Chandra and others. There are a few writers who write in regional languages (Vivek Shanbag, Perumal Murugan and Manoj Rupda are examples) and so, their translations need to be available for larger consumption.
To my knowledge, never before in India have there been so many authors offering their work for the market. Therefore, I think it'll take time for people to consume these books, explore more and appreciate the works of these authors. I accept that not all books are good/ interesting. But I guess, the market will sort that out. We'll have to wait and see. That's my take on it.
Love your take
Yes, it’s a great perspective. We need optimists like you🥳
@@ReadTravelBecome 🙏
Fully agreed with Reason 4.
Haina
I don't read English books as much, but I think in hindi there is going alot, so many new writes are coming trying new genre, and being celebrate also. In hindi books marketing was never attempted seriously but new publications like hindi yugm and more are changing it, which reflects on the sales as well. The ecosystem is a problem but social media is playing an impactful role, channels like you promote reading culture and making a strong community. And yes celebrated hindi authors are here divya prakaash dubey, manan kaul, nilotpal mrinal, satish vyas. So Hopefull this will only grow from here.
🙌
I assume a lot of it is that India has such rich stories like Ramayana and Mahabharata that is already popular. Another thing is Western fiction is often seen as a compliment to its movies and shows rather than just competition. Stephen King has so many movie adaptations which makes people want to read his other books. Similarly with Japanese fiction, many people get into reading manga because that way they don't have to wait for the anime's next season to come out. Maybe they could have writers create original stories for Indian franchises. Imagine a book that fits into the OMG (Oh My God!) franchise where, like the movies, a new character is helped by God with their struggles. People who like the franchise would want to pick it up and it might even be successful enough to be the plot of a third film.
Very interesting video... Not sure, but my belief is Indian fiction is very rich when it comes to regional language but not hindi and english... I have read a few very nice gujarati books, and I am sure it's for all the regional languages...
Indian literature should not be confined solely to Indian English literature. Native Indian languages play a much greater and more significant role in shaping it. As a Malayali, I can vouch for the brilliance of our writers-they are undoubtedly world-class, if not better. This is true for every native language in India. The only major hurdles are the lack of quality translations and effective marketing, both of which can be overcome with focused efforts.
Indian fiction is currently not in good shape. But I do see good non-fiction books on Indian polity, history, stories of entrepreneurs coming out and being received well. Indian origin authors like Tasha Suri are being received well in UK and U.S. markets. Indian fiction writers need to up their game and compete with international markets in terms of quality, that’s a tough reality due to globalization. They need also need to tell stories without falling to the tropes they are conditioned to through existing books and movies.
my school had graded assessments where we were asked to pick a fiction work from a list of books do character analysis, write about author's perspectives and many more other writings regarding that book. i developed a habit of reading from those tests, glad that i didn't just do it forsake of being graded.
yes true! India needs to rejuvenate its reading culture and indians need to celebrate the authors and not just fall for heavily marketed but not so good books. and book youtubers need to talk about Indian books too! be it bad or good, like try searching for those yet to be discovered book and simply talk about it.
Finally someone talking about reading is not for education!
we as readers want something else from reading which is more fruitful than good marks and good job...
We get contentment from each book when we finish it!
If anyone still puzzled Don't listen to music until and unless you want to become a musician or will be participating in some singing reality show... 😅
Unpopular opinion but i think Bollywood and Education System are the two major reasons for directly or indirectly Hiding Indian Literary
If you think deeply
I love reading Indian fiction and I will love doing so.
Excellent discussion! Loved it!
Thank you!
If anyone wants to read 'dark(blood and gory ) epic fantasy' they can read "Sons of darkness" by Gourav mohanty. It's a mixture of game of thrones and Mahabharata, it has also garnered quite an attention from foreign book tubers. It's a 3 book series and the second book is coming this year.
The poison of love by K.R.Meera and Keepers of Kalachakra by Ashwin Sanghi are 2 of the books by Indian Authors , which I recommend to many as those stories have stayed with me
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Very concise and a much needed video.
Thanks so much! Glad you found it useful
Very well said brother.. Whenever I try to make people understand about this they never try to listen. dwelling in the same concept and themes.
Share this video w them😇
Completely agree with your points brother,💯. Indian authors are not celebrated with recognition and adulation the way they actually deserve. Literature needs more diversity in India.
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The only indian book I would recommend is behind the bars and black warrant.
Its sooo amazing that one gets so amazed by the way every real story of prisoners leave you awestruck.
The journalist is just amazing!
I am an author and what you say resonates with me. My genre is murder mystery and I wish marketing my book would be easier. If you want to read it my latest book is Murder at the Club by Sushama Kasbekar
What are books that made you feel alive again and realize how beautiful everything is? Would love your recommendations!
The starless sea
Hi, Avdoot. Thank you for the video. As an Indian fiction-author, I can totally relate to everything you said. You seem to have a following, are definitely well read, and have a great sense of what is good and what is not. So here's a suggestion: Why don't you find one hidden gem by an Indian fiction-author a month and talk about it? You would be doing a great service to Indian writing, and also introducing your non-Indian audience to a new world. In any case, keep up the good work. Cheers!
Great idea! I do recommend underrated books here and there in my videos
There's a assamese novel name "Aseemat jar heral Seema ( who lost their limit in infinity )" by Kanchan Baruah . It's a mind blowing story. I hope in future someone can translate it into English.
Thank you for shedding light on this topic. Agreed with all the points mentioned, specifically the second one. What a great video! You are doing great. 👏
Appreciate the kind words! 👏
Indian fantasy authors need to understand that unlike other mythologies, they can't take the stories and characters of Indian mythology as they are just copying the story with a different asthetic. Instead they should take the asthetic and not the characters, like Tumbbad and Baahubali which used the Indian mythology asthetic to tell a completely original story.
Read satyajit Ray... you'll find everything.... from sci fi to mystery to travel adventure... everything....
i love khushwant singh's novels
I have read books from Amish Tripathi (10 books),
Ashwin Sanghi (8 books),
Akshat Gupta (4 books),
Divya Prakash Dubey (4 books),
Saksham Garg (1 book only published),
Srishti Chaudhary (2 books are published),
Kevin Missal (3 books),
Parakh Om Bhat (1 book),
Bharat Sundareshan (1 book),
Niraj Poonam Miharia (1 book).
On way to read books from Arundhati Roy. Till now I have read 64 books.
Hi, are any of them thrillers or something fast paced ( I'm not into very descriptive feelings/dialogues) would you recommend any with good plot?
Reading to just gain something is the main reason for reading books here in India. It is kind of sad and one thing that I noticed is that a lot of study halls are popping up from last few years but people refer to them as libraries not study halls. I mean yes some libraries do have separate study halls but these "libraries " are just study halls with no books in sight,maybe a few competitive exam books if they are feeling like it. I get so excited to hear a library has opened up, only to have my hopes dashed when it turns out to be another study hall
I’ve noticed that too
Love the video ✨
Self help genre … utter shit.. is life so meaningless.. sorry posing this existential question?!! So bizarre
Great video, subscribed!!
I love reading...❤❤❤
So I subscribed 😊
Welcome!
The book I read the long silence was good but the ending was very abrupt.
You wait for that part in the whole novel where everything falls apart but just to find out author forgot to even gives any attention to it!
Since I am from Kashmir, I promote best regional (Urdu ) literature on my UA-cam channel. I do audiobooks so that my other Indian friends who can't read Urdu but can understand Urdu can benefit from these best books. ❤
isn't kashmiri literature regional for kashmir?
@@timepasstubee correct.
@@adityak935 idk why these converted m*slims who live in Kashmir are ashamed of speaking Kashmiri. the official language of jammu & kashmir is literally urdu, a language that originated in UP. they're just like the converted punjabi m*slims who can't speak punjabi.
Really good video! I completely agree 😊
I thought amish's writing was good but i didnt enjoy shiva trilogy so much because the fact that its about a god who i rever felt really weird. It almost felt blaphemous (im not saying it is , i just personally felt thay way) So i know that i will have the same problem with all books in that genre.
9:08 I agree with 1st 3 points. But for the 4th point, it's true but it has its drawbacks in respective countries. Indians being STEM concentric ulUS being more literature
By watching this video, I ordered "The god of small things" just now...
Finally someone who values quality over money. Money is evil. We read it in childhood, now it a reality. Its robbing us from true beauty. Everything that you speak or do has to have monetary reward attached to it. Pathetic times. Still prople like you gives me hope. In India, we are moving backwards. Fascism at its peak.
I'm a die hard fan of RK Narayan and enjoy Indian books just as much as western ones, but I've a lot of trouble finding books that will suit my taste. As someone who doesn't have much of an interest in socio-economic heavy backdrops(God of small things was amazing though, one of my favs), mystery, thriller or such, I've come across barely any Indian coming of age books for an Instance. Books like perks of being a wallflower, catcher in the rye, the bell jar have heavily influenced in what I aspire to have in my writing, someday I'd hope to see more books that cater to themes similar in Indian english literature too
Hey have you heard about a murder in dehradun by siddharth maheshwari, if you are looking for a mystery thriller you might like this one
Indian fiction books are being sold a lot, but pirated ones....
Great point
Totally resonating with me ❤
Happy to hear it!
I am reading an underrated fiction book called sadan and it is a good read with a very bold story. Crime story
I only read Bengali and English language books. But I know that there are so many works in so many languages which I want to read . But I'm not fluent in those language so that's heartbreaking.
We need more translations.
Absolutely
Best topic discussed ever on UA-cam
Definetly, you are not a bengali. Bengali fictions are awsome, and we love them.🎉
U beautifully explained it all thank you very much ❤
There is excellent regional language literature in India. My experience with Marathi literature was always outstanding. While reading those books, people would certainly feel that they are transcended. But , as an Indian i would like you to promote good books from good authors from India.
I’m always looking for new recommendations! Hit me up with some of your favorites!
2:40 completely agree with these points.
Personally for me when I started reading hindi fiction as a kid like Banke lal comic and other such stuff I often faced criticism from school and home to read religious stuff more or books about freedom fighter. Basically it taught me that fiction is bad and I should hide I read it. So I did had access to hindi book online (i used archieve) but I had access to a lot of western books in fiction. Also most author who write Indian fiction in English have really bad English (Amish) I tried readong them but couldn't. I did read some romaces some were good but most are saturated like Bollywood. My main in self-help book and non fiction. I can't read fiction without feeling guilty😂😂😂
Another thing that I find is that, as a Hindi literature reader, I really can't find the book I want to read in good condition. Hindi upanyas are really hard to find in a bookstore. When I was in school, my school had a good collection of Hindi literature, so I read them a lot, but today, I can't find it easily like that.
That’s a great point, makes you wonder if it’s a result of changing times! Thanks for sharing that though😊
I also asked my local bookseller about hindi novels, he said these days no one want to buy it. So they don't order them. But I still remember while I was in school I used to buy my hindi books from them. So I think not a lot of people want to buy it from bookstores.
I so very much need a library near my place to explore books myself..
Totally understand that, happy to hear you're looking to explore!
A great video .... Good analysis.... Nice word for self help books - HOPIUM....
Thanks! I'm glad you liked it. 😊
Off topic but i would recommend you reading Berserk manga which is one of the best dark fantasy i have ever read.
I thank you so much for this video because i am thinking of writing a few vooks of different genres.
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genuine answer❤
Thank you so much sir, you channel is one the best booktube channel।for me, i wait for your videos, daksh jindal sir videos, helly, indian booktuber and few others, i rewatch yourvideos beacuse your recommendations are not those familiar books and i have to come back again,
Keep this work up sir❤❤❤
So nice to hear, thank you so much ❤️
2:17 Well, when did Ravindra Jadeja (meant - Singh I think) write books? 😂
Oops🤣🤣
what are books from around th eworld including india which are about cults ,black magic,which might have stuff about ritual sacrifices of animals to humans ,etc. fiction,non fiction etc