~ ~ Biographies Of Indian Writers ~

[MysteRy]

Maithili Sharan Gupt Biography

Born On: August 3, 1886
Born In: Chirgaon, Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, India
Died On: December 12, 1964
Career: Poet, Dramatist, Translator
Nationality: Indian

Maithili Sharan Gupt is one of the most recognizable names in the world of modern Hindi poetry. Maithili Sharan Gupt not only enriched Hindi literature through his writings which consisted of poems, dramas and translations from other languages, but he was also the first person to use the Khari Boli script as against Brajbhasha that was rampantly used in Hindi writing during his times. Before Maithili Sharan Gupt, every writer in Hindi preferred the Brajbhasha or the Hindi dialect heard in Central and North India. Maithili Sharan Gupt was the first person to use the Khari Boli or the Hindi dialect of the rurals living in Western India, a style which is popular in Hindi writing till today.

Childhood
Maithili Sharan Gupt was born on August 3, 1886 in a Gahoi family in the small city of Chirgaon in the Jhansi district of Uttar Pradesh. 'Gahoi' is the term that was used to describe a merchant family residing in various cities across Central India in British-ruled India. Hence, Maithili Sharan Gupt's father Seth Ramcharan Gupta was a merchant or a trader by profession. It is said that Maithili Sharan Gupt hated school and studies so much as a child that his father had no other option left in front of him other than to tutor his son at home. Seth Ramcharan Gupta invited teachers at his home in Chirgaon to teach Maithili Sharan Gupt languages such as Hindi, Sanskrit and Bengali. Maithili Sharan Gupt's deep knowledge of the Hindi language may be credited to Mahavir Prasad Dwivedi, his home Hindi tutor. Mahavir Prasad Dwivedi was also one of the most important writers that modern Hindi literature has ever seen. Maithili Sharan Gupt got married very early in life, when he was a small child of nine years. The wedding took place in the year 1895.

Career
Though Maithili Sharan Gupt did not have a formal schooling, he did enjoy a flourishing career in Hindi literature, largely because of his profound knowledge of the Hindi language. Maithili Sharan Gupt's literary career started with writing poems for popular Hindi magazines like Saraswati. In the year 1910, Maithili Sharan Gupt experienced the first taste of success among masses after 'Rang Mein Bhang' was published by the Indian Press. The chief subject of his poems and the plots for most of his plays were inspired from mythological plots from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. He also liked dealing with the lives of religious leaders from across the world and stories revolving around Lord Buddha. While 'Saket' deals with the story of Urmila, Lakshmana's wife from Ramayana, his other famous work 'Yashodhara' has Yashodhara, the wife of Gautama Buddha as its central plot. 'Bharat Bharati' was one of the most popular collection of poems written by Maithili Sharan Gupt. The nationalistic spirit portrayed through 'Bharat Bharati' was widely circulated in British dominated India serving as an inspiration for freedom fighters. Apart from drama and poetry, Maithili Sharan Gupt also translated a couple of popular Sanskrit works to the Hindi language, Hindi translations of 'Rubaiyat' and 'Swapnavaasavdatta' being the most popular among them.

Career in Politics
Maithili Sharan Gupt also had a brief career in the politics of India after independence. Shortly after India acquired independence in August 1947, Maithili Sharan Gupt was appointed an honorary member of the Rajya Sabha in the Indian Parliament. Even during his stint at the Rajya Sabha, Maithili Sharan Gupt did not stop writing. In fact he was known to use lines from his poetry while putting forward his opinions in the upper house of the parliament. He remained a Rajya Sabha member till his death in the year 1965.

Death
Maithili Sharan Gupt breathed his last on December 12, 1964. He was 78 years of age at the time of death.

Famous Works
Poetry
Rang Mein Bhang
Bharat Bharati
Plassey Ka Yuddha
Saket
Kaaba Karbala
Drama
Chandrahaas
Tilottama
Anagh
Vijay Parwa
Translations
Swapnavaasavdatta from Sanskrit to Hindi
Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam from English to Hindi

Timeline
1886: Maithili Sharan Gupt was born on August 3.
1910: 'Rang Mein Bhang', one of his most popular collections of poetry was published.
1947: He assumed office as a member of Rajya Sabha.
1965: Maithili Sharan Gupt died on December 12.

[MysteRy]

Majrooh Sultanpuri Biography

Born On: October 1, 1919
Born In: Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh
Died On: 24th May, 2000
Career: Poet and lyricist
Nationality: Indian

Majrooh Sultanpuri was one man who ensured that film music, which is an integral part of the Indian film industry, would never play the second fiddle and instead, be the soul of the film. His lyrics seem to effortlessly blend with the tunes, the words soothingly flowing over the notes that even after decades' people would still croon these numbers. His contributions to the Indian music scenario have been immense and particularly due to his enormous success in this field not many people know that he was also an outstanding poet. Indeed it was his talent as an Urdu poet that made him such a master lyricist. No wonder his over five decades of lyrical work had eclipsed his significant poetic contributions, which is why he is perhaps mostly remembered for his contributions to the former. He was a versatile poet and lyricist, always at ease with the changing dynamics, always at home from pop and rock-n-roll to ghazals and qwaalis. He was an individual who with his sheer power of words ruled the music scene of the Hindi film industry.

Childhood And Early Life
In 1919, Asrar ul Hassan Khan, better known as Majrooh Sultanpuri was born in the city of Sultanpur in Uttar Pradesh. He didn't receive any English education as his father who was a police sub-inspector couldn't afford to send him to an expensive school. Instead, Sultanpuri completed a seven year course of Dars-e-Nizami in Arabic and Persian, and went on studying to become an Alim. He then went to Lucknow and enrolled at the Takmeel-ut-Tib College to study the Unani (Greek) System of Medicine from which he graduated in 1938 after which he set up a prosperous medical practice as a Hakim. Once in Sultanpur, he recited one of his ghazals which was widely applauded and appreciated by the audience. This inspired him to drop his medical practice and start writing poetry seriously. He began to recite his poetries at various mushairas and became quite popular. During this time, he also became a good friend of the renowned Urdu poet Jigar Moradabadi, whom he would consider to be his mentor.

Later Life
In 1945, the Bombay-based Saboo Siddique Institute organized a mushaira which Majrooh Sultanpuri went to attend. His ghazals were highly appreciated by the audience, especially the noted film producer A.R. Kardar who also attended the event. When the producer met Majrooh with an offer to write for films, the latter refused to do so, as he didn't think highly of the film industry. However, his close friend Jigar Moradabadi persuaded him take the offer as films paid well and Majrooh was already finding it tough to support his family. When Majrooh finally relented to the offer, Kardar took him to meet the famous music composer Naushad. At their first meeting Naushad tested the young man by giving him a tune and asking him to write the lyrics in the same manner. Naushad liked what Majrooh wrote and signed him as the lyricist for the movie "Shah Jahan". When the movie was released in 1946, the songs became enormously popular bringing Majrooh both fame and money. The singer and actor K.L. Saigal liked one of the songs from the movie, Jab Dil Hi Toot Gaya, so much that he willed it to be played at his funeral.

Majrooh, however, couldn't enjoy his success in Bombay for long, as he fell ill because of the harsh weather conditions of the city. As such, he left for his hometown, returning to Bombay only after fully recuperating. After "Shah Jahan", Majrooh worked on a string on films and worked whole heartedly in establishing himself as a reputed lyricist. However, because of his anti-establishment writings, the government cracked down on him and other leftists in the industry sending him to jail in the year 1949. Refusing to apologize for his leftist leanings he was sentenced to two years in prison. By the 1950s he, along with Faiz Ahmed Faiz, was considered to be the most noted Ghazal writer in the Bombay film industry. Throughout his 50 year career as a lyricist he had proven his versatility by writing songs in numerous genres like ghazals, qawaalis, bhazans, rock-n-roll and pop. In 1959, an anthology of 33 ghazals was published. These ghazals had been written by him during the period of 1944 to 1953 and are now considered to be the best known Urdu ghazals.

Awards And Recognition
His song "Chahunga mein tujhe sham savere" from "Dosti" won him the Filmfare Best Lyricist Award. For his lifetime contributions to the film industry, he was awarded the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1993 becoming the first lyricist to win the award. Some other awards that he received are Iqbal Samman, the highest literary award of the Madhya Pradesh government, the Film Journalist Award for his writing for films, the Film Writers Association Award for his contributions to the Indian film industry, the Uttar Pradesh Hindi-Urdu Sahitya Award for his contributions to the Hindi and Urdu literature, the All India Journalist Award for his overall writings and the Maharashtra State Urdu Academy award for his work titled 'Ghazals'.

Death
After suffering from a severe attack of pneumonia, Majrooh Sultanpuri passed away on 24th May, 2000.

Timeline
1919: Majrooh Sultanpuri was born in Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh
1938: Graduated with a degree in Unani medicine.
1945: Went to Bombay to participate in a mushaira.
1946: "Shah Jahan" was released, for which he had written the lyrics.
1949: Sent to jail for writing anti-establishment lyrics.
1959: His anthology of 33 ghazals was published.
2000: Majrooh Sultanpuri died after a severe attack of pneumonia.

[MysteRy]

Ramdhari Singh 'Dinkar' Biography

Born On: September 23, 1908
Born In: Begusarai, Bihar
Died On: April 24, 1974
Career: Poet, Essayist, Academician, Literary Critic
Nationality: Indian

His passion and enthusiasm for poetry and writing bestowed him with the title Rashtrakavi which means "national poet". Ramdhari Singh 'Dinkar' gained recognition and popularity in the pre-independence period through his eminent and notable nationalist poetry. With an initial interest in composition, he gradually found himself drawing closer towards the Indian freedom struggle movement, thereby becoming a Gandhian later on and working in close relations with Rajendra Prasad, Anugrah Narayan Sinha, and Braj Kishore Prasad. Being a renowned and prominent poet, his poetry "Singhasan Khaali Karo Ke Janata Aaati Hai" was recited at Ramlila Ground in New Delhi during the Emergency. Such was his respect and honor that his portrait was unveiled by the Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh in 2008 in the Central Hall of Parliament of India.

Early Life
Ramdhari Singh Dinkar was born in a poor Bhumihar Brahmin family in the village of Simariya in Begusarai district of Indian state of Bihar. Since childhood, Dinkar showed immense interest in studies, his favorite subjects being history, philosophy, and politics. In his later years, he even learned several other languages, such as Hindi, Sanskrit, Maithili, English, Bengali, and Urdu. Iqbal, Rabindranath Tagore, Keats, and Milton were some famous celebrities that influenced Dinkar to a large extent. Such was the influence that he went ahead with translating the works of Rabindranath Tagore from Bangla to Hindi.

Literary Career
Dinkar worked on the concept of "veer rasa", or "brave mode", although he did give some works that proved to be exception to this concept. Due to his high talent and knowledge of various Indian languages, Dinkar was more popular amongst people whose mother tongue was not Hindi. In addition to writing on anti-imperialism, nationalism, humanism, history, and social and political satires, he even touched the themes of love, passion, and relationships of a man and woman. This was evident from his "Urvashi" poem that talked about the spirituality and a different platform of earthly relationships. His "Kurukshetra" was a dedication in the memory of all dead and sacrificed in Second World War. It relied on the Santi Parva of Mahabharata. Another poem that was inspired by the events leading to Kurukshetra war in Mahabharata was "Krishna ki Chetavani". His "Sanskriti ke Chaar Adhyaay" depicts his love for India and describes the different cultures, languages, and topography despite which, India stands united and one.

Political Career
Dinkar entered politics supporting the revolutionary movement during India's struggle for freedom. However, he became a Gandhian later on, though he regarded himself as a bad Gandhian simply because he lent his support for indignation and revenge amongst youth which was against Gandhi's Satyagraha movement. In his 1946 poem "Kurukshetra", he mentioned about how destructive war is but, at the same time, also emphasized on its importance for the protection of freedom. After independence, Dinkar was nominated and elected to Rajya Sabha on three occasions. He attained the position of a member in the house from April 3, 1952 to January 26, 1964.

Notable Honors
Dinkar's "Kurukshetra" received several awards from the Kashi Nagri Pracharini Sabha, Uttar Pradesh Government, and Government of India. Further in 1959, he was bestowed upon with the Sahitya Akademi Award for "Sanskriti ke Char Adhyaay". He was later honored with Padma Bhushan Award in 1959 and LLD degree from Bhagalpur University. Gurukul Mahavidyalaya appointed him as Vidyavachaspati and was selected as Sahitya-Chudamani by Rajasthan Vidyapeeth in Udaipur on November 8, 1968. This was not all for Dinkar as he was honored with Jnanpith Award in 1972 for his work on "Urvashi".

Posthumous Recognitions
With numerous accolades and awards during his lifetime, Dinkar was not left behind even after his death. To mark his 79th birth anniversary on 30 September, 1987, the then President of India, Shankar Dayal Sharma paid a tribute to him. Dinkar was paid high respect with a postal stamp being released by Government of India in 1999 featuring him as one of the Hindi writers on the celebration of "Linguistic Harmony of India". With this, India completed 50 years of Indian Union accepting Hindi as its official language. To complete 100 years of Dinkar's birth anniversary, the government released a book in 2008 that was authored by Khagendra Thakur. During the same period, his statue was unveiled at Dinkar Chowk in Patna and a two-day seminar was held in Calicut University.

Death
Ramdhari Singh Dinkar passed away on April 24, 1974 at the age of 65.

Timeline
1908: Was born on September 23 in Simariya, Begusarai, Bihar
1928: His first poetical work "Vijay Sandesh" was published
1946: Penned the distinguished poem "Kurukshetra"
1952: Elected as a member of Rajya Sabha
1959: Was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award for "Sanskriti ke Char Adhyay"
1959: Received the Padma Bhushan Award
1968: Was appointed as Sahitya-Chudamani by Rajasthan Vidyapeeth, Udaipur
1972: Conferred upon with Jnanpith Award for "Urvashi"
1974: Died on April 24 in Begusarai aged 65
1987: Honored with a tribute by former President Shankar Dayal Sharma
1999: Featured on a postage stamp to mark 50 years of Hindi as official language on Indian Union
2008: Portrait revealed in the Central Hall of parliament of India on his centenary year

[MysteRy]

Sumitranandan Pant Biography

Born On: May 20, 1900
Born In: Kumaon, Uttrakhand
Died On: December 28, 1977
Career: Writer, Poet
Nationality: Indian

At the age of seven, when majority of children learn how to read and write; a little child from the hills wrote poetries, and grew up to become one of India's finest and renowned poet cum writer. This boy was Sumitranandan Pant, also known as Gosain Dutt. Born in the hills of Kumaon, Pant was raised by his old grandmother, for his mother had passed away shortly after conceiving him. He had developed an early knack for writing poetry. But he didn't restrict himself with just poetry and even ventured into writing essays and verse plays. During his career as a poet cum writer, Pant won many accolades like Sahitya Academy Award, Padma Bhushan Award, Jnanpith Award, and Nehru Peace Price from the Soviet Union. Inspired by nature and beauty during the early phase of his career, Pant's works reflected the same. But gradually he learned to adapt and touched many themes like philosophy and humanity and by the end of it all, he came to be recognized as a towering Hindi poet and one of the leaders of the Chhayavaad School of Poetry.

Early Life
Sumitranandan Pant was born on 20th May, 1900 at Kausani village of Bhageshwar, in the hills of Kumaon, Uttrakhand, as Gosain Dutt. Unfortunately, his mother died within few hours of giving birth to him. He was raised by his grandmother and was the smallest of all his seven siblings. He completed his early schooling from Almora and at the age of 18, he moved to Kashi with his brother and finished his matriculation there. Not too fond of his name, Dutt changed it to Sumitranandan Pant. Post matriculation, Pant went to Allahabad to pursue graduation from Allahabad University, but left it midway and joined the Satyagraha Movement to support Mahatma Gandhi. However, he continued his education by reading English, Sanskrit, and Bengali literature at home.

Career
Sumitranandan Pant took to poetry when he was just seven, and happened to be studying in the 4th grade. Having spent his childhood surrounded by natural beauty of the mountains and flora and fauna; it was only natural that it was from here that he got his inspiration; for his earlier works reflected a sublime touch of the scenic serenity. The period from 1907-1918 has even been admitted by Sumitranandan himself, as the first phase of his notable writing career. The poems that he wrote in this phase have been compiled together and published in "Veena" (1927). Although dropped out of graduation to support Mahatma Gandhi's Satyagraha Movement, Pant didn't compromise on his education and continued to study English, Sanskrit, and Bengali literature at home. This propelled his passion for writing even further.

It was shortly after the Satyagraha Movement that Pant went to Sri Aurobindo's Ashram in Pondicherry. It was from there onwards that he expanded his horizon and started writing in broader contexts. There was an undeniable influence after the visit to Sri Aurobindo's and the result was evident in the poems that he was writing then. The inspiration from Aurobindo's philosophy, however, was uncanny. Pant had taken a shift from mysticism to Marxism and started to include a more humane theme in his writings. Gradually, he included progressive, philosophical, socialist, and humanistic poems in his repertoire. In the year 1960, Pant received a Sahitya Academy Award for "Kala and Burha Chand" (a compilation of all the poems written by him in 1958). In 1961, he received a Padma Bhushan Award and a Jnanpith Award in 1968 for his most famous poems "Chidambara". He even received the Nehru Peace Prize by Soviet Union for "Lokayatan".

Death
Sumitranandan passed away in 1977. The house that he grew up in Kausani has been turned into a museum and displays original manuscripts, poems, photographs, letters, his awards etc.

Timeline
1900: Sumitranandan Pant was born.
1907: Started writing poetry at the age of 7.
1918: Moved to Kashi with his brother and completed his matriculation.
1922: His work "Uchchhavaas" got published.
1926: His work "Pallav" got published.
1927: His work "Veena" got published, which contains poems during the early part of his career.
1929: His work "Granthi" got published.
1932: His work "Gunjan" got published.
1960: Received Sahitya Academy Award
1961: Was honored with Padma Bhushan Award.
1968: Received Jnanpith award for his most famous poems Chidambara.
1977: Died at the age of 77.

[MysteRy]

Suryakant Tripathi 'Nirala' Biography

Born On: February 21, 1896
Born In: Midnapore, Bengal
Died On: October 15, 1961
Career: Writer
Nationality: Indian

Suryakant Tripathi 'Nirala' is one of the key figures in the history of Hindi literature. Though he hailed from Bengal and acquired his basic education in the Bengali medium, Suryakant Tripathi chose Hindi language when it came to writing down his thoughts through essays, novels, poems and stories. Suryakanth Tripathi 'Nirala's life was tragic and lonely and at every stage he had to come across misfortunes in life. However that did not deter Suryakant Tripathi 'Nirala' from pursuing his interest in studying various Indian languages. At a very early age, Nirala became an expert in the Hindi, Bengali, Sanskrit and English languages, most of which he had to master sitting at home. Apart from penning down poems, essays and stories in Hindi, he was also known for his skills as a painter.

Early Life
Suryakant Tripathi 'Nirala' was born on February 21, 1896 in an orthodox Brahmin family settled in the Midnapore district of Bengal. Suryakant Tripathi's parents were originally from the Unnao region of Uttar Pradesh but were settled in Bengal for a fairly long time. Suryakant Tripathi's father Pandit Ramasahaya Tripathi was a very strict person by nature and liked to keep his entire family under his own control. He was a government servant by profession and the money he earned would often be less than what was required for the existence of the entire family. Therefore, it will not be unfair to say that Suryakant Tripathi also knew the meaning of poverty during his lifetime. It was on the insistence of Pandit Ramasahaya Tripathi that Tripathi got enrolled in a Bengali medium school. But it was the Sanskrit language which interested him the most and he would often read books in Sanskrit, Hindi and English. Suryakanth Tripathi's mother died when he was still very young, leaving him to tackle his tyrannical father alone.

Later Life
Suryakant Tripathi 'Nirala' passed his matriculation examinations after the death of his mother, after which he had to remain at home and continue further studies as his father would not allow further education. Since he had already mastered the Bengali language at school, he concentrated on Hindi, Sanskrit and English literature after his matriculation. After a few years Suryakant Tripathi 'Nirala' shifted from Bengal to his forefathers' native Uttar Pradesh to continue studies and work. Nirala first settled in Lucknow and then in the Gadhakola village of the Unnao district in UP. Reports claim that Suryakanth Tripathi 'Nirala' was rebellious in nature. He did not accept the set pattern of society and always ventured into new spheres of learning and practice. It was for this reason that Suryakant Tripathi had to bear the brunt of criticism from the society that he lived in.

Nirala tied the knot with Anohar Devi during his stay at the Gadhakola village and spent some good and peaceful years of his life with her. Suryakant Tripathi 'Nirala' was a mere kid at the time of his marriage and he found the much needed solace in the company of his wife Anohar Devi. He also had a daughter with her. Nirala had already begun writing in Bengali at the time of his marriage, but noticing his love for the Hindi language, his wife insisted him into writing in Hindi and it was after his marriage that Suryakant Tripathi 'Nirala' started penning essays, stories and poems in Hindi. However, like most of his life, misfortune seemed to be waiting round the corner, as his wife Anohar Devi died of illness. Suryakant Tripathi 'Nirala' was only 20 years of age at the time of her death. His daughter who had also got married and was already a widow by this time also died an unfortunate death, leaving him all alone.

Suryakant Tripathi 'Nirala' went through am emotional and financial loss after the death of two of the closest people to his heart. In order to earn money, Nirala found a job with Samanvaya, while also working as an editor and proof-reader for several publishers in and around Uttar Pradesh. The contents of Suryakant Tripathi 'Nirala's writings were not mere figments of imagination, but true incidents from the society he lived in. He used his writings to speak out against the injustice that was prevalent in the early twentieth society. However, he was able to bring little change in the society through his penned down thoughts because nobody was prepared to lend support to his rebellious ways in an orthodox society. All he received in return of speaking out against wrong and evil were ridicule and mockery.

Works
Suryakant Tripathi 'Nirala' was an important member of the Chhayavaad era of Hindi literature or the Neo-Romantic period of Hindi literature. Most of his writings were unconventional and differed from the styles of his contemporaries. As stated earlier, he liked to voice his ill feelings about the society through his writings and this led to various publishers dismissing his work and not publishing them. Therefore, even though he was a writer of high standards, his talent and depth of knowledge of the Hindi language were recognized only after his death. Though nationalism and revolution were the chief contents of his writing, he also liked to deal with the history of languages, mythology and religion and nature. His writings often reflected his thorough study of the Puranas. In fact, it was because of the fact that his style of writing was totally different from his contemporaries that Suryakant Tripathi received the title of 'Nirala' which means 'unique' in the Hindi tongue.

Apart from writing and contributing to Hindi literature, Suryakant Tripathi 'Nirala' was also an occasional painter. He was responsible for introducing the concept of free verse in the world of Hindi poems and prose. He is best remembered for his poem 'Saroj Smriti', which was dedicated to his deceased daughter. Suryakant Tripathi 'Nirala' was a firm believer in the life and ideologies of stalwarts like Swami Vivekananda, Sri Ramkrishna Paramahansa and Rabindranath Tagore. It was their writings which helped him to improve his own style and content over the years. Suryakant Tripathi 'Nirala' was one of the imminent members of the Hindi Kavi Sammelan, a gathering which encompassed some of the great poets of Hindi literature during the early twentieth century.

Death
All the misfortunes that Suryakant Tripathi 'Nirala' had faced during his lifetime certainly bothered him much even after they were past, culminating into a deadly disease which would ultimately lead to his death in the year 1961. Suryakant Tripathi was a victim of schizophrenia during the later stages of his life and died on October 15, 1961. He left behind a collection of work in Hindi literature which are still celebrated and admired by the present generation.

Important Works

Poetry
Saroj Smriti
Parimal
Anaamika
Geetika
Kukurmutta
Prose
Billesur Bakriha
Kullibhat

Collection of Stories
Lily
Devi
Sukul ki Biwi
Sakhi
Chhaturi Chamar

Essay Collection
Ravindra Kavita Kannan
Prabandha Pratibha
Prabandha Parichaya
Bangbhasha ka Uchcharan
Chayan

Novels
Prabhavati
Choti ki Pakar
Kale Karname
Nirupama
Uchchhrankhalta

Translation
Devi Chaudharani
Chandrasekhar
Vish Vriksh
Sri Ramkrishna Vachnamrit
Rajyog

[MysteRy]

Amrita Pritam Biography

Born On: August 31, 1919
Born In: Gujranwala, British India
Died On: 31st October, 2005
Career: Novelist, poet, essayist

Amrita Pritam is considered to be one of the most well-known female writers. A versatile talent who penned poems, novels, short stories, essays, and autobiographies, she is best remembered for her elegy on the partition of Punjab. Many describe Amrita Pritam as the goddess of defiance, a rebel and a revolutionary who lived her life with utmost intensity. She had an admirable influence on Punjabi literature. Often a household name in Punjab, she was one of the most eminent of poets and fiction writers. In spite of her poor health, she remained active till the end, working as the editor of a Punjabi magazine. Though she migrated to Delhi after independence, she lived and still lives in the hearts of people in both India and Pakistan. In her six decade literary career, she became the first woman to be honoured with a Sahitya Academy Award. Her autobiography is quite a hit and has been translated into many Indian languages.

Early Life
Amrita Pritam was born in Gujranwala in Punjab (now in Pakistan) on 31st August, 1919. She was the only child to Kartar Singh Hitkari who was a school teacher and a scholar. Her father was also a Sikh preacher and the editor of a literary journal. After her mother's death in 1930, when she was eleven, Amrita and her father moved to Lahore where she lived until her migration to Delhi in 1947. The early demise of her mother left her in a state of isolation and saw her handling many adult-like responsibilities at a very young age. This led her to writing poetry as a young girl. She started her literary career as a romantic poet. Her leanings towards romance can be seen in 'Amrit Lehren' (Immortal Waves) in 1936. When she was sixteen, Amrita married Pritam Singh, an editor to whom she was engaged to when she was a child.

Career
}Though Amrita Pritam started her career as a romantic poet, her career took an important turn as she was influenced by feminist movements. She played an active role in the 'Progressive Writers Movement', the influence of which could be seen in her works. Her work, 'Lok Peeth' (People's Anguish) openly critisises the war torn economy after the Bengal famine of 1943. After independence, she was part of Guru Radha Kishan's initiative to put together first Janta library in Delhi which was inaugurated by Aruna Asaf Ali and Balraj Sahni.

In 1947, following the partition of India, Amrita migrated to Delhi. While she was traveling from Dehradun to Delhi, she penned her anguish over the partition on a piece of paper which was later immortalized into a poem. The poem 'Ajj akhaan Waris Shah nu' (I ask Waris Shah Today) portrays the horrors that occurred during the partition of India. Till 1961, Amrita Pritam worked at the All India Radio in Delhi. In 1960, her marriage with Pritam Singh found itself on the rocks. This change in her life made her a feminist of sorts. Many of her stories and poems portrayed the unhappy experiences of her married life. Her works including her autobiographies have been translated into English, French, Danish and Japanese from Urdu and Punjabi.

Many of her stories were made into films. Her novel 'Pinjaar' (The Skeleton, 1970) which was made into a film, was an award winning movie. She was also the editor of a Punjabi monthly literary magazine called 'Nagmani' which she ran along with Imroz, the man who was her partner at the time of her death. She started writing the introductions for several books of Osho, one of them being 'Ek Omkar Satnam'. She produced works on spiritual themes and dreams like 'Kaal Chethna' (Time Consciousness') and 'Agyat ka Nimantran' (Call of the Unknown'). Amrita published autobiographies such as 'Black Rose' ('Kala Gulab' in Punjabi, 1968), 'Revenue Stamp' ('Raseedi Tikkat' in Punjabi, 1976) and 'Aksharon ka Saayee' ('Shadows of Words'). 'Sunehray' ('Golden'), can be considered her magnum opus. It fetched Amrita the Sahitya academy award in 1956. 'Kagaz te Canvas' ('Paper and Canvas'), yet another masterpiece of her, helped her qualify for the Jnanapit Award in 1982.

Contributions To Literature
In a literary career which lasted for over six decades, Amrita Pritam authored one hundred books which included poems, essays, novels and autobiographies, thus enriching the Punjabi language.

Novels
'Doctor Dev', 'Kore Kagaz, Unchas Din', 'Sagar aur Seepian', 'Rang ka Patta', 'Dilli ki Galiyan', 'Terahwan Suraj', 'Yaatri', 'Jilavatan' (1968).

Autobiography
'Kala Gulab', 1968, 'Rasidi Ticket' (1976), 'Aksharon ka Saayee' (2004).

Short Stories
'Kahaniyan Jo Kahaniyan Nahi', 'Kahaniyon ke Angan mein', 'Stench of Kerosene'

Poetry Anthologies
'Amrit Lehran' (Immortal Waves) (1936), 'Jiunda Jiwan' (The Exuberant Life) (1939), ' 'Trel Dhote Phul' (1942), 'O Gitan Valia' (1942), 'Badlam De Laali' (1943), 'Sanjh de laali' (1943), 'Lok Peera' (The People's Anguish) (1944), 'Pathar Geetey' (The Pebbles) (1946), 'Punjabi Di Aawaaz' (1952), 'Sunehray' (Messages) (1955), 'Ashoka Cheti' (1957, 'Kasturi' (1957), 'Nagmani' (1964), 'Ik Si Anita' (1964), 'Chak Nambar Chatti' (1964),'Uninja Din (49 Days)' (1979), 'Kagaz Te Kanvas' (1981), and 'Chuni Huyee Kavitayen'.

Literary Journal
Nagmani

Death
Amrita Pritam, after a long drawn illness, breathed her last in New Delhi on 31st October, 2005.

Legacy
In 2007, noted lyricist Gulzar released an audio album titled 'Amrita recited by Gulzar'
which includes poems of Amrita Pritam recited by him.

Awards and Accolades
Punjab Rattan Award
Sahitya Academy Award, 1956
Bharathiya Jnanapit Award, 1982
Padmashree, 1969
Padma Vibhushan
Sahitya Academy Fellowship, 2004
D.Litt Honorary Degree from Delhi University (1973), Jabalpur University (1973)
Viswabharathi (1987)
Vapsarov award by Republic of Bulgaria, 1979
Degree of Officer dens by French government, 1987
Nominated to the Rajya Sabha

Timeline
1919: Born in Gujranwala, Punjab, British India.
1930: Amrita Pritam moved to Lahore after her father's death.
1936: Published her first anthology of poems 'Amrit Lehren' (Immortal Waves).
1947: Amrita migrated to Delhi.
1956: Won the Sahitya Academy Award.
1960: Amrita Pritam's ended her marriage with Pritam Singh.
1969: Won the Padmashree.
1982: Won the Bharathiya Jnanapit Award.
1986: Was nominated to the Rajya Sabha.
2005: Died on 31st October in New Delhi.

[MysteRy]

Aravind Adiga Biography

Born On: 23rd October 1974
Born In: Chennai, Tamil Nadu
Career: Writer

Being a person with flawless language and great writing skill, it is no wonder that Aravind Adiga bagged Britain's most prestigious literary award - The Man Booker Award for his book 'The White Tiger'. From a proven student to a journalist and then to a famous writer, success always accompanied him. He always kept his eyes and ears open to the world around and derived inspiration from the facts he come across in daily life. His award winning book "The White Tiger" was a critical view on "an India of light and an India of darkness while his latest novel "Last Man in Tower" describes the life and soul of one of India's biggest cities, Mumbai, where he discovers that the city and its people are obsessed with real estate. He derives this fact from the common man who often talks about elusive 'square feet' while journeying on suburban trains. The book gives a different picture of the city which is always described as the "Bollywood City" or "Mafia City". Read on to learn more about this young talent, Aravind Adiga.

Early Life
Aravind Adiga was born on the 23rd day of October, 1974 in Chennai. His parents Dr. K. Madhava Adiga and Usha Adiga hailed from Mangalore, Karnataka. His paternal grandfather late K. Suryanarayana Adiga served as the Chairman of Karnataka Bank. He was brought up in Mangalore, he completed his schooling from Canara High School and St. Aloysius High School. He completed SSLC in 1990, ranking first in the state preceding his elder brother Anand Adiga who secured 2nd rank in the SSLC exams. He also got the first rank in PUC in the state.Rest of his studies continued in Sydney as his family migrated to Australia. Aravind studied at James Ruse Agricultural High School in Australia and then pursued English literature from Columbia College, Columbia University in New York, where the famous British historian Simon Schama was his fellow. He completed his graduation in 1997 and then moved to Magdalen College, Oxford, where he was taught by Hermione Lee, the current President of Wolfson College, Oxford.

Career
Aravind Adiga started his career as a financial journalist intern at the Financial Times covering stock market and investment protocols, interviewing luminaries like Donald Trump (American business magnate and television personality). He also wrote literary reviews, a famous one being the one about "Oscar and Lucinda", written by the previous Booker Prize winner Peter Carey. He then moved to TIME magazine where he served as South Asia correspondent for three years. He then quit TIME magazine and opted to work as a freelancer. It was during his freelance period that he wrote the Man Booker Prize winning book -The White Tiger, thus became the fourth Indian to achieve this. Thus, he turned into the field of writing and has penned many books since then. He donated a part of the Man Booker Award prize money to St. Aloysius College where he did his schooling, as a token of gratitude.This amount will be utilized to provide scholarships for underprivileged children staying in Aloysian Boys Home, Kotekar, Ullal. Aravind Adiga is now put up in Mumbai, India. Shortly after bagging the Man Booker Prize, he was accused of sacking his agent to secure his contract with Atlantic Books. His book 'The White Tiger' was a big hit and was popularized by many other Booker Prize winners and his novel was adopted into a film according to an announcement made in April 2009. The Indian hardcover edition of his award winning book "The White Tiger" has sold in excess of 2, 50,000 copies. His second book, namely "Between the Assassinations" that depicts 12 interlinked short stories, was released in November 2008 in India while its release in the US and UK took place in 2009. The book features 12 interlinked short stories.

Contributions
Aravind Adiga's contributions to literature include novels and short stories

Novels
The White Tiger: A Novel, 2008
Between the Assassinations, 2008
Last Man in Tower Due to be published, 2011

Short Stories
"The Sultan's Battery", 2008(online text)
"Smack",2008(online text)
"Last Christmas in Bandra",2008 (online text)
"The Elephant" 2009(online text)

Awards And Accolades
Man Booker Prize, 2008

Time Line
1974: Born in Chennai.
1990: Got the 1st rank in the SSLC examination.
1997: Completed graduation.
2008: Won the Man Booker Prize.
2009: It was announced that 'The White Tiger' would be adapted into a feature film.

[MysteRy]

Chetan Bhagat Biography

Born On: 22nd April, 1974
Born In: New Delhi, India
Career: Novelist, columnist, script writer, motivational speaker

Chetan Bhagat is a famous Indian author who penned down novels that hit the market with great success. All of them were bestsellers since their release and have been filmed by famous Bollywood directors. Chetan Bhagat is considered a youth icon rather than as just an author. With his vivid and humorous way of depicting stories, he has inspired reading habits in many young Indians. He is also a good columnist and writes columns for many leading newspapers. According to him, novels are entertainment tools through which he expresses his views and opinion about society and the youth. Development issues and national issues are addressed through columns. Chetan's columns are written in a way that directly points out the issues within our country and in many times it has even triggered discussions in the parliament. He is not only a good writer but also a motivational speaker and has given many motivational speeches at many colleges, organizations and companies.

Personal Life
Chetan Bhagat was born in New Delhi in a middle class Punjabi Family on the 22nd day of April, 1974. His father was an Army man and his mother, a government employee. The major part of his education was done at Delhi. He studied in the Army Public School, Dhaula Kuan, New Delhi during the years 1978 to 199 after which he chose to do Mechanical Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi. After pursuing engineering he took up a management program offered at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad. Being an outstanding student, it was no wonder when he was recognized as the "Best Outgoing Student" of his batch by IIM Ahmadabad. He later got married to Anusha Suryanarayanan in 1998; she was his fellow student at IIM-A. Chetan then went to Hong Kong along with his family and worked as an investment banker with Goldman Sachs. He worked in Hong Kong for eleven years and then shifted to Mumbai and started writing. It was his passion. He has four novels against his name: Five Point Someone (2004), One Night @ The Call Center (2005), The Three Mistakes Of My Life (2008) & Two States (2009). By chance or by choice, titles of all his novels had numbers associated with them. He now leads a happy life with his wife and twin sons Ishaan and Shyam. Chetan loves to live a simple life watching cartoons with his children who wish to become super heroes. He is a health conscious person and practices yoga regularly.

Career
Chetan Bhagat published his first novel first novel 'Five Point Someone' in 2004 and this very first venture took him to the peaks of fame and popularity. The book depicted the story of an IIT student who considers himself to be below average than all the other students in IIT. This book won the Society Young Achiever's Award and Publisher's Recognition Award. The story was adopted into a film directed by Rajkumar Hirani and starred famous Bollywood stars like Aamir Khan, Madhavan, Sharman Joshi and Kareena Kapoor. His second book was 'One Night At A Call Center' and this too was a great success. This book was made into a movie and was named 'Hello' and Chetan himself wrote the script. The movie was noted by the special appearance of Bollywood star Salman Khan and was an average hit. His next novel has cricket as the major theme. It is named 'Three Mistakes of My Life'. His fourth book is named 'Two States'.

Contribution
Chetan Bhagat's contribution to the field of entertainment is noticeable. He never confined his literary talents to just writing novels. As a responsible social person, he also writes columns in newspapers, citing and dwelling on various social and national issues. Many of his columns were noticed by parliamentarians and triggered serious discussions in the Indian Parliament. He has addressed issues like corruption by sending an opening letter to Sonia Gandhi and also has spoken about the political issues that revolved around Baba Ramdev.

Awards and Accolades
He won the Society Young Achiever's Award in 2000 and the Publisher's Recognition Award in 2005. Chetan Bhagat also a found himself place in the Time magazine's list of "World's 100 Most Influential People" in the year 2010.

Timeline
1974: Chetan Bhagat was Born in Delhi
1991: Enrolled in IIT
1995: Enrolled in IIM Ahmadabad
1997: recognized by IIM Ahmadabad as "The best outgoing student"
1998: Got married to AnushaSuryanarayanan
2004: published his first book "Five Point Someone - What not to do at IIT!"
2005: Published his second book "One Night @ the Call Center"
2008: Published his third book "The 3 Mistakes of My Life"
2009: Published his fourth book "2 States: The Story of My Marriage"

[MysteRy]

Ramachandra Guha Biography

Born In: 1958, Dehradun
Career: Historian, Writer and Columnist

Ramachandra Guha is a prominent Indian writer who has written on different topics such as social, political, historical, and environmental, also on the history of cricket. Besides this, he is a well-known columnist who writes for The Telegraph, The Hindu and The Hindustan Times and is also an Indian historian. His books and essays have been translated in around twenty different languages. He has been described as the best among Indian non-fiction writers by the New York Times and 'Indian Democracy's Pre-eminent Chronicler' by the Time Magazine. Mr. Guha received the inspiration for writing from various Indian and foreign writers including the essayists George Orwell and H. L. Mencken, the historians Marc Bloch and E. P. Thompson and the nature writer M. Krishnan. According to him, universities that promote advanced research and teaching all together in the field of sciences, social sciences, humanities and in professional studies such as medicine and law help in creating a nation with flourishing intellectuals.

Early Life
Ramachandra Guha was born in Dehradun, in 1958. Ramachandra Guha is the grandson of Mysore's S. Ramaswamy Iyer, the first Advocate-General of Mysore. He completed his primary education at The Doon School, Dehradun. He pursued his graduation in Economics at the St. Stephen's College, New Delhi, in 1977 and Masters from the Delhi School of Economics. Later on, he practiced a fellowship on the social history of forestry of Uttaranchal from the ndian Institute of Management, Kolkata, which laid emphasis on the Chipko Movement. He got married to Sujata Keshavan, a graphic designer. The couple have two children named Keshava and Iravati.

Career
In the time span of 1985-2000, Ramachandra Guha delivered lectures at several universities such as University of California, Berkeley, Yale University, Stanford University and Oslo University, afterwards at the Indian Institute of Science. From 1994-95, he was a researcher at Wissenschaftskollegzu Berlin in Germany. He later on shifted to Bangalore and devoted himself to writing. It was in 2000, when he wrote an essay criticizing an article of Arundhati Roy, opposing the Narmada Dam.. In 2007, he penned the book 'India after Gandhi: The History of the World's Largest Democracy'. It was published by Macmillan and Ecco. In 2009, he united with various famous historians for signing a petition criticizing the working of the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML), Delhi which is very significant. He wrote the biography of Verrier Elwin, who was a famous anthropologist, ethnologist and a tribal activist. It was by going through the works of Verrier Elwin, that Ramachandra Guha moved to Sociology from Economics. He was very impressed by Elwin's ethnographies of people living in the forest of Central India and thus decided to write his biography. Ramachandra Guha is a management trustee of the New India Foundation, a nonprofit organization that sponsors researches on modern Indian history.

Awards and Accolades
In 2001, Guha's essay on the 'Prehistory of Community Forestry in India' received the Leopold-Hidy Prize of the American Society for Environmental History. In 2002, his book 'A Corner of a Foreign Field' won the Daily Telegraph Cricket Society Book of the Year prize. He also received the Malcolm Adiseshiah Award for excellence in social science research, the Ramnath Goenka Prize for excellence in Journalism and Mac Arthur Research and Writing Award. In 2003, Ramachandra Guha was honored with the R. K. Narayan Prize at the Chennai Book Fair. 'India after Gandhi : The History of the World's Largest Democracy' (2007) was selected as a book of the year by the Economist, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, the San Francisco Chronicle, Time Out and Outlook and along with this, as a book of an era in the Times of India, the Times of London, and The Hindu. In May 2008, he was entitled as one of the top 100 public intellectuals in the world by the Prospect and Foreign Policy magazines. It was in 2009, when Mr. Guha was honored with the Padma Bhushan.

Contribution
Ramachandra Guha has contributed a lot by writing on environment, history and other aspects such as cricket, social and political conditions of the country. He has written a lot on India's democracy, Indian society and also about the past and present of India in his books and essays.

Timeline
1958: Born in Dehradun.
1977: Completed his graduation from St. Stephens College, New Delhi.
1985-2000: Worked as a professor in several universities of California, Oslo, Berkley, Stanford and then in Indian Institute of Science.
1994-95: Researcher at Wissenschaftskollegzu, Berlin in Germany.
2000: Wrote an essay criticizing an article of Arundhati Roy.
2001: Essay on the 'Prehistory of Community Forestry in India' received the Leopold-Hidy Prize of the American Society for Environmental History.
2002: 'A Corner of a Foreign Field' won the Daily Telegraph Cricket Society Book of the Year prize.
2003: Worked as a Visiting Lecturer of Humanities at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.
2007: Wrote the book 'India after Gandhi: The History of the World's Largest Democracy' and was honored with the R. K. Narayan Prize at the Chennai Book Fair.
2008: Entitled as one of the top 100 public intellectuals in the world by the Prospect and Foreign Policy magazine.
2009: Honored with the Padma Bhushan.

[MysteRy]

Rohinton Mistry Biography

Born On: 1952
Born In: Mumbai, India
Career: Writer

Rohinton Mistry is a famous Canadian writer with roots in India. Famous American writer and broadcaster Rick Gekoski once said: 'Mistry has a great eye and a huge heart, and if the world he describes is often cruel and capricious, his characters have a remarkable capacity to survive". Rohinton Mistry has a rare achievement to his credit - he is the only author, all of whose novels have been shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize'. His works slowly starts from a family, proceeding gradually outwards along with the development of the characters and gradually widens into the social, cultural, and political backdrop. He has an unusual talent to grab the attention of the readers. Rohinto Mistry is a great writer with has an observable eye and a creative mind. The marked specialty of his work is that, thus far, his books depict the diverse facets of Indian socioeconomic life and culture as well as the life, customs, and religion of the Parsis. Read on!

Early Life
Rohinton Mistry was born to a Parsi couple Behram Mistry and Freny Mistry in 1952 in Bombay, India. He was born to a middle-class family. He grew up in this city and finished his graduation in Mathematics and Economics from the St. Xavier's College, Mumbai. His father was into advertising and his mother was a housewife. He migrated to Canada after marrying Freny Elavia who worked as a teacher and settled in Toronto. He worked in a bank there to support his studies and finished a degree in Philosophy and English. During his life at the Toronto University he published some stories for which he won two Hart House Literary Prizes and also the Canadian Fiction Magazine's Annual Contributor's Prize. Two years later, Penguin Books Canada published his collection of eleven short stories, Tales from Firozsha Baag. It was later published in the United States of America as "Swimming Lessons and Other Stories from Firozsha Baag". The book consists of eleven short stories, all set within one apartment complex in modern-day Mumbai. This volume contains the oft-anthologized story, "Swimming Lessons."

Career
Rohinton Mistry got into writing after reaching Canada and some of his early works were published in many Canadian magazines. His short-story collection "Tales from Firozsha Baag" was published in Canada in the year 1987 and then in UK as "Swimming Lessons and Other Stories from Firozsha Baag" in the year 1992. He wrote three novels and many short stories. His novel "Such a Long Journey" is written with Mumbai as the background. The novel depicts the story of a bank clerk who, though unwillingly, becomes a part of a fraud committed by the government. Rohinton Mistry bagged the Commonwealth Writers Prize for this book. "A Fine Balance", another novel published in the year 1996 depicts the State of Emergency in India and "Family Matters" which was published in 2002, again has Mumbai as its background. The novel narrates the story of an elderly Parsi widower who lives in Mumbai with his step-children. Both his works "Such a Long Journey" and "A Fine Balance" were shortlisted for the Booker Prize for Fiction and the third one 'Family Matters" was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize for Fiction (renamed version of Booker Prize) in 2002. Many of his literary papers are a part of the Clara Thomas Archives.

He and his family were targeted by security agents because they thought that he is a Muslim and because of this very reason he cancelled his book tour to the United States of America in 2002.He was checked by security agents in every single airport and the humiliation was unbearable to him. Another controversy related to Rohinton Mistry is that his novel "Such a Long Journey" was allegedly against the Mumbai University. The Shiv Sena's student wing lodged complaint against this book to the Vice-Chancellor of Mumbai University and burnt copies of this book at the university gate. The book was eventually withdrawn by the Mumbai University owing to the vigorous protest. His latest work is a story called "The Scream".

Contributions
His contributions to literature include:
Tales from Firozsha Baag, 1987 or Swimming Lessons and Other Stories from Firozsha Baag 1989 (US version)
Such a Long Journey, 1991
A Fine Balance, 1995
Family Matters, 2002
The Scream, 2006

Awards and Accolades
First Prize, Hart House Literary Contest, 1983
First Prize, Hart House Literary Contest, 1984
Annual Contributors' Prize, Canadian Fiction Magazine, 1985
Shortlisted for Booker Prize for Fiction, 1991
Governor General's Literary Award for Fiction, 1991
Commonwealth Writers Prize, 1992
Books in Canada First Novel Award, 1992
Giller Prize, 1995
Shortlisted for Booker Prize for Fiction, 1996
Commonwealth Writers Prize,1996
Shortlisted for Irish Times International Fiction Prize, 1997
James Tait Black Memorial Prize, 2002
Kiriyama Pacific Rim Book Prize, 2002
Shortlisted for Booker Prize for Fiction, 2002

Timeline
1952: Born in Mumbai.
1975: Completed his graduation at the St. Xavier's College, Mumbai.
1987: Published his short-story collection.
1991: Shortlisted for Booker Prize.
1992: Published the same short-story collection in USA under the name "Swimming Lessons and Other Stories from Firozsha Baag".
1996: Shortlisted for Booker Prize.
2002: Shortlisted for Man Booker Prize.

[MysteRy]

Upamanyu Chatterjee Biography

Born On: 19 December, 1959
Born In: Patna, Bihar
Career: Officer, Indian Administrative Service, Author

Upamanyu Chatterjee, best remembered for his debut novel 'English, August: An Indian Story' is one of the powerful and emerging voices amongst India's post colonial literary stalwarts. His novels are written in a humorous style and are intended to go beyond the basic concept of comedy. He defied conventional traditions and created a niche for himself. Through his works, one can see his protests against the austere world of the Indian Administrative System. Most of his novels focus on the life of a young westernized diplomat who is posted in a non-descript town. The characteristics of his novels have a wry sense of humour, amazing language and an eye to portray the life of middle-class India. The satirical aspect of his novels sometimes shocks readers. However, there are critics who are of the view that he has not achieved the success which was promised by with the launch of his debut novel.

Early Life
Upamanyu Chatterjee was born on 19th, December 1959 in Patna, Bihar. He was the son of Sudhir Ranjan Chatterjee. He received his education from St. Xavier's School and St. Stephen's College in Delhi. While studying in high School, Chatterjee penned a play, the story which he adopted from a Hitchcock drama, 'Dilemma'. The drama was not published, but won the school drama competition in spite of it caricaturing the school rules and regulations. After finishing his Master's in English Literature from the Delhi University, Chatterjee joined the Indian Administrative Service in 1983. His professional career not only marked the beginning of his literary career, but also was the source from which he created his characters. In 1990, Chatterjee lived as Writer in Residence at the University of Kent, U.K. In 1998, he was appointed as the Director (Languages) in the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India.

Career   
Upamanyu Chatterjee has written a few short stories of which 'The Assassination of Indira Gandhi' and 'Watching Them' are worth mentioning. Since then, he has written five novels, of which all of them have received critical and political support in spite of the fact that the novels picture the legal systems in a satirical manner.

In 1988, his first and bestselling novel, 'English, August: An Indian Story' was published. It was an extremely well-written novel which tells the story of Agastya Sen, a westernized Indian whose thoughts are dominated by women, literature and soft drugs. Through the novel, he portrays some serious issues that revolve around the 'urban educated youth' and pictures a class of 'westernized people' who are otherwise unnoticed in regional and English fictional work. Since the publication of the novel, it has been reprinted several times and the novel is an apt choice for those who are keen on knowing more about modern India. The story was made into a film with the same name in 1994.

In 1993, his second novel, 'The Last Burden' was published which portrays life in an Indian family at the end of twentieth century. The novel is written in a rich and powerful language and provides a stunning and accurate depiction of the overwhelming burden of family ties. In 2000, 'The Mammaries of the Welfare State' was published as an apt sequel to 'English August'. The novel is described by many as 'a master work of satire' by a prominent writer at the pinnacle of his powers. Chatterjee takes the reader through the corridors of Indian bureaucracy with gory sarcasm and leaves no opportunity to mock the entire system. The novel won the Sahitya Academy Award in 2004. In 2006, Chatterjee's fourth novel 'Weight Loss' which is a dark comedy was published. The novel is about the strange life of Bhola who is a sexual deviant and whose attitude to people around him depends upon their lust worthiness. His genius for dark humor is really convincing in this novel. In 2010, his latest novel 'Way to Go' was published as a sequel to 'The Last Burden'. The novel is accepted as well written and is a pleasure to read. It is suitable for anyone who wants to broaden their perspective on life and enjoy themselves in the procedure.

Contribution to Literature
A bureaucrat by profession, Upamanyu Chatterjee penned two short stories and five novels. The short stories include 'The Assassination of Indira Gandhi' and 'Watching Them' and novels include 'English, August: An Indian Story' (1988), 'The Last Burden' (1993), 'The Mammaries of the Welfare State'(2000), Weight Loss' (2006) and 'Way to Go' (2010).

Legacy
Upamanyu Chatterjee based his novels on the Indian Administrative System, which he depicted with hilarious sarcasm. The humour, sometimes, placed the reader in a state of shock as the writer went to an extent which his Indian contemporaries did not dare to go to. Through his works, he dared to match the sensibility which one uncovers only in modern European novels.

Awards and Accolades
Sahitya Academy Award, 2004
Order of Officier des Arts et des Lettres, French Government, 2008

Timeline
1959: Born in Patna, Bihar.
1983: Joined the Indian Administrative Service.
1988: First novel, 'English, August: An Indian Story' was published.
1990: Lived as Writer in Residence at University of Kent, U.K.
1993: Second novel, 'The Last Burden' was published.
1998: Appointed as the Director (Languages) in the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India.
2000: Third novel 'The Mammaries of the Welfare State' was published as a sequel to his first novel 'English, August: An Indian Story'.
2004: Was honoured with the Sahitya Academy Award for the novel 'The Mammaries of the Welfare State'.
2006: Chatterjee's fourth novel 'Weight Loss' was published.
2008: Was conferred Order of Officier des Arts et des Lettres by French Government for his contribution to modern literature.
2010: Latest novel 'Way to Go' was published as a sequel to 'The Last Burden'.