Indian Literature
Indian Literature forms an integral part of the General Awareness section in various ccompetitive examinations.A strong understanding of this topic can contribute significantly to any Compettitive examination.
Key Areas of Focus within Indian Literature:
- Famous Books and Authors: This is the most frequently tested area. Questions typically involve:
- Matching a book with its author.
- Identifying the author of a well-known book.
- Recognizing famous literary works.
- Ancient Indian Literature:
- Vedic Literature: Basic knowledge of the Vedas (Rigveda, Samaveda, Yajurveda, Atharvaveda), Upanishads, Puranas. Questions might touch upon the content or significance of these texts (e.g., Rigveda being a collection of hymns).
- Epics: Ramayana (Valmiki) and Mahabharata (Vyasa), including key characters and their significance.
- Classical Sanskrit Literature: Prominent poets and playwrights like Kalidasa (works like Abhijnanashakuntalam, Meghaduta, Raghuvansham), Shudraka (Mrichhakatika), Bana (Harshacharita, Kadambari), and Dandin (Dasakumaracharita).
- Other important ancient works like Panini’s Ashtadhyayi (grammar) and Kautilya’s Arthashastra (statecraft and economics).
- Medieval Indian Literature:
- Devotional Literature (Bhakti and Sufi movements): Works of saint-poets like Kabir, Mirabai, Surdas, Tulsidas (Ramcharitmanas), and Sufi saints.
- Persian and Urdu Literature: Prominent poets like Amir Khusrau (credited with works like Tughlaqnama) and Mirza Ghalib (renowned for his ghazals).
- Historical chronicles like Abul Fazl’s Akbarnama and Gulbadan Begum’s Humayun Nama.
- Works in regional languages, though questions are more likely to be on nationally recognized figures.
- Modern Indian Literature:
- Indian Renaissance and Freedom Struggle Era: Authors and their works that fueled nationalist sentiments or depicted social realities. This includes:
- Bal Gangadhar Tilak (Gita Rahasya, The Arctic Home in the Vedas)
- Mahatma Gandhi (My Experiments with Truth, Hind Swaraj)
- Jawaharlal Nehru (The Discovery of India, Glimpses of World History)
- Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (India Wins Freedom, Ghubar-e-Khatir)
- Lala Lajpat Rai (Unhappy India)
- Sarojini Naidu (The Broken Wing, The Golden Threshold)
- Rabindranath Tagore (Gitanjali – Nobel Prize winner, Gora, The Post Office)
- Munshi Premchand (Hindi-Urdu novelist, famous for works like Godan, Gaban)
- Post-Independence Literature: Contemporary Indian writers in English and other languages who have gained national and international recognition. This includes authors like:
- R.K. Narayan (Malgudi Days, The Guide, Swami and Friends)
- Mulk Raj Anand (Untouchable, Coolie)
- Khushwant Singh (Train to Pakistan, A History of the Sikhs)
- Salman Rushdie (Midnight’s Children – Booker Prize winner, Shame)
- Arundhati Roy (The God of Small Things – Booker Prize winner)
- Kiran Desai (The Inheritance of Loss – Booker Prize winner)
- Aravind Adiga (The White Tiger – Booker Prize winner)
- Vikram Seth (A Suitable Boy)
- Amitav Ghosh (Sea of Poppies, The Glass Palace)
- Shashi Tharoor (known for both fiction and non-fiction like The Great Indian Novel, An Era of Darkness)
- Chetan Bhagat (popular contemporary author)
- Dalit Literature: Emergence and contributions of Dalit writers.
- Autobiographies and Biographies: Famous personalities and their life stories (e.g., A.P.J. Abdul Kalam’s Wings of Fire).
- Literary Awards:
- Jnanpith Award: India’s highest literary award. Knowledge of recent and prominent recipients.
- Sahitya Akademi Award: Awarded for literary merit in major Indian languages.
- Booker Prize and International Booker Prize: Indian and Indian-origin authors who have won these prestigious international awards.
- Nobel Prize in Literature: Rabindranath Tagore is the only Indian to have received this for literature.
