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INDIAN WRITINGS IN ENGLISH: AN OVERVIEW  Raja Ram Mohan Roy was the first Indian to effectively express himself in black and white through English, though he was initiated to the language when he was in his teens. Thereafter, Vivekananda showed his perfect masterly over the language through his evocative prose, which made the west sit up and take notice of the greatness of Hinduism. Tagore also had written some poems in English. Jawaharlal Nehru and M.K Gandhi were also great masters of the English language. Nehru’s Discovery of India, Glimpses of World History etc are glaring testimony to not only his profound scholarship but also his absolute mastery over writing lucid prose in the foreign language. Though Mahatma Gandhi used his mother tongue, Gujarati, to write his famous autobiography, later translated into English by his secretary Mahadev Desai under the title The Story of My Experiments with Truth (1929), he used Hindi and English with masterly skill and use. As he lived through a eventful life among his people, who were attempting to liberate themselves from moral decadence; social lethargy, political degradation, economic exploitation, and cultural subordination, Gandhi wrote, day and night, in and out of prisons, for his two journals, Young India and Harijan.   Rabindranath Tagore was the first Asian writer to win the Nobel Prize for Literature (1913). Tagore represents a happy combination of the ancient Indian tradition and the new European consciousness. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for his slim volume of poems entitled Gitanjali. His other known works are Gora, Ghare Baire and Galpa Guchchha.   In 1930s emerged the first major figures in the field of English literature in the shape of the “Big Three” of Indian fiction: Mulk Raj Anand, Raja Rao and R.K. Narayan. Mulk Raj Anand is the most westernized of the trio; Rao, while writing in English and using the genre of the novels has his roots in Sanskrit culture. R.K. Narayan’s work occupies a middle ground between the approaches of his two illustrious contemporaries. MULK RAJ ANAND   Mulk Raj Anand’s reputation was first established by his first two novels, Untouchable (1935), which gives an account of “a day in life” of a sweeper, and Coolie (1936), which follows the fortunes of a peasant boy uprooted from the land. His trilogy, The Village (1939), Across The Black Water (1940) and The Sword and the Sickle (1942)is an epic account [...]

Gharanas   The word Gharana has its root in the Hindi word ghar (from the Sanskrit Word). It is an abstract noun of ghar meaning ‘of the house’. Right from the earliest times, there have always been different schools of music in our country. After Akbar, music did not occupy the place of importance, and gifted musicians all over north India were absorbed into different native states. The rulers of these states were generally averse to their musicians travelling to other states. This isolation produced a kind of musical confinement. The enforced isolation gave the musicians no alternative method but to vigorously practice whatever they knew and to develop even greater refinement and subtlety.In the present time, music has taken an all pervading place. AKBAR  Qawwal Bache Gharana: This Gharana is said to be the first of its kind in the stylization and dissemination of Kheyal and Kheyal gayaki. The famous exponents were Savant and Bula (brothers). Other famous musicians are Shakkar Khan, Makkan he Khan and Jaddu Khan-all were exponents of Kheyal. Atrauli Gharana: This Gharana was founded by two brothers Kali Khan and Chand Khan. The Gharana is famous for its Dhrupad School, but Kheyal singing is by the latest fad. Dullu Khan and Chhajju Khan were two Dhruvapada singers who sang Gaurhar Bani. Other exponents are Hussain Khan, Shahab Khan, etc. Ustad as Alladiya Khan is the brightest jewel of this Gharana. Pandit Mallikarjun Mansoor is one of the finest exponents of this Gharana. Kishori Amonkar is the only daughter of the famous singer Mogubai Kurdikar of Bombay. She is easily one of the most gifted singers among women today in the north.  Gwalior Gharana: This Gharana originated from Abdullah Khan and Kadir Baksh Khan, who were brothers. They were reputed singers of Kheyal. After that came the two sons of Kadir Baksh- Nathan Khan and Pir Bux. The two brothers settled down permanently in Gwalior and trained their sons Haddu Khan. Other exponents are – Pandit Vishnu Digambar Paluskar, Anant Manohar Joshi, Ingle Bua, Anna Bua, Mehdi Hussain Khan, Onkar Nath Thakur, Vanayaka Rao Patwardhan, Narayanrao Vyas, B.R. Deodhar and others. Gravity and Sobriety are important features.   Agra Gharana: It is believed, had two branches, the first sprang from Syamrang and Sarasarang and the other from Imdad Khan. The school of Imdad Khan gravitated towards light music. After these two, the great musicians of this [...]

LITERATURE OF WESTERN INDIA Marathi Literature: The historians have argued about some phases of the development of the Marathi literature. The first phase is the Yadav period (1189-1320) which was basically a period of poetry writing; Viveksindhu of Nathpanthi Mukundraj was the greatest work of this period. Bhavarth Ramayan was composed by Eknath. During the period of Marathas (1600-1700), Christian Missionary of Goa contributed a lot. Father Cofens wrote Krist Puran. During this period Tukaram and Guru Ram Das emerged. Saint Eknath During the Peshwa period (1700-1800), new literary trends were established; Krishna Dayanarv and Sridhar were the chief poets of this period. In 1840, the first Marathi daily Digdarshan was started which was, later on, followed by Darpan. During this modern phase, Nibandhamala of Chiplunker, biographical work of N.C. Kelker and several novels of Hari Narayan Amte and V.S. Khandekar published which became very popular. Vijay Tendulkar is known for his dramas, Sakharam Bainder and Ghasi Ram Kotwal. Gujarati Literature: During the 13th century or its primary stage of development, Gujarati literature followed the romanticism in their work. Padam, Rajshekhar and Jaishekhar composed romantic prose in Gujarati. Narsee Mehta, Mirabai, Bhalna etc. got the dubious distinction of writing in Gujarati and Rajasthani literature. Bhalna presented Kadambari, Nalaklwyan, and Rambalcharita in a poetic form. In the 16th century, Nakar and Vishnudev presented Ramayana and Mahabharata in Gujarati, which became very popular. During this phase, Aakha’s tragic composition also widely recognised. Modernism in Gujarati is visible in the fiction, Karan Ghela of Narmod Shanker. In 1985, Panna Lal Patel was honoured with Gyanpith award. Panna lal Patel Rajasthani Literature: Rajasthan has been the land of kings or Rajputs, who are known for their aristocratic life style and bravery. Therefore, the entire literary tradition is full of the theme of sacrifice and valour. Veer Ras is the chief theme of Rajasthani literature. In the 19th century, Kamal Todd made a collection of folk story or tales. Poet Chandra Singh published his collection Badal (poem) which is a novel. Vijaydan Detha is known as a prose writer. The plot of his story is modern but style is traditional. M.D.vyas is another famous prose writer. Sindhi Literature: The Sindhi language follows the Persian and Arabic script. The history of it may be traced in the 13th century. Gahu is considered as the very ancient work of Sindhi which follow the theme of Romanticism. Sindhi, [...]