Activities,

5 Indian Authors Teens Will Enjoy Reading

Nov 16, 2021 | Activities | 0 Comments | 206

Reading is a habit that is both pleasurable and beneficial for all ages. Getting your teens to read will help them develop new perspectives, gather new experiences, and explore new mindsets leading to greater personal development. Furthermore, reading helps teens with their vocabulary and verbal skills, dramatically improving them and solidifying the foundations required to have a tight grasp of the language. Encourage your kids to adopt a New Years’s Resolution to read more, and to make it easier we have collated a list of 5 Indian Authors that your teens will love! 

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni- Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni finds inspiration in age-old mythologies of our culture, spinning engaging narratives around the same. A must-read for teens as it introduces Indian mythology from a whole new perspective- case in point- The Palace of Illusions. The author presents a feminist view by writing the story from Draupadi’s perspective and helps voice her take in the saga of Mahabharata. The author beautifully emotes the different struggles of a woman in the age of gods, war, and bloodshed by perfectly emoting the anger, jealousy, insecurity, and sadness of Draupadi. If your teen is fond of mythologies, then Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is definitely an author your teen should know! 

Khushwant Singh- A celebrated author known for his work centering around Partition and Post-Independent India, Khushwant Singh is an author your teen should know of. His famous book, Train To Pakistan seamlessly blends real-life events in a fictional environment. By giving a harrowing and grim take on the horrors of partition, this is a great book for any teen interested to know the complicated history of India’s independence. Khushwant Singh bravely highlights and tackles issues related to religion and communal violence that help your teen to develop a mature take on India’s controversial past. 

Jhumpa Lahiri- Well known for her short stories, novels, and award-winning essays, Lahiri writes extraordinary books about ordinary lives. Her most famous book The Interpreter Of Maladies was a gripping compilation of immigrants from post-partition India. She also tells some of her stories as she was the daughter of Bengali immigrants in the US, and her own personal shines true in the stories. The Namesake, one of her most famous novels is an award-winning film about the lives of a Bengal immigrant family trying to hold on to their culture and assimilate in the West. Jhumpa Lahiri with her engaging storytelling captures the reader’s attention with her simple, yet effective storytelling. Your teen will love Jhumpa Lahiri’s published works. 

Arundhati Roy- Much like Jhumpa Lahiri, Arundhati Roy finds compelling narratives in ordinary lives. Her famous book God of Small Things, on the surface, might deal with the ordinary lives of fraternal twins Rahel and Esthappen and their mother Ammu, set in Kerala, but as you delve deeper into the book, you discover the hidden subtexts of caste, forbidden love, and betrayal. This novel which won the Man Booker Prize in 1997, displays the compelling writing ability of Arundhati Roy, giving her readers an in-depth view of how the lives of people are fortunately and unfortunately intertwined with forces of society. A must-read book for teens, Arundhati Roy is a great author for Indian teens. 

R.K Narayan- Every 90s kid knows about R. K Narayan and his celebrated body of work. Malgudi Days, the defining novel of the 90s is still a favorite of many and should be introduced to teens of this age. R.K Narayan has the ability to capture the essentials of life in India and seamlessly craft engaging stories around it which are comforting to teenagers who can relate to the culture. The language is simple to understand but the meaning of his work stays with you even after you finish the last chapter of his work. The classic Indian author, your teens should be knowing about this iconic author who changed the face of English literary fiction in India.