Introduction:

The Indian English writing came into existence only two centuries ago. Sheikh Din Muhammad was the first Indian to publish his first book in English named The Travels of Din Muhammad, in the year 1794. He was a traveller, surgeon, and entrepreneur. But this Indo-Anglian literature actually came into existence in 1800 when Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay published his first English novel Rajmohan’s Wife” in 1864. After this, Lal Behari Day published Govinda Samantain 1874 and the History of a Bengali Raiyat and his Folk Tales of Bengal: Life's Secret in 1912.

First Indian Woman Novelist

Toru Dutt, the first Indian woman novelist published her Bianca or The Young Spanish Maiden in 1878.Toru Dutt and her contemporary Krupa Bai Satthianadhan were the two most auspicious Indian English authors of the nineteenth century. Satthianadhan's autobiography was written in the form of a novel Saguna: A Story of Native Christian Life which was published in series in The Madras Christian College Magazine From 1887 to 1888. Satthianandhan published Kamala: The Story of a Hindu Life in 1894, which was her last novel.

 Then in the nineteenth century and early twentieth century were the most opulent and promising years for Indian English literature. In the fundamental years, Indian English Literature consisted of a various kinds of non-fictional prose works, letters, diaries, political manifesto, articles, speeches, philosophical works, etc.

Influence of Colonizers:

Then came the years of struggle for Independence in India. India was in a great influence of the ruling English colonizers. British colony was prevalent with their influential and political speeches. Since, it was the time of Independence in India, many great leaders and influential authors like Swami Vivekananda, Rabindranath Tagore, Chittaranjan Das, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Mahatma Gandhi, and Subhash Chandra Bose etc. crafted the path for the free and modern India with their power of pen. Gandhiji wrote his Hind Swaraj and published it in 1910.Which was before the era of Raja Rao, Mulk Raj Anand and R.K.Narayan.

 Important Indian English Writers:

 1.      Raja Rao is a prominent name in Indian English authors. He was a great philosopher and eminent writer who wrote one of the most accomplished novels of the world of Indian English literature, Kanthapura and The Serpent and the Rope In 1960. He was awarded most prestigious prize, the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1964. Rao, also won the Neustadt International Prize for Literature in 1988. He was an author of international repute as he penned a numerous different kind of literature. 

 2.      Kisari Mohan Ganguli was the first and only author to translate the Sanskrit Mahabharata into English, it was a unique attempt to translate the entire epic in a European language in 1890,

 3.       Rabindranath Tagore, the name itself is sufficient, was a researcher, author, poet, a nationalist, philosopher and what not. He wrote his first drama Valmiki Pratibha. He did a notable work in the field of poetry and philosophy but he also tried his hand on biographies and travelogues. He used to write in Bengali and English and took responsibility of the translations of his own work into English. Tagore played a major role in the growth of Bengali literature.

 4.       After Tagore, many excellent authors delivered their souls to Indian English Writing by their vivid contributions like Dhan Gopal Mukerji. He was the first Indian English writer to win a literary award in the United States of America.

 5.       Then Nirad C. Chaudhari, P.Lal who had an enormous contribution for he was the first one to start a publishing company in 1950 for Indian English Writing specifically.

 6.      After Lal then came Ram Nath Kak, a Kashmiri author who is famous for his autobiography Autumn Leaves which is a classic benchmark in the history of Indian English literature.

 7.      In 1935, R.K.Narayan published his first novel Swami and his Friends. Narayan is an author of world fame who created a fictitious town named Malgudi. Where he posed the real India of that time. But since it was fictitious,it was neglected by the British rule impositions. His main works are The Bachelor of Arts, The Dark Room, The English Teacher, and Malgudi Days. He won the Sahitya Akademi Award for his novel, The Guide.