INDIAN LITERATURE

Indian literature -refers to the literature produced on the 

Indian subcontinent until 1947 and in the Republic of India thereafter.

The Republic of India has 22 officially recognized languages.

Just like China, India has over two millennia old literary history. But unlike the Chinese early literary works which were either poetic or philosophical works, the earliest literary works in India were the Sanskrit sacred Vedic texts

Early Sanskrit Literature

The first Indian literary work was a collection of Sanskrit hymns that was orally transmitted. The so-called Vedas which were either sung or recited are thought to have been composed as early as 1500 to 1200 BCE but they were written down only at the end of the first millennium BCE, while the oldest Veda texts date to around 11th century. Prominent literary works in Sanskrit of course also include the famous Ramayana and Mahabharata epic poems which are thought to have been created sometime between the 6th and 1st century BCE.

Classical Sanskrit Literature

Despite the fact that India is home to many different languages, religious importance of the early Sanskrit texts and the influence of Sanskrit on many Indian languages enabled Sanskrit literature to flourish over one millennium. Unfortunately, most Sanskrit works from the so-called classical Sanskrit literature have been lost.

Medieval Indian Literature

With the exception of south India where Tamil literature has been produced from the ancient times, medieval Indian literature remained strongly influenced by the Sanskrit literature. However, literary works that were created between the 11th and early 19th century also reveal a major influence of Buddhist and Jain works. At the same time, Sanskrit gradually give way to the Prakrit language, especially in Buddhist and Jain texts as well as other common Indian languages.

The Muslim invasions from the early 8th century

onwards and of course the arrival of the British

also left their mark on Indian literature. Theperiod following the decline of the ClassicalSanskrit literature until the mid-19th

century wasdominated by the so-called bhakti or

devotionalpoetry in all Indian languages.

Modern Indian Literature

The period of the modern Indian literature starts with the first movements for independence in the mid-19th century. The early modern Indian literature, however, was greatly influenced by both adoption of the Western thoughts and ideas on the one hand and their rejection on the other.

Rabindranath Tagore

Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941) was theyoungest son of Debendranath Tagore, a leader ofthe Brahmo Samaj, which was a new religious sectin nineteenth-century Bengal and which attempteda revival of the ultimate monistic basis of Hinduismas laid down in the Upanishads. He was educated athome; and although at seventeen he was sent toEngland for formal schooling, he did not finish hisstudies there. In his mature years, in addition to hismany-sided literary activities, he managed thefamily estates, a project which brought him intoclose touch with common humanity and increasedhis interest in social reforms. He also started anexperimental school at Shantiniketan where he triedhis Upanishadic ideals of education.

From time to time he participated in the Indiannationalist movement, though in his own nonsentimental and visionary way; and Gandhi, thepolitical father of modern India, was his devoted friend.Tagore was knighted by the ruling British Governmentin 1915, but within a few years he resigned the honouras a protest against British policies in India.Tagore had early success as a writer in his nativeBengal. With his translations of some of his poemshe became rapidly known in the West. In fact hisfame attained a luminous height, taking him acrosscontinents on lecture tours and tours of friendship.For the world he became the voice of India‘ spiritual heritage; and for India, especially forBengal, he became a great living institution.

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