Indian Literature and Authors

Ratnavali is a Sanskrit play written by Emperor Harsha (Harshavardhan) of Kannauj in the 7th century CE. It's a romantic comedy about a king who falls in love with a merchant's daughter, showcasing Harsha's literary contributions beyond his political and military achievements.

'Ntuppuppaakkoraanaendaarnnu' (My Grandfather Had an Elephant) is indeed by Vaikom Muhammad Basheer, the renowned Malayalam writer known for his satirical and humorous works. The novel satirizes people who boast about past glory (their 'grandfather's elephants') to hide current shortcomings. Muttathu Varky wrote 'Aadujeevitham,' N.P. Mohammed was another Malayalam writer, Punathil Kunjabdullah wrote 'Smarakasilakal'.

'Arabipponnu' (1962) is indeed a novel co-authored by M.T. Vasudevan Nair and N.P. Mohammed, making option B correct. The other options are incorrect pairings - 'Kaalam' was written by M.T. Vasudevan Nair alone, 'Vilapayathra' is by N.P. Mohammed alone, and 'Varanasi' is by Uroob alone.

The book 'Insider' was authored by P V Narasimha Rao, former Prime Minister of India. Published in 1996, it provides insights into his perspective on politics and governance during his tenure. Rao was a key figure in India's economic liberalization.

Jagadish Chandra (J.C.) Bose became the first Indian to be honored by the Royal Society when he was elected a Fellow in 1920 for his pioneering work in radio and plant physiology. C.V. Raman was elected later in 1924, though he won the Nobel before that. Homi J. Bhabha was elected in 1941.

Rafiq Zakaria, an Indian Islamic scholar and politician, wrote 'The Man Who Divided India' which is a critical analysis of Jinnah's role in the Partition. Arun Shourie has written about Partition but not this title, Dominique Lapierre co-authored 'Freedom at Midnight', and Salman Rushdie wrote different works on India.

Sarojini Naidu wrote "The Broken Wing" (1917), a collection of poems. She was known as the "Nightingale of India" and was a prominent freedom fighter and poet.

Salman Rushdie, winner of the Booker Prize for Midnight's Children in 1981, was born in Mumbai in 1947. The other authors listed are from different cities: Arundhati Roy and V.S. Naipaul are not from Mumbai, and Kiran Desai, while Indian, was not born in Mumbai.

Balwant Gargi, a prominent Punjabi playwright and writer, authored 'The Naked Triangle.' The book explores themes of human relationships and psychological complexities. The other authors listed (Dinu Sreeprasad, Jayka Ayyangar, Dileep K Misra) are not associated with this work.

Satyajit Ray, the renowned Indian filmmaker and writer, created the Bengali detective character Feluda (Pradosh C. Mitter) in 1965. The other options use similar-sounding Bengali surnames (Ghosh, Bannerjee, Baral) but are incorrect.

Toru Dutt wrote 'The Lotus,' a sonnet that presents the lotus as the queen of flowers, combining the best qualities of flowers from different cultures. She was one of the first Indian poets to write in English.

Sishu (meaning 'children') is a collection of poetry by Rabindranath Tagore, written in Bengali. Tagore, India's first Nobel laureate in Literature, wrote extensively for children including works like 'Sishu' and 'Lipika'. Vikram Seth is known for 'A Suitable Boy', Nehru for 'Discovery of India', and Arundhati Roy for 'The God of Small Things'.

Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam authored several books: 'Wings of Fire' (autobiography), 'India 2020' (vision for developed India), and 'Ignited Minds' (igniting youth potential). 'Children are Best' is not among his published works.

Rudyard Kipling was born in Bombay (now Mumbai) in 1865 when India was under British rule. He received the 1907 Nobel Prize in Literature, becoming the first English-language writer to receive the award. Kipling is known for works like 'The Jungle Book' and 'Kim' which were inspired by his Indian childhood.

Ponniyin Selvan is Kalki Krishnamurthy's most famous historical novel that features Rajaraja Chola (Arulmozhi Varman) as the protagonist. Sivakamiyin Selvan and Parthiban Kanavu are also Kalki's novels but set in different Pallava periods.