Indian Literature and Authors

Arundhati Roy won the Booker Prize in 1997 for 'The God of Small Things,' making her the first person of Indian origin to win this award. Salman Rushdie won the Booker in 1981 for 'Midnight's Children' but is of mixed Kashmiri and British heritage, and the question specifies 'of Indian origin' as a category.

Aravind Adiga wrote 'The White Tiger,' which won the Booker Prize in 2008. Chetan Bhagat is known for 'Five Point Someone' and other popular fiction. Paulo Coelho is Brazilian and wrote 'The Alchemist.' Kushwant Singh wrote 'Train to Pakistan.'

'Wings of Fire' (1999) is Kalam's autobiography. 'Ignited Minds' (2002) and 'India 2020' (1998, with Y.S. Rajan) are both books he authored. 'Back to Square One' is not a known book by Dr. Abdul Kalam - it appears to be a fabricated title among the options.

'Unaccustomed Earth' (2008) is a short story collection by Jhumpa Lahiri, exploring the lives of Indian-American immigrants and their families. Note: The title has a typo in the question (should be 'Unaccustomed'). Lahiri won the Pulitzer Prize for 'Interpreter of Maladies'.

Probodh Chandra Bagchi was a renowned historian who wrote 'India and China: A Thousand Years of Cultural Relations', documenting cultural exchanges between the two civilizations. This is a factual question about Indian historical literature.

The Man Booker Prize-winning novel "The White Tiger" was written by Indian author Arvind Adiga.

Amrita Pritam, a renowned Punjabi writer, authored 'Death of a City' (originally 'Pinjar' in Hindi/Urdu). The novel explores the Partition of India's impact on society. Albert Spencer, Arthur Hailey, and A. Dante are not associated with this work - Hailey wrote commercial fiction like 'Hotel', while Spencer and Dante are not known for this particular work.

Harivanshrai Bachchan wrote 'Madhushala' (1935), a famous collection of 135 quatrains (rubaiyat) on life, philosophy, and mortality. The poem uses wine as a metaphor for life's experiences. Bachchan was a renowned Hindi poet and father of actor Amitabh Bachchan. Premchand, Dinkar, and Gupt were other prominent Hindi writers but not the author of Madhushala.

This quote about India's contribution to mathematics (decimal system and zero) is widely attributed to Albert Einstein. He recognized India's foundational role in developing numerical concepts essential for scientific progress. Similar tributes exist from other scholars, but Einstein's is the most famous.

To solve this question, the user needs to have knowledge about Indian authors and their famous works.

The correct answer is A. Sashi Taroor.

Explanation for each option:

A. Sashi Taroor: He is an Indian author and politician who has authored several books, including "The Great Indian Novel", which is a satirical novel that retells the story of the Indian independence movement through characters from Indian mythology. Therefore, option A is the correct answer.

B. Jawaharlal Nehru: He was the first Prime Minister of independent India and was a prolific writer himself. However, he did not write "The Great Indian Novel".

C. Advani LK: He is an Indian politician and a former Deputy Prime Minister of India. He has not authored "The Great Indian Novel".

D. Amartya Sen: He is an Indian economist and philosopher who has won the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences. However, he is not the author of "The Great Indian Novel".

Therefore, the correct answer is A. Sashi Taroor.

'The Other Side of Midnight' was written by Sidney Sheldon (spelled Sidney, not Sydney as in the option). Sheldon was a bestselling novelist and screenwriter, though not typically described as a poet. Toni Morrison, George Bernard Shaw, and Rabindranath Tagore were all writers but did not author this particular novel.

Shri Shendu Mukhopadhyay (also spelled Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay) is the author of the Bengali novel 'Parthibo'. Option A has 'SirShendu' which is a variant spelling.

Bani Basu is the author of the Bengali novel 'Akusher Pa' (also spelled 'Akushe Pa'). She is a contemporary Bengali writer known for her feminist and progressive themes.