Indian Literature and Authors

Rabindranath Tagore won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913 for his collection of poems 'Gitanjali' (Song Offerings), becoming the first non-European and first Asian to receive this honor. The Nobel committee cited his 'profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse'.

Kalidas wrote Abhijnanasakuntalam (his most famous play) and Malavikagnimitram (his first play). Madhushalayam and Vikram Charitram are not his works - his other major works include Meghaduta, Kumarasambhava, Raghuvamsha, and Vikramorvasiyam.

India Wins Freedom is the autobiography of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, a key figure in India's independence movement. Published posthumously in 1959, it provides his first-hand account of the freedom struggle. H.G. Wells wrote science fiction, Jonathan Swift wrote Gulliver's Travels, and Bana Bhatt was a Sanskrit court poet.

By God's Decree is the autobiography of Kapil Dev, the legendary Indian cricketer who captained India to its first Cricket World Cup victory in 1983. The book chronicles his journey from a young bowler to becoming one of India's greatest all-rounders.

Post Office (Dak Ghar) is a play by Rabindra Nath Tagore, written in 1912. It tells the story of a young boy Amal who is confined to his uncle's home and his longing for freedom and connection with the outside world. KPS Menon was a diplomat, Salman Rushdie wrote Midnight's Children, and Anita Desai wrote Clear Light of Day.

Anandamath (1882) is the novel by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee that contains 'Vande Mataram,' which later became India's national song. The novel is set against the backdrop of the Sannyasi Rebellion in Bengal.

'Tiger of the Snows' is the autobiography of Tenzing Norgay, co-authored with James Ramsay Ullman. It chronicles his life and his historic ascent of Mount Everest with Sir Edmund Hillary on May 29, 1953. Tenzing was a Nepalese-Indian Sherpa mountaineer.

Rabindranath Tagore won the 1913 Nobel Prize for Literature for Gitanjali becoming the first non-European and first Asian laureate. Mirza Ghalib was a 19th-century Urdu poet who died in 1869, Debendranath was Rabindranath's father (not the laureate), and Mohammad Iqbal was a poet-philosopher who wrote in the early 20th century.

The book 'After Taste' is written by Nandita Devidayal, who is an Indian author. The other options are incorrect: Amitav Ghosh is a different prominent Indian author, Keith Nockwell appears to be a misspelling, and William Shakespeare died centuries before this book was published.

Nirad C. Chaudhuri wrote 'A Passage to England' (1959), a travelogue about his impressions of England. Note the author's name has a typo in the option - should be 'Chaudhuri' not 'Choudari'. Mahatma Gandhi wrote extensively but not this specific book; the other options are not associated with this work.

"Alaler Gharer Dulal" (1858) by Tekchand Thakur is widely regarded as the first Bengali novel, preceding Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay's works. This novel satirized Bengali middle-class society and marked the transition from traditional prose to modern novel form. "Nil Darpan" (1860) was a play, while "Ananda Math" (1882) came much later and is Bankim Chandra's famous novel, not the first.

"Pratapaditya Charit" by Ramanath Basu is considered the first original prose work in Bengali, published in 1875. This biographical work on the medieval ruler Pratapaditya marked Bengali prose's transition from translation-based composition to original creative writing. Vidyasagar's "Bodhadaya" was primarily a polemical work on social reform, while Bankim Chandra's prose works came later. Ramanath Basu thus pioneered modern Bengali prose.

Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay wrote the novel 'Devdas' in 1917. It's one of the most famous Bengali novels, adapted into multiple films. Bankim Chandra wrote 'Anandamath', Rabindranath Tagore wrote 'Gitanjali' and other works, and Tarasankar was a different Bengali author known for 'Jai Banshli' among others.

Vikas Swarup wrote the novel 'Q & A' (published in 2005), which was adapted into the film 'Slumdog Millionaire'. The story of a boy from the slums winning a game show forms the basis of both the book and film.