Kiran Nagarkar
Encyclopedia
Kiran Nagarkar is an India
n novel
ist, playwright
, film
and drama
critic and screenwriter
both in Marathi and English, and is one of the most significant writers of postcolonial
India
.
Amongst his most known works are Saat Sakkam Trechalis (Seven Sixes Are Forty Three) (1974, Ravan and Eddie (1994), and the epic novel, Cuckold (book) (1997) for which he was awarded the 2001 Sahitya Akademi Award
in English by the Sahitya Akademi
, India's National Academy of Letters.
. His novel Ravan and Eddie, begun in Marathi
but completed in English
, was not published until 1994.
Since Ravan and Eddie, all Nagarkar's novels have been written in English. His third novel, Cuckold on mystic Meerabai's husband, Bhoj Raj
, was published in 1997 and won the 2001 Sahitya Akademi Award
. It has been translated into a number of languages and has become one of the most beloved contemporary Indian novels, both in India and in Europe
. It took him nine years to write his next, God's Little Soldier, a tale of a liberal Muslim boy’s tryst with religious orthodoxy, which was published in 2006, to mixed reviews.
. Its performance was extra-legally banned
for 17 years by fundamentalist parties, including the Shiv Sena
. Nagarkar's theatre work also includes Kabirache Kay Karayche and Stranger Amongst Us, and his screenplay work includes The Broken Circle, The Widow and Her Friends, and The Elephant on the Mouse, a film for children. His 1985 screenplay, The Highly Improbable Adventures of Ravan and Eddie, is currently being filmed by Dev Benegal
, critically acclaimed director of English, August
and Split Wide Open
(1999). In the latter film, Nagarkar played the part of Brother Bono
family. Because his parents belonged to a branch of Brahmoism
, which in Maharashtra
was called the Prarthana Samaj
, he could be said to have a hybrid background. A Westward-looking
attitude towards Hinduism
runs in his family; his grandfather attended the 1893 Parliament of the World's Religions
in Chicago
.
Nagarkar studied at Fergusson College
in Pune
and the S.I.E.S. College in Mumbai
.
Interviews
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
ist, playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
, film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
and drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
critic and screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
both in Marathi and English, and is one of the most significant writers of postcolonial
History of the Republic of India
The history of the Republic of India began on 26 January 1950. The country became an independent dominion within the British Commonwealth 15 August 1947. George VI was King until the Republic was proclaimed in 1950. Concurrently the Muslim-majority northwest and east of British India was separated...
India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
Amongst his most known works are Saat Sakkam Trechalis (Seven Sixes Are Forty Three) (1974, Ravan and Eddie (1994), and the epic novel, Cuckold (book) (1997) for which he was awarded the 2001 Sahitya Akademi Award
Sahitya Akademi Award
Sahitya Akademi Award is a literary honor in India which Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, annually confers on writers of outstanding works in one of the following twenty-four major Indian languagesAssamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri,...
in English by the Sahitya Akademi
Sahitya Akademi
The Sahitya Akademi ', India's National Academy of Letters, is an organisation dedicated to the promotion of literature in the languages of India...
, India's National Academy of Letters.
Novels
Nagarkar is notable among Indian writers for having written acclaimed novels in more than one language. His first novel, Saat Sakkam Trechalis (later published in English as Seven Sixes Are Forty Three) is considered one of the landmark works of Marathi literatureMarathi literature
Marathi literature is the body of literature of Marathi, a Sanskrit-derived language spoken mainly in the Indian state of Maharashtra and written in the Devanagari script.-Early Marathi Literature :...
. His novel Ravan and Eddie, begun in Marathi
Marathi language
Marathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western and central India. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. There are over 68 million fluent speakers worldwide. Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India and is the fifteenth most...
but completed in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, was not published until 1994.
Since Ravan and Eddie, all Nagarkar's novels have been written in English. His third novel, Cuckold on mystic Meerabai's husband, Bhoj Raj
Bhoj Raj
Bhojraj Singh was the a the eldest son of Rana Sanga, ruler of Mewar in western India. He is best known as the reputed husband of the bhakti poet-saint Meerabai.-Biography:...
, was published in 1997 and won the 2001 Sahitya Akademi Award
Sahitya Akademi Award
Sahitya Akademi Award is a literary honor in India which Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, annually confers on writers of outstanding works in one of the following twenty-four major Indian languagesAssamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri,...
. It has been translated into a number of languages and has become one of the most beloved contemporary Indian novels, both in India and in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. It took him nine years to write his next, God's Little Soldier, a tale of a liberal Muslim boy’s tryst with religious orthodoxy, which was published in 2006, to mixed reviews.
Plays and screenplays
In 1978, Nagarkar wrote the play Bedtime Story, based partly on the MahābhārataMahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....
. Its performance was extra-legally banned
Ban (law)
A ban is, generally, any decree that prohibits something.Bans are formed for the prohibition of activities within a certain political territory. Some see this as a negative act and others see it as maintaining the "status quo"...
for 17 years by fundamentalist parties, including the Shiv Sena
Shiv Sena
Shiv Sena , is a political party in India founded on 19 June 1966 by Balasaheb Thackeray. It is currently headed by Thackeray's son, Uddhav Thackeray...
. Nagarkar's theatre work also includes Kabirache Kay Karayche and Stranger Amongst Us, and his screenplay work includes The Broken Circle, The Widow and Her Friends, and The Elephant on the Mouse, a film for children. His 1985 screenplay, The Highly Improbable Adventures of Ravan and Eddie, is currently being filmed by Dev Benegal
Dev Benegal
Dev Benegal is an Indian director and screenwriter, most known for his debut film English, August , which won the 1995 National Film Award for Best Feature Film in English....
, critically acclaimed director of English, August
English, August
English August: An Indian Story is a novel by Indian author Upamanyu Chatterjee written in English, first published in 1988. It was adapted into a film of the same name in 1994.-Plot introduction:...
and Split Wide Open
Split Wide Open
Split Wide Open is a 1999 Indian film and is Dev Benegal's second feature film after English, August. The film primarily deals with the Water conflicts in the slums of Bombay, and paedophilia, and also looks at the subversive sexuality in modern India and how the notions of morality are challenged...
(1999). In the latter film, Nagarkar played the part of Brother Bono
Personal life
Nagarkar comes from a lower middle classMiddle class
The middle class is any class of people in the middle of a societal hierarchy. In Weberian socio-economic terms, the middle class is the broad group of people in contemporary society who fall socio-economically between the working class and upper class....
family. Because his parents belonged to a branch of Brahmoism
Brahmoism
Brahmoism is a religious movement from the late 18th century Bengal originating the Bengali Renaissance, the nascent Indian independence movement and the wider Hindu reform movements of the period...
, which in Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
was called the Prarthana Samaj
Prarthana Samaj
Prarthana Samaj, or "Prayer Society" in Sanskrit, was a movement for religious and social reform in Maharashtra based on earlier reform movements and traditions of Maharashtra formed in 1849 by Ram Balkrishna Jaykar and others in Mumbai. It was secret in order to avoid the wrath of the powerful...
, he could be said to have a hybrid background. A Westward-looking
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
attitude towards Hinduism
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
runs in his family; his grandfather attended the 1893 Parliament of the World's Religions
Parliament of the World's Religions
There have been several meetings referred to as a Parliament of the World’s Religions, most notably the World's Parliament of Religions of 1893, the first attempt to create a global dialogue of faiths. The event was celebrated by another conference on its centenary in 1993...
in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
.
Nagarkar studied at Fergusson College
Fergusson College
Fergusson College is a degree college in western India, situated in the city of Pune. It was founded in 1885 by the Deccan Education Society and at that time was the first privately governed college in India. It is named after Sir James Fergusson, the Governor of Bombay, who donated a then...
in Pune
Pune
Pune , is the eighth largest metropolis in India, the second largest in the state of Maharashtra after Mumbai, and the largest city in the Western Ghats. Once the centre of power of the Maratha Empire, it is situated 560 metres above sea level on the Deccan plateau at the confluence of the Mula ...
and the S.I.E.S. College in Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
.
Works in translation
- Seven sixes are forty-three. Tr. by Shubha Slee. Pub. Heinemann, 1995. ISBN 0-435-95088-6.
Online Reviews by Readers
- Reviews of Cuckold on Amazon
- Reviews of Ravan and Eddie on Amazon
- Cuckold Reviews on Goodreads
- Ravan and Eddie Reviews on Goodreads
Online Articles by Kiran Nagarkar
External links
- Kiran Nagarkar's Website (not the official website of Kiran Nagarkar)
- Kiran Nagarkar on Another Subcontinent
- Kiran Nagarkar on Amazon.com
Interviews