Indian Talent, Global Content
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Indian Talent, Global Content |
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The New World of Indian Writers
You’ll be amazed at the variety you find in Indian bookstores and Indians’ bookshelves - published material in English ranging from cookery books to expert commentaries and interpretations of highest spiritual and metaphysical thoughts, all jostling alongside Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and John Grisham. Wasn’t it inevitable that BPO to India came about and continues to grow? The number of English-literate, willing workforce ready and able to deliver in time is phenomenal and mind-boggling to most other nationals. Besides IT, there is prolific output vis-à-vis medical transcription, technical documentation, journalism, and business and management material. Writing is now as much an ITES as most other modern technologies. And the combination of original thinking in English and a very high global awareness that is evident among Indians is most likely what makes India the most sought-after outsourcing destination. Name one of the greatest strengths of Indians writing in English? The answer, perhaps arguably, is the bi- or multi-lingual ambience they grow in, be they never-resident, settled, or resident. The richness of any language is better appreciated and judged through knowledge of another tongue. Such an idea may be new, even alien, to peoples who have grown with only one. A keener sense of language expression and nuance is unconsciously ingrained, which possibly gives one the edge when producing quality writing. Most literate Indians, you’ll find, are skilled in the use of at least a couple of languages: English and their own tongue. Among them again, a great number think in English, an outcome in no small way to the fact that English is the first language in Convents and most other urban schools. The average urban toddler sets out on his education with ABC rather than the vowels of his vernacular! They grow up exposed to authors as varied as Enid Blyton, PG Wodehouse, Agatha Christie and James Herriot and know all about Hans Andersen’s wonderful fairy tales as well as Indian mythological epics, themselves read in English! Also, English is naturally the medium for nearly all graduate studies and higher professional, literary, arts and medical education in India. Come to India and you will most likely come across a few persons – elderly gentlemen whose childhood was spent under colonial rule or just after. You could elicit nostalgic recollections from them with quotes in context from Shakespeare and Wordsworth and hear them wax eloquent on the literary aspects, (and also, fondly, on their English teacher!). Another facet to the versatility of the Indian writer is the capacity - and ability - to translate from and to English, and thus increase readership multi-fold. Any number of biographies and autobiographies of and by Indians are turned out in English, and soon thereafter in other Indian languages. You might find that this sometimes can be a mixed blessing especially if you are working with rural talent – you could of necessity end up with a two (even three) language format, and that many versions, albeit authentic, of your content. Indian writing is still formal, sometimes endearingly so. This kind of uncorrupted, ‘un-colloquialised’ writing is perhaps preferable in journalistic, business and management work targeted for a global audience. For a local reader, the matter does assume an acceptably nice regional flavour; certainly the published work conforms always to limits of literary decorum. Does all the writing get published? Probably a good part of it does - if you go by the number of publishing houses and Indian registered newspapers / periodicals in English which alone is put at – yes, believe it - 8141 (source: GOI, Registrar of Newspapers in India). You’ll see that 750 of these regularly reach the newsstand. This is among the other staggering numbers of publications in over a hundred languages and dialects. Regional, national dailies, journals and periodicals are so numerous and varied in content, concept and target readership that this copious output in journalism by itself could be proof of Indian writers’ – and readers’ - extraordinary range of interests and proficiencies: the panorama extends across diverse fields of human interest: medicine and science, engineering, technology and IT, business, economics, management and literature, religious and spiritual, as well as humour and sports. Little wonder, therefore, on the volume of Indian Writing in English that has come to global notice. In case you haven’t chanced upon R.K. Narayan by now, do read his “The English Teacher” or “The Man-Eater of Malgudi” for tasty contextual fiction set in a by-gone era. You could follow that up with globally themed works of more recent authors - Booker / Pulitzer awardees and nominees for worth-your-while and collection-worthy reading. Look at the growing number of resident writers and PIO’s recognised by a global readership with awards for fictional and non-fictional works – Vikram Seth, Arundhati Roy, Amitav Ghosh, Amit Chaudhuri, David Davidar to name a few - whether based totally in an Indian context or otherwise. These are famous names now; apart from such professional writers, there is amateur and other talent for all kinds of writing – especially those that don’t even think of, or think anything of, getting on the New York best-seller list – that’s ready and waiting to be tapped. That's Indian writing for you: a spread that's delectable, mouldable and the results pleasing to the eye and mind, and that can also be creative, original and very, very novel. If you are looking for writing competence in any field, abundance of talent and readiness of pen, you are likely to find the requirement more than fulfilling in India. What can you outsource? Here is a suggestive list, by no means exhaustive: Once outsourcing is seen as a great support service to the Greater American Dream, it's easy to accept that it has come to stay for a good while. The path starts where innovative, marketable ideas take shape, and logically reaches a place where these meet efficient, fitting and timely solutions. So let’s shake hands on that. Author’s note: BPO: Business Process Outsourcing ITES: Information Technology Enabled Service PIO: People of Indian Origin GOI: Government of India References: “Wikipedia”, the free Encyclopaedia “The Week”: Special feature on Literature
>> Read more articles written by Chillibreeze writers:1. Articles related to Content and Outsourcing
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