i was editing a paper and didn't have time to make this post, but some time ago i had promised to do a list of sci-fi from india. i think all of these texts are specifically within the indian subcontinent, and not from the rest of south asia. anyway
science fiction is particularly interesting as a choice to me; because i am someone who much much much prefers reading fantasy fiction. the problem is that for fantasy fiction written and published in the subcontinent, the genre's main features make it difficult reading for me. fantasy does have a tendency to look backwards, usually takes cues from the middle-ages, or searches for a #gloriouspast and all that. for indian writers, (who are, very often, upper caste), this means looking to the ramayan or mahabharat for inspiration, or even looking to the mughal era. needless to say that i have no interest in recreations of hindu mythology, and even lesser interest in seeing uncritical reimaginations of casteist systems. i haven't read people like roshani chokshi and all, but that stuff is published out of india so, there's different factors guiding it. and the first time i read stuff by ashok banker i couldn't take it. all of that ram oriented worship - no thank you.
sci-fi, on the other hand, has some interesting things to say. a lot of these writers are admittedly upper caste, but because sci fi is not hankered by the glorious past, some of them have explored relationships between religion, caste, gender and state through the medium of science fiction in more and more interesting ways. plus, because genre is already a slippery thing in regional indian contexts, there's actually a reasonable amount of translated fiction that has lately been classified as science fiction.
ok i've rambled enough. starting with Short Story Collections:
1. Anukul by Satyajit Ray: ok i know satyajit ray makes it onto many lists for his more artistic and literary endeavours, and god knows i have no love for the way bengali writers have colonised indian academia, but i promise his detective fiction and science fiction is where its at. this is a pretty easily available short story that looks into the implications of robots and AI within the context of dharma and caste. it's got an interesting take on all of these things, even the attitudes towards immigrants, and i really enjoyed this short story. there's a short film adaptation of this story that's genuinely pretty good if you can find it. my prof in MA screened it for us.
2. It Happened Tomorrow edited by Bal Phondke: remember when i said that genre is slippery and you can find regional language stuff which fits the modern genre category science fiction? go for this book to find out more. it's got 19 short stories in translation, from various parts of india.
3. Breaking the Bow edited by Anil Menon and Vandana Singh: this book isn't as much in circulation anymore because these short stories explore the Ramyan through various critical lenses, and that shit isn't allowed in the new government anymore. there are some really interesting things being said about india's position as a power in the world (which seem hilarious in retrospect).
4. The Woman Who Thought She Was a Planet and Other Stories by Vandana Singh: i know that science fiction isn't everyone's cup of tea because at times it can be very hard and has more edges than something magical and fantastical. if so, really go for this. vandana singh writes science fiction a lot like fantasy, and this book has genuinely some of the loveliest stories. one of the stories that has stuck with me is actually about a muslim professor who loves maths, and journeys through time and space.
5. Shockwave! and Other Cyber Stories edited by ?? I think it's ashok banker again, but honestly the goodreads page lists four authors and amazon lists none. make of that what you will: there's this one story in this called Almaru that i think about once every month. it has a robot revolution and the robots are called kathputlis. this is my pitch for you to read this.
6. The Competent Authority by Shovon Chowdhury: this is. the funniest book. time travel, nuclear bombs, radiation, purple bananas, and a plethora of SUPER DEPRESSING hot takes on indian society, and this is still the funniest book ever. the premise is pretty simple: the author makes an astute observation that if india were to fall under dictatorial sci fi rule post a nuclear bombing, it would most likely be taken up by a bureaucrat. this book has some things to say about the bureaucracy, an india in general - yet its very funny and whimsical at the same time. plus, it has an enormous amount of heart for something thats pretty bleak. the author isn't just making fun for the sake of it you know??
7. The Beast with Nine Billion Feet by Anil Menon: i'd mentioned this in another list for YA reads, but this is a really good book. it takes a different tack, and tries to explore a combination of leftist ideology coming together with identity politics, alongside a straightforward coming of age journey. the premise is straightforward. two kids have new friends in the neighbourhood, and something about them is off. as they become friends they realise some interesting stuff about their society and community, and the science fiction has Things to Say as it were. daddy issues all around! really sweet characters! pune in the future!
8. Generation 14 by Priya Sarukai Chabria: i think this book was republished in another title, but i read it when it was called generation 14. i think it's pretty interesting how sci fi authors often use robots to reexamine caste, and i mean. i don't know how to feel about that exactly, but at least they aren't shying away from it i guess?? something i liked about this book was how it takes you way into south asia's past alongside the heroine, the way she searches way into her memory for more and more humanity, and that's really the crux of this book. where should a clone go in history looking for human identity?
9. Escape by Manjula Padmanabhan: again, i think i mentioned this book in another list but goddamn. goddamn this book is depressing. seriously, read it only if you really feel up for it. india fucked up massively and decided to eradicate women from society, was wiped off of global map by the other political powers, and one last girl has been saved and harboured by her brothers. see how that's depressing just to describe it??? be careful when you read this book.
10. Domechild by Shiv Ramdas: of these, i think this is the most straightforward one in terms of sci fi roots. south asian science fiction is also concerned with capitalism, of course, but the trend i have noticed is that people really like exploring caste and gender in indian sci fi a lot more. this one is more straightforward because it's a pretty clear conversation around capitalism and ownership of the self, tropes that have a more western science fiction root, yk?? it's not bad or anything, its just not very new.
and now the final category... Books That I Wouldn't Recommend But I Had Fun Reading:
11. Vimana and Zombiestan by Mainak Dhar: the reason i wouldn't recommend this is because it's pretty bad writing that leans into a masculine survivor fantasy and also repurposes hinduism to make it jazzy and is VERY islamophobic. the reason why i had fun was because it's in the "so bad its good" category for me. i often read bad books to figure out trends more. like i read Once Upon a Curfew by Srishti Chaudhury recently because i've been noticing that emergency oriented indian fiction is getting more popular lately, and i wanted to know what was up. that was a pretty bad book too, but it wasn't bad enough to become good yk. of these two books i'd still say steer clear of vimana because i find hinduism glorification just so hard to swallow lately.
12. Toke by Jugal Kishore Mody: again this isn't like... good writing, because it's clearly written by a stoner and for stoners. the premise is that everyone's becoming a zombie and the way to stop it is to get stoned. two stoners have to save the world. go figure. it's bad, but you know,,,,,,,, it's entertaining. like i wasn't unhappy when i was reading it, which is more than i can say for some of the books i've left out of this list.
okay LAST last category: Books I am PLANNING To Read:
1. The Last Jet Engine Laugh by Ruchir Joshi: i think this could be an interesting book in retrospect, like it had predictions more for this year than any other. plus looking into 30 years of history through a sci fi framework just sounds intriguing to me.
2. His Footsteps Through Darkness and Light by Mimi Mondal: personally i think the conversation around representation is very american, and it doesn't always translate well into an indian context, but that's a topic for another time (ask me about it sometime, idk). that being said, Mimi Mondal is one of the few dalit spec fic writers, so i really wanted to read this book by her. it's available only on kindle unfortunately, and much as i dislike drm-ed copies, she has made it available drm free!! so i might have a go at this later in the year. one can never tell with me, i just go by my mood more than anything else really.
3. Aliens in Delhi by Sami Ahmad Khan: mostly because i love delhi and i love aliens and sami ahmad khan is a really nice guy. that's all.
final notes: you will notice even in this list that sci fi writers in india can be a bit of an ingroup, because this is a genre that's not always accessible to non upper caste writers. it's something to keep in mind when approaching literally any english literature published inside or outside india, i guess.
apologies for that very long post!! hope this is a nice list for whenever any of you feel like reading sci fi. i promise im not a booklr, but its just nice to talk about south asian books that i read on here. i have too much disdain for diaspora writing, so i've never really been able to talk about the stuff in india i actually LIKE reading. there's a lot of it!! someday i will make a list of detection fiction maybe, or even young adult writing that's not sci fi or fantasy.