About this list

Hindustan Times, 70 Books

This list in the Hindustan Times was for the 70th celebration of India's independence.
Created & curated by Chiki Sarkar, publisher and founder of Juggernaut Books.
"I consulted a diverse group of people for this list and came up with the following criteria apart from HT's own rule - that the books had to be written in English.

The books on my list had to meet one or more of the following:
1. A book that had social impact (Created a debate, a new readership or won a major prize).
2. One that stands the test of time for its superb quality.
3. Books a general reader can read. The only scholarly books that have been included are ones that have changed the way we see the world.
4. A few extraordinary translations from Indian languages to English- where we are recognising the translation, not the work itself.
5. Books by some foreigners on India of outstanding merit.
6. Only one book per author."

This list was originally published in 2017 and was added to this site over 1 year ago.