Pankaj Mishra

Pankaj Mishra (born 1969 in North India) is an Indian essayist and novelist. He is particularly notable for his book "Butter Chicken in Ludhiana", a sociological study of small-town India, and his writing for the "New York Review of Books".

He graduated with a bachelor's degree in commerce from Allahabad University before earning his Master of Arts degree in English literature at the Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi. He is the Visiting Fellow for 2007-2008 at the Department of English, University College London, UK.

In 1992, he moved to Mashobra, a Himalayan village, where he began to contribute literary essays and reviews to "The Indian Review of Books", "The India Magazine", and the newspaper "The Pioneer". His first book was "Butter Chicken in Ludhiana: Travels in Small Town India" (1995), a travelogue that described the social and cultural changes in India in the new context of globalization. His novel "The Romantics" (2000), an ironic tale of people longing for fulfillment in cultures other than their own, was published in eleven European languages and won the "Los Angeles Times" Art Seidenbaum award for first fiction. His recent book "An End to Suffering: The Buddha in the World" (2004) mixes memoir, history, and philosophy while attempting to explore the Buddha's relevance to contemporary times. "Temptations of the West: How to be Modern in India, Pakistan and Beyond" (2006), describes Mishra's travels through Kashmir, Bollywood, Afghanistan, Tibet, Nepal, and other parts of South and Central Asia.

In 2005, Mishra published an anthology of writing on India, "India in Mind" (Vintage). His writings have been anthologized in "The Picador Book of Journeys" (2000), "The Vintage Book of Modern Indian Literature" (2004), and "Away: The Indian Writer as Expatriate" (Penguin), among other titles. He has introduced new editions of Rudyard Kipling's "Kim" (Modern Library), E. M. Forster's "A Passage to India" (Penguin Classics), and J. G. Farrell's "The Siege of Krishnapur" (NYRB Classics). He has also introduced two volumes of V. S. Naipaul's essays: "The Writer and the World" and "Literary Occasions".

Mishra writes literary and political essays for "The New York Times", "The New York Review of Books", "The Guardian", and "New Statesman", among other American, British, and Indian publications. His work has also appeared in "The Boston Globe", "Common Knowledge", the "Financial Times", "Granta", "The Independent", the "London Review of Books", "n+1", "The Nation", "Outlook", "Poetry", "Time", the "The Times Literary Supplement", "Travel + Leisure", and "The Washington Post". He divides his time between London and India, and is presently working on a novel. [* [http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00litlinks/pankajmishra/ Website devoted to author] ]

His book "Temptations of the West: How to be Modern in India, Pakistan, Tibet and Beyond" was reviewed by "The Economist" (1 July – 7 July 2006 issue).

Controversies

On 20 March 2000, a few hours before United States President Bill Clinton arrived on his first official visit to India, 38 Sikh villagers were massacred in the village of Chattisinghpura, in the Indian State of Jammu & Kashmir. The killers wore Indian army fatigues. Mishra visited the village hours after the massacre, and later produced a report that was carried by several Indian and international papers. In the report, Mishra amplified Pakistani claims that the Indian army had killed the villagers in an attempt to win U.S. sympathy for the Indian stance on Kashmir. A later report carried by the British newspaper, "The Guardian" in July 2002 focused on the allegations of possible abduction and brutal murder by the Indian army of "innocent Kashmiri Muslim civilians" shortly after the massacre.

It has now been established beyond doubt that the acts were perpetrated by the Islamic terrorist group Lashkar-e-Toiba, based on the confession of a member of the terrorist group [http://www.rediff.com/news/2000/dec/31sikh.htm] .

The massacre coincided with the visit of United States president Bill Clinton to India. In an introduction to a book written by Madeline Albright titled "The Mighty and the Almighty: Reflections on America, God, and World Affairs (2006)", he accused "Hindu Militants" of perpetrating the act. The allegation created a major fury, with both Hindu and Sikh groups expressing outrage at the lie. Clinton's office did not return calls seeking comment or clarification. In the hours immediately after the massacre in March 2000, the US condemned the killings but refused, to accept the Indian governments contention that it was the work of Pakistan based Islamist groups. That changed as soon as Clinton's claims were debunked. The publishers,Harper Collins routed a correction through Albrights office. In a public statement they acknowledged the error. [http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=VE9JTS8yMDA2LzA1LzE5I0FyMDE0MDE=&Mode=HTML&Locale=english-skin-custom Clinton goofs up on J&K killings] ,"Times of India"]

Page xi of the Mighty and the Almighty contains a reference to Hindu militants that will be deleted in subsequent printings, both in America and in international editions (while retaining it in the current edition to act as fodder for misuse as and when needed.

Mishra's polemics regarding Hinduism as a religion and the modern history of nationalist movements among Hindu people in India such as the BJP have generated some disquiet among some Hindu circles within India. His book "Temptations of the West: How to be Modern in India, Pakistan, Tibet and Beyond" was reviewed by "The Economist" (1 July – 7 July 2006 issue) and provides an example of the analysis and commentary that have made Mishra controversial in India. His remarks against Hindus have earned him accusations of being an anti-Hindu, and of "pandering to white pro-Muslim audiences in the West".

References

External links

* [http://www.outlookindia.com/author.asp?name=Pankaj+Mishra Magazine contains articles written by Pankaj Mishra]
* [http://www.nybooks.com/authors/196 Mishra archive from The New York Review of Books]
* [http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/06/books/review/06GOODHEA.html Philosopher King by Adam Goodheart—book review in New York Times]
* [http://www.loggernaut.org/interviews/pankajmishra "Pankaj Mishra, Intellectual and Spiritual Vagrant"] . An interview by Wendy Cheng at "Loggernaut".
* [http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,759413,00.html] . Report by Pankaj Mishra regarding Kashmir in July 22nd 2002 in the UK Guardian newspaper.
* [http://www.cityweekend.com.cn/shanghai/articles/blogs-shanghai/shanghai-book-club/live-blogging-with-arundhati-roy-andpankaj-mishra-india-in-the-world-arundhati-roy-in-coversation-with-pankaj-mishra/Podcast of Pankaj Mishra and Arundhati Roy discussing "India in the World" at the Shanghai International Literary Festival]

[Category:Indian journalists]