With 22 scheduled languages, 122 regional languages, six classical languages, (Sanskrit, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu,Malayalam and Odia) thousands of mother tongues and countless dialects, India can claim a unique linguistic and literary history. The different language clusters in India are distinctive but share a common heritage and core identity. Nurturing its plural and diverse traditions, emergent India is engaged in an act of constant and ongoing cultural translation and interpretation.

Novels, short fiction, poetry and experimental writing are flourishing, along with a vigorous tradition in literary criticism. Seeking inspiration from their mother tongues, Indian writers combine contemporary reach with classical traditions. While Indian literature in English is widely read and appreciated, the vibrant writing in the various Indian languages is not currently accessible to the rest of the world due to a lack of quality translations and focused promotion. ILA aims to correct this imbalance by projecting and promoting the plural Indian literatures internationally.

The ILA project has been initiated by the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, to support and facilitate translation and promotion of literary heritage and contemporary literature from the Indian languages into major foreign languages (especially those recognized by UNESCO).

Indian Literature Abroad (ILA) seeks to open windows to the polyphonic voices coming out of India. To achieve this goal, ILA is working on ongoing translation commissions, and also on workshops, collaborations and fellowships. The books listed here are but a sampler of the incredible riches of contemporary Indian writing.

ILA has a distinguished Advisory Committee, with the Dr U.R. Ananthamurthy as the chairman, and including well-known names from the fields of literature, publishing and translation. Namita Gokhale, writer, publisher and co-director of the Jaipur Literature Festival, is member-secretary of the project.

All contracts and negotiations will be carried out with the support of ILA