Famous Indian Non-Fiction Writers

Vinayak Damodar Savarkar was an Indian politician and independence activist. He formulated the Hindu nationalist philosophy of Hindutva and was a leading figure in the Hindu Mahasabha. He was known for his strong oratory skills and was an eloquent writer. He was initially charged as a co-conspirator in the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi but was later acquitted.

Jnanpith- and Padma Shri-winning author Amitav Ghosh is best known for his iconic bestselling books such as The Calcutta Chromosome and The Hungry Tide. Initially employed with the Indian Express, he later also wrote for publications such as The New Yorker. He is also a regular at international film festivals.

Known widely as The People’s Judge, V. R. Krishna Iyer had been a Supreme Court judge for almost 8 years. A champion for human rights, he pioneered the practice of offering legal aid to underprivileged people. The Padma Vibhushan winner was also a sports lover.

Ramon Magsaysay Award-winning journalist and the celebrated author of the book Everybody Loves a Good Drough, Palagummi Sainath mostly focuses on poverty and social inequality. He is also the man behind the People's Archive of Rural India and has also won honors such as Japan’s Fukuoka Grand Prize.

Hindi author Vishnu Prabhakar created history when he became the first from his state Haryana to win a Sahitya Akademi award, a coveted literary award in India. Primarily known for his novels and stories, he had also penned poems. Awara Masiha and Ardhanarishwar remain two of his best-known works.

Raghubir Singh was an Indian photographer best remembered for capturing landscapes and the people of India. A self-taught photographer, Singh worked with popular publications like The New York Times, National Geographic Magazine, and Time. Singh is credited with reinventing the use of color during the early 1970s. His photographs are displayed in popular museums like the Museum of Modern Art.