List of Indian women writers

A

Varsha Adalja (born 1940), Gujarati novelist, playwright

Smita Agarwal (born 1958), poet, educator

Meena Alexander (born 1951), poet, memoirist, essayist, novelist, critic, educator

Samina Ali, contemporary Indian-American novelist, feminist, author of Madras on Rainy Days

Balamani Amma (1909–2004), poet, published many collections of poetry in Malayalam

K. Saraswathi Amma (1919–1975), short story writer, novelist, feminist

Lalithambika Antharjanam (1909–1987), Malayalam short story writer, poet, children's writer, novelist, author of Agnisakshi

Temsula Ao (born 1945), short story writer, poet, educator

Ashitha, since c.1986: Malayalam short story writer, poetJK

B

Jasodhara Bagchi (1937–2015), leading feminist critic, essayist, activist

Sushmita Banerjee (c.1963–2013), memoirist

Rashmi Bansal (born 1985), non-fiction best-seller writer on entrepreneurship

Bani Basu (born 1939), Bengali novelist, essayist, critic, poet

Malati Bedekar (1905–2001), Marathi feminist writer, short story writer, screenwriter

Sheila Bhatia (1916–2008), poet, playwright, theatre director

Sujata Bhatt (born 1956), Gujarati poet, also writing in English

Rajlukshmee Debee Bhattacharya, since the 1990s: poet in Bengali and English

Suchitra Bhattacharya (born 1950), Bengali novelist, short story writer

Nirmal Prabha Bordoloi (1933–2003), Assamese poet, lyricist, children's writer

Urvashi Butalia (born 1952), feminist, publisher, non-fiction writer

C

Neelam Saxena Chandra (born 1969), poet, children's writer, novelist

Chandramathi (born 1954), novelist writing in Malayalam and English

Rimi B. Chatterjee (born 1969), novelist, short story writer, non-fiction writer, translator

Jayasri Chattopadhyay (born 1945), Sanskrit poet, educator

Anuja Chauhan (born 1970), advertiser, novelist, author of The Zoya Factor

Subhadra Kumari Chauhan (1904–1948), Hindi poet

Prem Chowdhry (born 1944), social scientist, feminist, non-fiction writer, essayist

Rita Chowdhury (born 1960), poet, novelist, educator

Raghavan Chudamani (1931–2010), novelist, short story writer, writing in Tamil and English

Ismat Chughtai (1915–1991), Urdu novelist, screenwriter

Ajit Cour (born 1934), Punjabi novelist, short story writer

D

Esha Dadawala (born 1985), Gujarati poet, journalist

Abha Dawesar (born 1974), novelist, short story writer, author of Babyji

Shobha De (born 1947), journalist, novelist

Eunice de Souza (born 1940), English-language poet, critic, novelist

Anita Desai (born 1937), novelist, author of In Custody

Kamal Desai (1928–c.2011), novelist, writing in Marathi

Kiran Desai (born 1971), novelist, author of The Inheritance of Loss

Gauri Deshpande (1942–2003), novelist, short story writer, poet, wrote in Marathi and English

Shashi Deshpande (born 1938), novelist, short story writer, children's writer

Sunita Deshpande (1926–2009), Marathi memoirist, letter writer

Nabaneeta Dev Sen (born 1938), poet, novelist, educator

Ashapoorna Devi (1909–1995), Bengali novelist, poet

Leela Devi (1932–1998), novelist, non-fiction writer, playwright, translator, writing in Malayalam and English

Mahasweta Devi (born 1926), Bengali-Indian journalist, novelist

Maitreyi Devi (1914–1989), Bengali poet, novelist

M. K. Binodini Devi (1922–2011), Manipuri memoirist, essayist, short story writer, novelist

Nalini Bala Devi (1898–1977), Assamese poet

Nirupama Devi (1883–1951), novelist

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (born 1956), Indian-American poet, novelist, short story writer, author of The Mistress of Spices

Nirupama Dutt (born 1955), Punjabi poet, journalist, translator

Toru Dutt (1856–1877), poet, novelist, writing in English and French

G

Gangadevi (14th century), Telugu princess, poet, author of Madura Vijayam

Mridula Garg (born 1938), novelist, short story writer, playwright, essayist, writing in Hindi and English

Sagarika Ghose (born 1964), journalist, TV presenter, novelist

Namita Gokhale (born 1956), English-language novelist, short story writer

Padma Gole (1913–1998), Marathi poet

Mamoni Raisom Goswami (1942–2011), Assamese poet, novelist, short story writer, editor, educator

Santhini Govindan (born 1959), children's writer

Kodagina Gowramma, pen name of B. T. Gopal Krishna (1912–1939), short story writer, feminist

Teji Grover (born 1955), poet, novelist, translator, painter

Neelum Saran Gour (born 1955), writer,academic

H

Baby Halder (born 1973), domestic servant, autobiographer

Githa Hariharan (born 1954), novelist

Chandrakala A. Hate (1903–1990), feminist writer, educator

Nistula Hebbar (born 1975), journalist, columnist, novelist

Vera Hingorani (born 1924), gynaecologist, medical writer

Saliha Abid Hussain, 20th-century Urdu-language novelist, children's writer

Krishna Hutheesing (1907–1967), biographer, non-fiction writer

I

M. K. Indira (1917–1994), Kannada novelist

J

Manorama Jafa (born 1932), prolific children's writer

Rashid Jahan (1905–1952), Urdi short story writer, playwright

Jana Begum (17th century), early female writer of a commentary on the Qur'an

Pupul Jayakar (1915–1997), biographer, non-fiction writer on handicrafts

Ruth Prawer Jhabvala (1927–2013), acclaimed German-born British novelist, short story writer, screenwriter, grew up in India

Sarah Joseph (born 1946), Malayalam novelist, short story writer, author of Aalahayude Penmakkal

Isha Basant Joshi (born 1908), poet, short story writer

Anees Jung (born 1944), journalist, columnist, non-fiction writer

Kirthi Jayakumar (born 1987), author, non-fiction writer, women's rights activist, feminist

K

Madhur Kapila (born 1942), writer, journalist, art critic

Meena Kandasamy (born 1984), poet, biographer, novelist, feminist

Amita Kanekar (born 1965), novelist, educator

Kanhopatra (15th century), Marathi saint-poet

Lakshmi Kannan (born 1947), Tamil poet and novelist, translates her works into English

Bhanu Kapil (born 1968), British-Indian novelist

Manju Kapur, since 1998: novelist

Swati Kaushal, since 2005: young adult novelist

Girijabai Kelkar (1886–1890), Marathi-language playwright, feminist writer

Sumana Kittur (active since 2007), journalist, film director, lyricist

Habba Khatoon (1554–1609), Kashmiri mystic poet

Mridula Koshy (born 1969), short story writer, novelist

Sumati Kshetramade (born 1915), novelist

Rajam Krishnan (1925–2014), Tamil novelist, playwright, short story writer, feminist

L

Jhumpa Lahiri (born 1967), British-born American-Indian short story writer, novelist, author of The Lowland

Lalleshwari (1320–1392), Kashmiri mystic poet

Bem Le Hunte (born 1964), British-Indian novelist, now in Australia

Lalitha Lenin (born 1946), acclaimed Malayalam poet, educator

Ritu Lalit (born 1964), Indian novelist

M

Akka Mahadevi (12th century), poet writing in Old Kannada

Tilottama Majumdar (born 1966), Bengali novelist, short story writer, poet, essayist

Anju Makhija, since 1990, poet, playwright, translator

Amita Malik (1921–2009), film and television critic, radio journalist

Kiran Manral (born 1971), novelist, blogger, non-fiction writer

Kamala Markandaya, pen name of Kamala Purnaiya Taylor (1924–2004), best selling novelist, journalist

C K Meena (born 1957), novelist, journalist, educator

Meera (15th century), Hindu mystic poet

K. R. Meera (born 1970), journalist, novelist, short story writer, children's writer

Rama Mehta (1923–1978), sociologist, novelist, non-fiction writer

Indu Menon (born 1980), Malayalam novelist, short story writer, screenwriter, sociologist

Jaishree Misra (born 1961), best-selling novelist

Molla (1440–1530), poet, translated the Ramayana into Telugu

Muddupalani (18th century), Telugu poet

Chitra Mudgal (born 1944), Hindi novelist

Bharati Mukherjee (born 1940), Indian-American novelist, short story writer, non-fiction writer, author of Jasmine

Khadija Mumtaz (born 1955), medical doctor, novelist, author of Barsa (novel)

Sudha Murthy (born 1950), Kannada novelist, short story writer, children's writer, sociologist, businesswomen

Seema Mustafa, since 1990s, journalist, biographer, newspaper editor

Meher Pestonji, (born 1946), freelance journalist, author

N

Sarojini Naidu (1879–1949), child prodigy, Indian independence activist, poet

Anita Nair (born 1966), English-language poet, novelist, author of Ladies Coupé

Nalini Priyadarshni (born 1974), poet, writer, critic

Suniti Namjoshi (born 1941), poet, short story writer, children's writer

Meera Nanda (born 1954), Indian-American historian, religious writer

Anupama Niranjana (1934–1991), medical doctor, Kannada novelist, short story writer

P

Manjula Padmanabhan (born 1953), playwright, journalist, comic strip artist, children's writer

Mrinal Pande (born 1946), television presenter, journalist, novelist, non-fiction writer, newspaper editor

Dhiruben Patel (born 1926), Gujarati novelist, short story writer, playwright, translator

Savitribai Phule (1831–1987), poet, social reformer

Gita Piramal (born c. 1954), magazine editor, businesswoman, non-fiction writer

Gudibande Poornima (born 1951), poet, novelist, non-fiction writer

Manjiri Prabhu (born 1964), novelist, filmmaker

Manasi Pradhan (born 1962), novelist, women's rights activist

Amrita Pritam (1919–2005), poet, novelist, essayist, first prominent Punjabi woman poet

Neelkamal Puri (born 1956), Punjabi novelist, short story writer, columnist, educator

Deanne Pandey (born 1968), fitness and lifestyle writer

R

Rajalakshmi (1930–1965), Malayalam poet, novelist

Rajashree, author of the chick lit best seller Trust Me (2006)

Anuradha Ramanan (1947–2010), prolific novelist, short story writer

Ramanichandran, contemporary best selling Tamil novelist

Ravinder Randhawa (born 1952), British-Indian novelist, short story writer

Bhargavi Rao (1944–2008), specialist in Telugu literature, translator, anthologist

Malathi Rao (born 1930), novelist, short story writer

Santha Rama Rau (1923–2009), Indian-American novelist, playwright

Nuchhungi Renthlei (1914–2002), poet, singer, school teacher, women's rights activist

Anusree Roy (born 1982), Indo-Canadian playwright, actress

Arundhati Roy (born 1961), novelist, author of The God of Small Things

Nilanjana S. Roy (born c. 1971), journalist, children's writer

Kamini Roy (1864–1933), leading Bengali poet, essayist, feminist

S

Padma Sachdev (born 1940), Dogri poet, novelist, also writing in Hindi

Nayantara Sahgal (born 1927), novelist, memoirist, letter writer, author of Rich Like Us

Sarojini Sahoo (born 1956), feminist writer, novelist, short-story writer, author of Sensible Sensuality

Nandini Sahu (born 1973), English-language poet, folklorist, academic

Indira Sant (1914–2000), Marathi poet

Krupabai Satthianadhan (1862–1894), early English-language Indian novelist

Mala Sen (1947–2011), writer and human rights activist, author of India's Bandit Queen

Mallika Sengupta (1960–2011), Bengali poet, novelist, feminist, sociologist

Poile Sengupta (born 1948), English-language playwright, children's writer, poet

Teesta Setalvad (born 1962), journalist, civil rights activist

Madhuri R. Shah (fl. 1970-80s), educationist, non-fiction writer

Shantichitra (born 1978), novelist, short story writer, educator

Sarjana Sharma (born 1959), journalist, broadcaster

Shanta Shelke (1922–2002), Marathi poet, novelist, short story writer, educator

Preeti Shenoy (born 1971), novelist, non-fiction writer

Sunny Singh (born 1969), journalist, novelist, short story writer

Sunny Singh (1931–1999), Bengali poet, novelist, feminist

Kabita Sinha (1931–1999), Bengali poet, novelist, feminist

Mridula Sinha (born 1942), state governor of Goa, Hindi novelist, short story writer

Shumona Sinha (born 1973), Indian born French writer, novelist, feminist

Sivasankari (born 1942), Tamil novelist

Krishna Sobti (born 1925), Hindi novelist, essayist

Atima Srivastava (born 1961), short story writer, novelist, screenwriter, film director

Arundhathi Subramaniam, since c.2003: poet, journalist, biographer

Vidya Subramaniam (born 1957), prolific novelist, short story writer

Sugathakumari (born 1934), Malayalam poet, activist

Kamala Surayya (1934–2009), English-language poet, Malayalam short story writer, columnist, autobiographer

Sunita Jain (born 1940), English and Hindi fictionist

T

Shweta Taneja (born 1980), novelist, comic writer, journalist

Sooni Taraporevala (born 1957), screenwriter, photographer

Romila Thapar (born 1930), historian, non-fiction writer

Susie Tharu (born 1943), non-fiction writer, educator, women's rights activist

Aarti Tikoo Singh (born 1978), journalist, editor

Manjit Tiwana (born 1947), Punjabi poet, educator

Madhu Trehan, since mid 1970s, journalist, magazine editor

Ira Trivedi, since 2006, non-fiction writer, novelist, columnist

U

O. V. Usha (born 1948), Malayalam poet, novelist, short story writer

V

Urvashi Vaid (born 1958), Indian-American LGBT activist, non-fiction writer

Vaidehi (born 1945), acclaimed Kannada short story writer, essayist, novelist, poet, children's writer

P. Valsala (born 1938), novelist, short story writer, social activist

Mahadevi Varma (1907–1987), Hindi poet, women's rights activist

Kapila Vatsyayan (born 1928), art historian, non-fiction writer

Reetika Vazirani (1962–2003), Indian-American poet, educator

Kaajal Oza Vaidya (born 1966), screen writer, novelist, journalist

Vijayalakshmi (born 1960), prolific Malayalam poet

Pinki Virani (born 1959), journalist, best selling novelist, non-fiction writer

Susan Visvanathan (born 1957), sociologist, non-fiction writer, novelist, essayist

Y

Mallika Yunis, since 1980s, novelist

Z

Shama Zaidi (born 1938), art critic, screenwriter, filmmaker

Zahida Zaidi (1930–2011), poet, playwright, critic, educator