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Ahead of his anticipated arrival at the 2012 Jaipur Lit Fest, Salman Rushdie evoked strong sentiments in India and memories of the 1989 fatwa against him were rekindled. He didn't come, of course.

"The Kashmiri Storyteller," published in late 2011, was Ruskin Bond's first book based in Kashmir. His stories, otherwise, are all based in and around Mussorie. This is my conversation with India's most-loved author.

And the genre of retelling our epics and classics has never found greater and keener readership. The Bhagvad Gita, for example, is not just relevant today, but also a money-spinning bestseller. 

In a country where dialects and languages change every few kilometres, many are already at the brink of oblivion — nearly 200 at the last count. But do people care? Is there a game plan to do something about it? 

Indian-American author Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni has created a niche for herself by telling simple and beautiful stories of known and not-so-known powerful women. A Q&A on her 2013 book, "Oleander Girl."

Brussels-based Amana Fontanella-Khan's book, "Pink Sari Revolution" chronicles the life of Sampat Pal, leader of the Gulabi Gang in Banda district in Uttar Pradesh, and how it delivers justice where law machinery fails.