Indrani Aikath Gyaltsen
Encyclopedia
Indrani Aikath Gyaltsen was a freelance journalist, & writer of Indian origin.
in 1952 to a local Coal-Mine Owner had a privileged up-bringing, sheltered from the abject poverty, corruption & hunger right outside the walls of her father's mansion. She was educated at Loretto's Convent School - a premier Catholic School in the nearby "Steel City
" of Jamshedpur before leaving India
to continue her studies at Barnard College
at Columbia University.
, a famous Indian Man-of-Letters, who answered her letters as he did of many aspiring young female authors, encouraging her. She mailed her first novel chapter by chapter to him, who mentioned her to David Davidar
, the whiz-kid of Indian Publishing & head of Penguin Books
, India.
She ran a hotel and authored three novels -- Daughters of the House, Crane's Morning and Hold My Hand, I'm Dying -- the last being published posthumously after her suicide
.
. Many Tea Plantations in India have libraries accrued by previous British owners & managers, with forgotten works that had huge popularity in their hey-day - & this is how she probably came by a copy of Goudge's book - although what compelled her to plagiarize so hastily & with no apparent effort at concealement is a matter for speculation.
- a common modus vivendi for female suicide in rural India, she had come back to her father's ancestral house - engaged in a contentious battle over property & assets against her own mother & sister. Inferentially, the suicide was a direct result of the media furor & "loss of face" she had experienced after she had been accused of plagiarizing Elizabeth Goudge's
novel The Rosemary Tree.
Birth Circumstances & Early Life
Indrani who was born in Chaibasa, BiharBihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....
in 1952 to a local Coal-Mine Owner had a privileged up-bringing, sheltered from the abject poverty, corruption & hunger right outside the walls of her father's mansion. She was educated at Loretto's Convent School - a premier Catholic School in the nearby "Steel City
Steel City
The Steel City is a common nickname for many cities that were once known for their production of large amounts of steel. With industrial production also in developing countries, like those in Eastern Europe and Asia, most of these cities do not produce as much steel as they used to...
" of Jamshedpur before leaving India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
to continue her studies at Barnard College
Barnard College
Barnard College is a private women's liberal arts college and a member of the Seven Sisters. Founded in 1889, Barnard has been affiliated with Columbia University since 1900. The campus stretches along Broadway between 116th and 120th Streets in the Morningside Heights neighborhood in the borough...
at Columbia University.
Divorce & Re-Marriage
After her first divorce, she moved to Calcutta, where she was wooed by a succession of men, allegedly rejecting an Indian Army Officer because of "the Punjabi accent" of his spoken English. She ultimately re-married a Tea-Plantation owner of Tibetan origin & moved to the Estate, high above Darjeeling, in the embattled North-eastern state of Assam.Relationship with Khushwant Singh
Indrani wrote to Khushwant SinghKhushwant Singh
Khushwant Singh is a prominent Indian novelist and journalist. Singh's weekly column, "With Malice towards One and All", carried by several Indian newspapers, is among the most widely-read columns in the country....
, a famous Indian Man-of-Letters, who answered her letters as he did of many aspiring young female authors, encouraging her. She mailed her first novel chapter by chapter to him, who mentioned her to David Davidar
David Davidar
David Davidar is an Indian novelist and publisher. He is the author of two published novels, The House of Blue Mangoes and The Solitude of Emperors . His third novel, Ithaca will be published in September 2011. In parallel to his writing career, Davidar has been a publisher for a quarter century...
, the whiz-kid of Indian Publishing & head of Penguin Books
Penguin Books
Penguin Books is a publisher founded in 1935 by Sir Allen Lane and V.K. Krishna Menon. Penguin revolutionised publishing in the 1930s through its high quality, inexpensive paperbacks, sold through Woolworths and other high street stores for sixpence. Penguin's success demonstrated that large...
, India.
She ran a hotel and authored three novels -- Daughters of the House, Crane's Morning and Hold My Hand, I'm Dying -- the last being published posthumously after her suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
.
Plagiarism Scandal
Her second novel, "Crane's Morning" was picked up by some elderly readers as having been plagiarized from the work of prolific romantic fiction writer Elizabeth GoudgeElizabeth Goudge
Elizabeth de Beauchamp Goudge was an English author of novels, short stories and children's books as Elizabeth Goudge...
. Many Tea Plantations in India have libraries accrued by previous British owners & managers, with forgotten works that had huge popularity in their hey-day - & this is how she probably came by a copy of Goudge's book - although what compelled her to plagiarize so hastily & with no apparent effort at concealement is a matter for speculation.
Suicide
Prior to her death by consuming Sodium Phosphate or Rat PoisonRat poison
Rodenticides are a category of pest control chemicals intended to kill rodents.Single feed baits are chemicals sufficiently dangerous that the first dose is sufficient to kill....
- a common modus vivendi for female suicide in rural India, she had come back to her father's ancestral house - engaged in a contentious battle over property & assets against her own mother & sister. Inferentially, the suicide was a direct result of the media furor & "loss of face" she had experienced after she had been accused of plagiarizing Elizabeth Goudge's
Elizabeth Goudge
Elizabeth de Beauchamp Goudge was an English author of novels, short stories and children's books as Elizabeth Goudge...
novel The Rosemary Tree.