Anita Nair and Vikram Seth are two prominent writers in the field of Indian English
literature, whose works explore different genres. Consequently, these two writers
have achieved colossal fame and recognition in various genres that they have
worked upon. Seth can be seen dealing with travel writing, fiction, poetry, memoirs, libretto,
whereas Nair’s forte areas are fiction (historic, realistic, thrillers), poetry, essays,
travelogues, non-fiction and writing profiles. Both Seth and Nair are dazzling writers who
have similar literary trajectories. Both these writers are very successful with the subjects
they have chosen to work upon and are the recipients of several accolades, including the
FLO FICCI Women Achievers Award, Thomas Cook Travel Book Award, Commonwealth
Poetry Prize (Asia), Padma Shri in Literature and Education, among others.
According to travel theory, travel writers construct and interpret reality from their
individual perspectives; for them, this is an exercise in introducing the ‘self’ to the ‘other’.
It is an attempt to build bridges that link humanity across diverse cultures, race, language,
gender, etc. It also attempts to mirror and comprehend the unfathomed spaces that remain
overshadowed or beyond the surface level of the text.
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