Continuing our tradition from previous years (2012 & 2013), we have compiled a list of Indian authors whose work has entered public domain at the beginning of this year. The criteria for a particular work to enter public domain this year is for the author to have died in calendar year 1953 and the work to have been published before his death. If the work was published after the author’s death, it will only come out of copyright after 60 years from date of publication.
We collected the data from variety of sources including Wikipedia, books brought out by Sahitya Academy on history of Indian literature and other online sources. While the sources for individual photos and pieces of information have not been attributed, we would like to acknowledge all these sources here. Many of the sources are linked below.
There are bound to be mistakes in this data. So please point out anything you notice. If you know of more Indian authors who died in 1953 and hence have entered public domain this year, do let us know and we will add it to the list with your reference.
Why should you as a writer or someone who loves books care? An author entering public domain means that most of his works are now free to be republished, translated, converted to different format and to be introduced to a new audience in any way you can imagine. It is possible to digitize them and conserve them forever. So dig into the list and find out some gems. And when you find one, let the whole world know.
Akhoy Kumar Mozumdar (1864-1953)
An Indian lecturer and writer of the New Thought Movement in the United States during the first half of 20th-century.
Many of his works are available online.
Akali Kaur Singh (1890-1953)
A Sikh scholar and religious preacher. “Besides the Guru Shabad Ratan Prakash (1923), Akali Kaur Singh published in 1929 an index of Bhai Gurdas’s works. Among his other publications were Kavi Sainapati’s Sri Gur Sobha (1925) and a standard breviary or missal of daily Sikh prayers, Gutkta Pramanik Nitnem (1927)., His Buddhibaridh Hitopadesh Ratnakar was a Gurmukhi transcript of Panchtantra, a Sanskrit classic. His original works include Sukh Sagar arthat Ghar da Vaid, a treatise on Ayurvedic system of medicine and Istri Sankat Mochan, a forceful plea for the social uplift of women (1925).” Source
Abdullah Yusuf Ali (1872-1953)
An Indian Islamic scholar who translated the Qur’an into English. His translation of the Qur’an is one of the most widely known and used in the English-speaking world.
Translation & Commentary of Holy Qur’an
Balijepalli Lakshmikantham (1881-1953)
A famous Telugu dramatist, actor and freedom fighter. Famous work is Harischandra (Satya Hariscandriyamu, 1924).
Girindrasekhar Bose (1887-1953)
An early 20th-century psychoanalyst, the first president (1922–1953) of the Indian Psychoanalytic Society. Some of his works are on Google Books.
Ghulam Ali Rahim Bakhsh Masroor (1892-1953)
Popularly known as Faqir Ghulam Ali Masroor, he was a famous Sindhi poet. Heer Ranjha contains his poems in masnavi form.
Hakim Syed Karam Husain (1870-1953)
A prominent Unani practitioner from Tijara, Alwar and an Urdu poet. His pen name was Natiq. He wrote many books on Unani medicine.
Halasangi Chennamallappa (1903-1953)
Also known as Madhura Chenna. A major Kannada poet of navodaya school. Collection of poems: Nanna Nalla, 1933 . Some of his books were also made available in Braille by Kannada Book Authority.
K. N. Kesari (1875-1953)
Started Grahalakshami, a monthly magazine for women. He wrote his memoirs in Telugu titled Chinnanati Mutchatlu.
Lakshmikant Mohapatra (1888-1953)
An oriya writer known for his lyrical poems and balles-letters. Jivana Sangita is a collection of meta physical poems and Kanamamun is a novel. He wrote the famous hymn to Orissa, ‘Bande Utkal Janani’. He also wrote satirical parodies of poems.
M R Srinivasamurthy (1892-1953)
Kannada scholar, novelist and playwright. Rangannana Kanasina Dinagalu 1949
Pharamaji Khabarada (-1953)
Parsi poet. Wrote in narrative poetry and sonnets in Gujarati.
Ram Narayan Mishra (-1953)
Hindi Poet. founder member of Nagari Pracharini Sabha. Works include Bhartiya Shishtachaar, Humaare Pramukh Sahityakaar.
Safia Akhtar (-1953)
Wife of Jan Nisar Akhtar and sister of Majaz. Her letters were published in 2 volumes in 1955, 2 years after her death. English translation of her last few letters.
Shahadat Hussain(1893-1953)
A Bengali poet and writer.
Suravaram Pratapa Reddy (1896-1953)
A social historian from the Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh. He wrote a social history of the Telugu people, Andhrula Saanghika Charitra, which was first published in 1949 and has since gone through many editions. It was the first Telugu language book that to win the best national book award (Kendra Sahitya Academy Puraskaram).
Syed Sulaiman Nadvi (1884-1953)
An eminent Indian historian, biographer, littérateur and scholar of Islam. Some of his works are available online.
Tiruvengimalai Sesha Sundara Rajan (1880-1953)
An Indian doctor, politician and freedom-fighter. His autobiography is available online.
Thakurjoo Sapru (1878-1953)
A Kashmiri shivabhakt poet of Nirgunavad School.
Umesh Chandra Chaudhury (1898-1953)
Assamese poet. Pratidhvani, 1939 is collection of poems.
V. Kalyanasundaram (1883-1953)
A Tamil scholar, essayist and activist. He is esteemed for the strong humanism of his essays, the analytical depth of his commentaries on classical Tamil literature and philosophy, and the clear, fluid style of his prose.
V. R. Ramachandra Dikshitar (1896-1953)
A historian, Indologist and Dravidologist from the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. He wrote many standard textbooks. Scanned copy of War in Ancient India is available online. Other books are also available.
