India facing a dearth of imagination and storytelling, says writer-journalist Manoj Kumar Goswami

India is facing a growing dearth of storytelling and imagination, affecting not only creative literature but also fields such as science, innovation, culture and cinema, noted writer-journalist Manoj Kumar Goswami said on November 13.

Speaking at the inauguration of the book fair organised by the Assam Publication Board and the Publishers’ Guild in Jorhat, Goswami said that despite the country's rich storytelling traditions, from the Puranas, Ramayana and Mahabharata to Premchand and Burhi Aair Xadhu, there was a growing scarcity of compelling stories in contemporary India.

He pointed out that fiction, short stories and poetry were largely missing from the list of today's bestselling books in the country, which, he said, was dominated by autobiographies, biographies, political writing and motivational literature.

Goswami said that even contemporary classics such as Malgudi Days and The God of Small Things seemed increasingly distant from the current publishing landscape.

He attributed the condition of creative literature primarily to a lack of imagination, arguing that the dearth was contributing to a culture of mediocrity across several creative and intellectual fields.

The writer said the expectations of younger readers had changed, with a growing demand for literature of international standards. The internet and artificial intelligence, he noted, had made it easier for readers to compare Indian writing with contemporary literature from around the world.

He cautioned that younger readers could not be attracted by shallow, repetitive and superficial content.

Goswami also warned that if creative writers failed to innovate and produce compelling work, artificial intelligence could eventually surpass human creativity in certain areas.

Calling for fresh thinking and experimentation in literature, he said that neurodivergent approaches to thinking were gaining prominence across the world and that literature should also embrace new perspectives and forms of expression.