All this is gradually changing with time as more and more people discover great literature thanks to the internet. Many of the contemporary authors draw their inspiration from everyday examples that they see around them. This is key when it comes to establishing a connection with the reader. Many readers generally associate with the writer and the story when the experiences they read about mirror their own in life.
Many authors like Chetan Bhagat, Salman Rushdie Aravind Adiga and others have become quite popular with the masses and with good reason. The use of simple language, easy to understand nuances and straightforward plots make them very attractive to the urban reader.
There are quite a few good books to choose from for your own perusal. For instance, you could try Ruskin Bond's Short Stories. This author has brought out many stories both for grownups as well as for kids. The stories penned by Ruskin Bond are steeped in culture and Indian sentiments, all woven skillfully into literary bliss. He also makes storytelling fun for kids of almost all ages apart from catering to the tastes of grownups. Some of his more prominent work includes the likes of, The Cherry Tree, The India I Love, Room on the Roof, Ghost Stories from the Raj and also Binya's Blue Umbrella to name just a few.
Apart from Ruskin Bond, you also have the famous Chetan Bhagat with his book, Five Point Someone that shot him to fame. The book is about three faithful friends who join an engineering college only to find themselves at the mercy of the outdated and flawed Education system. They find that though they were brilliant in their own right, in the university, they were graded as simply average. The book revolves around their lives with a dash of humor and serious drama when it is required.
Anurag Mathur is yet another storyteller who has been successful in the Indian market. He and his book The Inscrutable Americans have been critically acclaimed for the story and plot that it contains. The book revolves around the life of Gopal, a small town boy with dreams and aspirations. He and his family have a small Hair Oil factory back in India. He travels to the States to learn Advanced Chemical Engineering so that he can apply the knowledge into the Hair Oil industry back home.
The book takes a close look at Gopal and his preconceived notions about America. Much of what he thinks he knows about the country is purely from books and movies. The story revolves around Gopal's coming of age and his coming to terms with what America really is, and what it stands for. Definitely a good read for those rainy days when you just want to curl up with a book and some hot coffee.
Aravind Adiga is also a prize winning author with some literary masterpieces up his sleeve. The White Tiger for example is an exemplary work of fiction about the modern life in India. It is based on a satirical angle of living in the modern day India with its prevalent caste system.
Another title by the same author which has caught the interest of readers everywhere is Between the Assassinations. The book deals with the time that elapsed between the assassination of Indira Gandhi and then later, Rajiv Gandhi. The book is largely a collection of many short stories of events that supposedly take place between the two assassinations.
Who can forget Arundhati Roy with her bestseller, The God of Small Things. It is a gripping story about two twins in Kerala who lead a simple life, only to be exposed to new cultures with the arrival of Sophie, their cousin. Many other books are also avidly read by people, like A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry, The Shiva Trilogy by Amish Tripathi, mainly the Immortals of Meluha, The Secret of the Nagas and The Oath of the Vayuputras.