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{{Use British English|date=August 2011}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}
{{Short description|British writer (born 1950)}}
[[File:Indra Sinha Portrait.jpg|thumb|right|Indra Sinha in his garden in France, March 2007]]

'''Indra Sinha''' (born 1950 in [[Colaba]],<ref name="LindsayPereiraRediff"/> [[Mumbai]], Maharashtra, India) is a British writer of Indian and English descent.<ref name="ProfileTheGuardian"/> ''[[Animal's People]]'', his most recent novel, was shortlisted for the 2007 [[Man Booker Prize]]<ref name="BookerNewcomersBBC" /><ref name="FullBookerLonglist" /> and winner of the 2008 [[Commonwealth Writers' Prize]] for Europe and South Asia.

In July 2015, Sinha was awarded an honorary [[Doctor of Letters|Doctorate in Literature]] by the [[University of Brighton]] for "his major contribution to literature and demonstrating the power of words in changing people’s lives".<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.brighton.ac.uk/about-us/news-and-events/news/2015/07-29-the-man-whose-words-changed-lives.aspx |title= The man whose words changed lives |date= 29 July 2015 |publisher= [[University of Brighton]] |access-date= 5 July 2019}}</ref>

== Biography ==

Sinha is the son of an officer in the [[Indian Navy]] and an English writer.<ref name="SinhaBio"/> He was educated at [[Mayo College]], [[Ajmer]], Rajasthan in India; [[Oakham School]], Rutland, England and [[Pembroke College, Cambridge]] in England, where he studied [[English literature]]. His wife and he live in the [[Lot (department)|Lot valley]] in south-west France.<ref name=Moss/> They have three grown-up children.

Formerly a [[Copywriting|copywriter]] for [[Ogilvy & Mather]], London,<ref name="OgilvyMather"/> and, from 1984, [[Collett Dickenson Pearce]] & Partners,<ref name="CollettDickensonPearce"/> Sinha has the distinction of having been voted one of the top ten British copywriters of all time.<ref name="LindsayPereiraRediff" /> He became known for hard-hitting, campaigning advertising for charities such as [[Amnesty International]] and the Bhopal Medical Appeal,<ref name="LindsayPereiraRediff"/> but became increasingly disenchanted with commercial advertising.<ref name="LindsayPereiraRediff"/> In 1995, Sinha resigned from the agency to concentrate on writing.<ref name="Moss"/>

==Books==
''[[Animal's People]]'', set in the fictional Indian city of Khaufpur, was a reworking of the [[Bhopal disaster]]<ref name="RoyBusinessStandard" /><ref name="ThwaiteInterview" /> based on Sinha's long association working with the Bhopal survivors. His earlier works include [[translation]]s of ancient [[Sanskrit]] texts into English,<ref name="SinhaBioLibraryWestAus"/> a non-fiction [[memoir]] of the pre-[[Generation Z|internet generation]] ''(The Cybergypsies),''<ref name="DecadeNewsBBC" /> and a novel, ''The Death of Mr. Love'', based on the case of [[K. M. Nanavati vs. State of Maharashtra]].<ref>[[KM Nanavati v State of Maharashtra]]</ref>

{{Quotation|text="I was invited by a publisher to write the text for ''Tantra.''<ref name="LindsayPereiraRediff"/> Having done some research, what fascinated me was the evidence that many '[[Tantrism|tantric]]' ideas actually came to India from the [[Mediterranean Basin|Mediterranean]]. It is rather a dry read and debunks reports of orgies and sexual mischief – sorry to disappoint."|author=Indra Sinha|source=Interview.         }}

=== Bibliography ===

* 1980. ''The Love Teachings of Kama Sutra:<ref name="SinhaKamaSutra"/> With extracts from Koka Shastra, [[Ananga Ranga]] and other famous Indian works on love.'' Translations from [[Sanskrit]] and commentary. London: [[Hamlyn (publishers)|Hamlyn]]. Hardcover first edition: {{ISBN|0-600-34158-5}}. First North American edition 1997, New York: Marlowe & Co. Paperback: {{ISBN|1-56924-779-X}}.
* 1993. ''Tantra: The Search for Ecstasy''<ref name="SinhaBooks"/> (also known with the subtitle "The Cult of Ecstasy").<ref name="LindsayPereiraRediff"/> London: Hamlyn. {{ISBN|0-600-57699-X}}.
* 1993. ''The Great Book of Tantra: Translations and Images from the Classic Indian Text.'' Rochester: [[Inner Traditions - Bear & Company]]. {{ISBN|0-89281-487-X}}. London: Hamlyn paperback edition: {{ISBN|0-600-59998-1}}.
* 1999. ''The Cybergypsies: a True Tale of Lust, War, and Betrayal on the Electronic Frontier.''<ref name="DecadeNewsBBC"/> New York: [[Viking Press]], hardcover first edition. {{ISBN|0-670-88630-0}}. New York: [[Simon & Schuster]] paperback edition: {{ISBN|0-684-81929-5}}.
* 2002. ''The Death of Mr Love.''<ref name="ShamailaKhanInterviewBBC"/> New York: [[Charles Scribner's Sons|Scribner]] (Simon & Schuster). {{ISBN|0-7432-0698-3}}. (See also: [[K. M. Nanavati vs. State of Maharashtra]].)
* 2007. ''[[Animal's People]].''<ref name="RoyBusinessStandard"/> New York: Simon & Schuster. {{ISBN|0-7432-5920-3}}. (See also: [[Bhopal disaster]].)

==Bhopal==
Sinha has been a passionate campaigner for justice for the victims of the Bhopal disaster since 1993,<ref name=Moss/> when he created the first advertisement for the Bhopal Medical Appeal (using the now-famous photograph by [[Raghu Rai]] of a dead child being buried)<ref name="LindsayPereiraRediff"/> that raised money to build a clinic to provide free treatment for the survivors.<ref name=Moss/> He is an outspoken critic of [[Dow Chemical Company]], the multinational owner of [[Union Carbide]], whose neglected, dilapidated and undermanned chemical plant in the city of [[Bhopal]] leaked 27 tonnes of poisonous gas on the night of 3 December 1984, killing up to 8,000 people and injuring upwards of half a million. Around 22,000 people have died as a result of injuries sustained on "that night", and more than 100,000 remain chronically ill; the abandoned, derelict factory continues to leach toxic chemicals into the groundwater, poisoning wells.<ref name="BhopalAbandonedGuardian"/>

Apart from his novel, ''Animal's People'' (a fictionalised account of the aftermath of the disaster), Sinha has given many interviews and written several articles on the subject,<ref name="BhopalWhyGuardian"/> including one in ''The Guardian'' marking the 25th anniversary of the disaster, in which he roundly condemns local politicians (particularly [[Babulal Gaur]] of the [[Bharatiya Janata Party|BJP]]) for their failure to comply with a 2004 [[Supreme Court of India|Supreme Court]] ruling ordering them to supply clean water to the poison victims.<ref name="BhopalYearsGuardian"/> Nor does he absolve the [[Government of India|Indian Government]] of blame.

{{Quotation|text="Dow has been trying to twist the arm of [[Manmohan Singh]]'s [[Indian National Congress|Congress]] government into letting it off the Bhopal hook in return for a billion-dollar investment in India."

"When people ask, 'Why is the disaster continuing? Why has the factory not been cleaned? Why have Union Carbide and Dow not faced justice?', the answer is this: Union Carbide's victims are still dying in Bhopal because India itself is dying under the corrupt and self-serving rule of rotten leaders."|author=Indra Sinha|title='Bhopal: 25 years of poison'|source=''The Guardian'', 3 December 2009<ref name="BhopalYearsGuardian"/>}}

As a former advertising copywriter, Sinha is particularly scathing about Dow Chemical Company's attempts to improve its image through its sponsorship of events such as the Blue Planet Run and [[Live Earth]] Run For Water. He has called Dow's "Human Element" advertising campaign "glossy falsehoods", and quotes artist Paul Phare (who created a set of e-cards in response to Dow) "Telling a lie beautifully does not make it true".<ref name="DowGlimpse"/><ref name="DowLie"/>

==See also==
* [[List of Indian writers]]

==References==
<references>

<ref name="LindsayPereiraRediff">{{cite news |url= http://in.rediff.com/news/2007/aug/22inter.htm |title= I feel strong contempt for Indian politicians |author=Lindsay Pereira |work=[[Rediff.com]] |date= 22 August 2007 |quote= Pick an advertising agency; any agency. Walk to where the copywriters congregate, and gently whisper the name 'Indra Sinha'. Then stand back and watch as feelings of inadequacy suddenly rush into the room. There is a perfectly logical explanation for the reaction. For decades now, Sinha has been making copywriters around the world feel inadequate and inspired in turns. Being voted one of the top ten British copywriters of all time tends to give one that kind of power ... Sinha's writing career has been intriguing. He began with a translation ''(Kama Sutra)'' and followed it with an explanation of the [[Tantra|Tantric tradition]] ''(Tantra: The Cult of Ecstasy),'' before winning acclaim with his rather frightening memoir on hours spent online in the early years of the Internet, ''The Cybergypsies''. His first novel, ''The Death of Mr Love,'' was based on [[K. M. Nanavati vs. State of Maharashtra|a real-life murder]], in Mumbai, where he was born.}}</ref>

<ref name="ProfileTheGuardian">{{cite news| url=http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/indra_sinha/profile.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080414231637/http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/indra_sinha/profile.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=14 April 2008 |title= Indra Sinha profile |work=The Guardian |location=UK | accessdate=28 May 2008}}</ref>

<ref name="BookerNewcomersBBC">{{cite web |url= https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6935668.stm |title= McEwan battles Booker newcomers |work=BBC News |date= 7 August 2007 }}</ref>

<ref name="FullBookerLonglist">{{cite web |url= https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6935716.stm |title= At-a-glance: a guide to the Booker longlist 2007 |work=BBC News |date= 8 August 2007 }}</ref>

<ref name="SinhaBio">[https://web.archive.org/web/20070929074522/http://www.indrasinha.com/biography.html Biography on Indra Sinha's website] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929074522/http://www.indrasinha.com/biography.html |date=29 September 2007 }}.</ref>

<ref name="OgilvyMather">[https://web.archive.org/web/20120224185340/http://indrasinha.com/2007/04/24/inventing-history/ ''Ogilvy'' Indra Sinha's website blog] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111023214644/http://indrasinha.com/2007/04/24/inventing-history/ |date=23 October 2011 }}, accessed 21 October 2011.</ref>

<ref name="CollettDickensonPearce">[https://web.archive.org/web/20120427033726/http://www.indrasinha.com/legacy/advertising.html Indra Sinha's website blog] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111023214744/http://indrasinha.com/legacy/advertising.html |date=23 October 2011 }}, accessed 21 October 2011.</ref>

<ref name=Moss>{{cite news |last= Moss |first= Stephen |date= 26 September 2007 |title= Triumph from Tragedy |url= https://www.theguardian.com/books/2007/sep/26/fiction.bookerprize2007 |work= [[The Guardian]] |location= London |access-date= 5 July 2019 }}</ref>>

<ref name="RoyBusinessStandard">{{cite news |url= http://www.business-standard.com/common/storypage.php?autono=294389&leftnm=5&subLeft=0&chkFlg= |title= Bhopal revisited: Animal's Story |author=Nilanjana S Roy |work=[[Business Standard]]|date= 14 August 2007 }} (This [[book review]] also discusses Sinha's book in the context of previous books about the [[Bhopal disaster]]: ''It Was Five Minutes Past Midnight'' (2001) by [[Dominique Lapierre]] and [[Javier Moro]]; ''A Breath of Fresh Air'' (2002) by [[Amulya Malladi]].)</ref>

<ref name="ThwaiteInterview">{{cite web |url= http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/interview/with/author/indra-sinha |title= Interview with Indra Sinha |author=Mark Thwaite |work=The Book Depository, [[Private company limited by shares|Ltd.]] [[Gloucester]] |year= 2007 }}</ref>

<ref name="SinhaBioLibraryWestAus">{{cite web |url= http://www.slwa.wa.gov.au/piaf/writers/rswriters.html |title= SINHA, Indra |work= State Library of Western Australia |url-status= dead |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20070818053646/http://www.slwa.wa.gov.au/piaf/writers/rswriters.html |archivedate= 18 August 2007}}</ref>

<ref name="DecadeNewsBBC">{{cite web |url= https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/special_report/1999/02/99/e-cyclopedia/295702.stm |title= Our decade: The 90s and cyberspace |work=[[BBC News]] E-cyclopedia |date= 13 March 1999 }}</ref>

<ref name="SinhaKamaSutra">[http://www.indrasinha.com/kamasutra.html Common misconceptions about Kama Sutra.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929074510/http://www.indrasinha.com/kamasutra.html |date=29 September 2007 }} "The Kama Sutra is neither a sex-manual nor, as also commonly believed, a sacred or religious work. It is certainly not a tantric text. In opening with a discussion of the three aims of ancient Hindu life – [[dharma]], [[artha]] and [[Kāma|kama]] – [[Vātsyāyana|Vatsyayana]]'s purpose is to set kama, or enjoyment of the senses, in context. Thus dharma or virtuous living is the highest aim, artha, the amassing of wealth is next, and kama is the least of the three". —Indra Sinha.</ref>

<ref name="SinhaBooks">{{cite web |url=http://www.indrasinha.com/cybg-reviews/neilfrench.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20070517112047/http://www.indrasinha.com/cybg-reviews/neilfrench.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 May 2007 |title=''Books'' on Indra Sinha's website |accessdate=1 June 2016}}.</ref>

<ref name="ShamailaKhanInterviewBBC">{{cite web |url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/manchester/communities/masti/2002/11/15/indra_sinha_interview.shtml |title= Indra Sinha Interview |author=Shamaila Khan |work=[[BBC Radio Manchester]] (includes audio link) |date= 15 November 2002 }}</ref>

<ref name="BhopalAbandonedGuardian">[https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2008/apr/09/abandonedtotheirfate Indra Sinha, "Abandoned to their fate", ''The Guardian'', 9 April 2008], accessed 5 December 2009.</ref>

<ref name="BhopalWhyGuardian">[https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2008/jun/12/india Indra Sinha, "Why I'm going on hunger strike for Bhopal", ''The Guardian'', 12 June 2008], accessed 5 December 2009.</ref>

<ref name="BhopalYearsGuardian">[https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2009/dec/04/bhopal-25-years-indra-sinha Indra Sinha, "Bhopal: 25 years of poison", ''The Guardian'', 3 December 2009], accessed 5 December 2009.</ref>

<ref name="DowGlimpse">[http://www.bhopal.net/ecards/ Bhopal.net "Behind the mask of Dow" e.cards] accessed 5 December 2009. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090822172027/http://www.bhopal.net/ecards/ |date=22 August 2009 }}</ref>

<ref name="DowLie">[http://www.indrasinha.com/blog/?m=200703 ''A glimpse behind the mask of Dow'' Indra Sinha's website blog (cached)], accessed 5 December 2009.</ref>

</references>

==External links==
* [http://www.rfi.fr/actuen/articles/120/article_6055.asp Interview] on [[Radio France Internationale]] (2 December 2009) to mark 25th anniversary of Bhopal disaster

{{Authority control}}
{{portal bar|Biography|India|Literature}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sinha, Indra}}
[[Category:1950 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Writers from Mumbai]]
[[Category:20th-century British novelists]]
[[Category:21st-century British novelists]]
[[Category:People educated at Oakham School]]
[[Category:Alumni of Pembroke College, Cambridge]]
[[Category:British writers of Indian descent]]
[[Category:Indian copywriters]]
[[Category:English-language Indian writers]]
[[Category:Indian male novelists]]
[[Category:Indian people of English descent]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian translators]]
[[Category:Mayo College alumni]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian male writers]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian male writers]]

Indra Sinha - Revision history

Commercial Noida at 10:28, 22 December 2025