Prasanta K. Pattanaik, USA The English language connection in Indian literary circles has been in existence for centuries for obvious historical reasons. The great contemporary Indian writers such as Roy, Rushdie and Seth have managed to effectively display the unique Indian cultural nuances, using the English language as an instrument of communication. In a nutshell, I believe that the totally Indian mode of expression can be made independently of any particular language. The best South Asian literature is in Sanskrit. The best Indian literature is definitely found in the local languages and Indian English literature cannot hold a handle to what is being achieved in local languages.
Good literature is good literature regardless of what language it is written in.
Judging by the works of Rushdie, Ondaatje, Roy, Seth, etc, I don't think anything is lost in penning their works in English. Since the introduction of English in South Asia, some of the more affluent classes have taken to the language and expressed their thoughts in lucid prose and poetry in that language. The writers in English merely reach a more global audience and hence seem to suggest to this audience that English is the sole medium of expression in South Asia whereas the truth is, English is just another language South Asians use to write and compose in. This literature has very little direct relevance to and impact on the very people it portrays. While Indian authors writing in English are winning accolades in the Western world, it is wrong to presume that the quality of local literature is in any way inferior to that produced in English.