User talk:Fowler&fowler/Comments on the India page Culture section

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Earlier version

The earliest literary traditions in India were oral and were only later transcribed. Most of these were in the form of Sanskrit texts such as the Vedas, the Mahabharata, and the Ramayana; Sangam literature, dating back to 200 BCE, represent the earliest writings in Tamil. Among many notable Indian writers of the modern era, using both Indian languages and English, Rabindranath Tagore is perhaps the most famous. Tagore also wrote and composed the national anthems of India and Bangladesh.

The Indian film industry is the world's largest producer of feature films with Mumbai-based "Bollywood," which produces commercial Hindi films as its most recognisable face. Other strong cinema industries are based on the Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Bengali, and Marathi languages. One of India's well-known filmmakers was Satyajit Ray, who received many international awards during his life, including an Oscar in 1992 for Lifetime Achievement. (Eight lines.)

Later Version

The earliest works of Indian literature were transmitted orally and only later written down. These included works of Sanskrit literature, such as epics Mahabharata and Ramayana, and drama The Recognition of Śakuntalā, and those of the Sangam literature of Tamil. Among Indian writers of the modern era active in Indian languages or English, Rabindranath Tagore is best known. Gitanjali, his anthology of devotional songs, earned him the Nobel Prize in 1913 and, through its paean to freedom, Chitto Jetha Bhayshunyo, inspired many in the Indian independence movement.

Having debuted in 1913 with director Dadasaheb Phalke's Raja Harishchandra, the Indian film industry is today the world's largest, and the Mumbai-based Bollywood's commercial Hindi film its most recognisable face. Established traditions also exist in the regional-language cinema, including Bengali, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Tamil, and Telugu. A product of the latter, Pather Panchali (1955), auteur Satyajit Ray's debut film of childhood and death in rural Bengal, is a landmark of world cinema. (Nine lines).