On the Origin of Indian English Literature

　　ABSTRACT: With regard to Indian English Literature, the academic circles generally follow the approach of extraction positioning, namely, counting from the first locally-born writer.Without taking into full consideration of the limitation caused by then political reality, this kind of approach can not illuminate the essential features of the said literature.It fails to determine the actual starting-point of the literature and, as a result, has thrown today’s research into confusion.This paper, after firstly making analysis of various implications of India the term in history, points out the difference of British India and independent India, and then, from the perspective of a unified India, explores the reasons why the Indian society needs English and English literature.Moreover, this author discusses three great representative writers, sums up the essential features of the Indian English literature, and asserts that the origin of this literature should only be dated back to 1930s.