10 months ago
Somalian Writer Nuruddin Farah's Indian University Experience
Nuruddin Farah is a famous writer from Somalia.
When he was young, he had to choose where to study.
He could go to the United States or India.
He chose India, even though many thought the US was better.
He studied at the University of Panjab.
This time in India helped him write his first book, 'From a Crooked Rib.'
The book talks about life in Somalia and how people can change their future.
Farah believed India could help him understand the world better.
He thought India and Africa could learn from each other.
He was right, and his book became very important.
Recently, he won a big award for his work.
Nuruddin Farah chose to study at the University of Panjab in India over the University of Wisconsin in the US.
His debut novel, 'From a Crooked Rib,' was published in 1970 and is considered a parable of Somalian modernity.
Farah was drawn to India by the Nehruvian promise of non-western modernity and decolonization through education.
He believed in the 'pessimism of the intellect and optimism of the will' framework, which shaped his literary and political sensibilities.
Farah recently received an honorary doctorate from the School of Oriental and African Studies, London.
- Who
- Nuruddin Farah, a Somalian writer and novelist
- What
- Farah's decision to study at the University of Panjab in India and its impact on his literary career
- Where
- University of Panjab, Chandigarh, India
- When
- Farah studied in India in the mid-1960s; his debut novel was published in 1970
- Why
- Farah chose India over the US to explore non-western modernity and decolonization
Key facts
- Nuruddin Farah
- Somalian writer and novelist
- University of Panjab
- Where Farah studied literature and philosophy
- From a Crooked Rib
- Farah's debut novel published in 1970
- Nehruvian Promise
- Non-western modernity and decolonization through education
- SOAS Honorary Doctorate
- Awarded to Farah in September 2025
Quotes
Nuruddin Farah
Somalian writer and recipient of an honorary doctorate from SOAS, London.
“My literary skills were developed 'in the iron words of a fiery truth that was given shape to and etched on the skin of lived history'.”
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“I thought that India and Africa could become closer to each other and that is one of the reasons I went to study in India.”
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Rabindranath Tagore
Prominent Indian poet, writer, and educator.
“I would not like them to be soldiers, bank clerks or businesspeople. Rather that they should be 'the makers of their own world and their own destiny'.”
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Sources
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