The novel A River Sutra, set along the Narmada river and exploring different human stories, is written by which author?

Introduction / Context:
Questions on Indian English novels often focus on matching a specific title with its author. A River Sutra is a well known work that weaves together several stories linked to the Narmada river and Indian spiritual and cultural themes. Knowing the correct author helps learners strengthen their understanding of contemporary Indian literature in English and improves performance in books and authors sections of exams.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The work mentioned is the novel A River Sutra.
• The book is associated with Indian settings and spiritual themes.
• Four possible authors are given as options.
• We assume standard literary attributions as in common exam references.

Concept / Approach:
The concept tested is factual recall of the author of a specific English language novel. The correct strategy is to connect each option with the works they are best known for. V S Naipaul, Nirad C Choudhuri and Vikram Seth are all major names, but they are associated with different famous books. Gita Mehta is the writer who created A River Sutra and is known for blending travel writing, fiction and cultural commentary.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Note that the question asks specifically about the novel A River Sutra. Step 2: Recall that A River Sutra is a work by Gita Mehta, an Indian author who has written both fiction and non fiction about India. Step 3: V S Naipaul is widely known for books like A House for Mr Biswas and India related travelogues, not A River Sutra. Step 4: Nirad C Choudhuri is a noted essayist known for works like The Autobiography of an Unknown Indian. Step 5: Vikram Seth is famous for novels such as A Suitable Boy and poetry collections, not for A River Sutra. Step 6: Therefore, the only option that correctly matches the novel A River Sutra is Gita Mehta.

Verification / Alternative check:
Verification can be done by consulting any standard reference work or online catalogue under the title A River Sutra. These sources clearly list Gita Mehta as the author. Competitive exam guides on Indian English literature and books and authors also pair this title with Gita Mehta, confirming the correctness of this choice.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
V S Naipaul: Though he wrote several books on India, A River Sutra is not among his works.
Nirad C Choudhuri: Known for autobiographical and cultural essays, not for this particular novel.
Vikram Seth: A celebrated novelist and poet, but his notable works do not include A River Sutra.

Common Pitfalls:
Because all the options are connected with India in some way, students may guess randomly. Another pitfall is confusing A River Sutra with other river themed books or with Naipaul travelogues. To avoid this, learners should build a simple table linking major Indian English authors with two or three of their key works, which makes such questions much easier in exams.

Final Answer:
The novel A River Sutra is written by Gita Mehta.