Who was the first Indian writer to win the prestigious Booker Prize?

Introduction / Context:
This question concerns a landmark achievement for Indian literature on the global stage. The Booker Prize, now called the Booker Prize for Fiction, is one of the most coveted awards for English language novels. The first Indian winner became a source of national pride and is frequently mentioned in exam questions about honours and awards. Knowing the book and its author gives an extra edge in literature and general knowledge sections.

Given Data / Assumptions:

- The question asks for the first Indian to win the Booker Prize.
- Options include Jhumpa Lahiri, Arundhati Roy, Siddhartha Mukherjee, Gobind Behari Lal, and Kiran Desai.
- All the names are associated with writing or journalism.
- We assume the standard history of the Booker Prize as maintained by the prize foundation.

Concept / Approach:
The correct approach is to recall that Arundhati Roy was the first Indian to win the Booker Prize, for her debut novel The God of Small Things in 1997. Later, Kiran Desai and other writers with Indian roots have also won, but they came after Roy breakthrough. Jhumpa Lahiri and Siddhartha Mukherjee have received other major awards, such as the Pulitzer Prize, while Gobind Behari Lal was an early Indian American journalist linked to Pulitzer recognition. Therefore, among the given options, Arundhati Roy clearly stands out as the first Indian Booker winner.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that Arundhati Roy novel The God of Small Things won the Booker Prize in 1997. Step 2: Note that this was the first time an Indian author received this honour, which made headlines worldwide. Step 3: Recognise that Kiran Desai later won the Booker Prize in 2006 for The Inheritance of Loss, so she cannot be the first Indian winner. Step 4: Eliminate Jhumpa Lahiri, Siddhartha Mukherjee, and Gobind Behari Lal because their major awards are different and do not correspond to a Booker win.

Verification / Alternative check:
The official Booker Prize records list Arundhati Roy as the 1997 winner for The God of Small Things and explicitly mention that she was the first Indian citizen to win the prize. Subsequent winners with Indian connections, such as Kiran Desai and Aravind Adiga, came later. Jhumpa Lahiri is associated with the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for her collection Interpreter of Maladies, while Siddhartha Mukherjee won the Pulitzer Prize for his non fiction work The Emperor of All Maladies. This confirms that Arundhati Roy is the only correct answer to the question.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Jhumpa Lahiri is an Indian origin author who won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction but has not won the Booker Prize.
Siddhartha Mukherjee is a physician and writer who received the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction for The Emperor of All Maladies, not the Booker Prize.
Gobind Behari Lal was a pioneering journalist and a Pulitzer winner but he did not receive the Booker Prize.
Kiran Desai did win the Booker Prize in 2006 for The Inheritance of Loss, but she is not the first Indian winner since Arundhati Roy preceded her in 1997.

Common Pitfalls:
Students may confuse different major literary awards such as the Booker Prize and the Pulitzer Prize. Another common mistake is to think that Kiran Desai was the first because her win is also widely discussed and more recent. Some candidates also mix up nationality and ancestry, assuming that any writer of Indian origin who won a big prize must be the first Indian Booker winner. Carefully distinguishing between prizes and creating a small mental list of Indian Booker winners by year helps avoid this confusion.

Final Answer:
The first Indian writer to win the Booker Prize was Arundhati Roy.