International Referred Research Journal, January, 2012, ISSN- 0975-3486, RNI : RAJBIL 2009/30097, VOL- III * ISSUE 28

Research PaperEnglish

Use of Realism in Mulk Raj Anand's Novels

* Karan Sharma January, 2012 * Asst. Prof. Dept. of English, Public College, Samana Mulk Raj Anand stands in the front line of Indian mane treatment. The 'Bazar Incident' is also very touchWriting in English. His depiction of character is life ing and pathetic. He has to face insult through out the like and he is the perfectionist ii the representation of novel , it's just because of his untouchability. His only his characters. He is undoubtedly the greatest artist of crime is that he touches people from the caste Hindu. Indian Writing in English. His great works represent For it, he is ill-treated by the so called touchables in the to us the lives of India's poor in a realistic and sympa- words- 'swine dog' , 'dirty dog' , 'you brute'. Bakha is thetic manner. Mulk Raj Anand's debut novel Un- unable to do anything despite to listen and bend down touchable the great blend in literature. Untouchable his head, mumbling something. As the same, 'Templenovel depicts the events of a single day in the life of Incident' is also painful and arises our sympathy for the Bakha.. Bakha, throughout the novel faced the dis- sufferer. Bakha is also a common being like many crimination in the caste- based so called society. He others in the society but his feelings are repressed by belongs to the sweeper community. this so called touchable society. He is one of many He has a great physique and muscles. "Each unlucky ones whose life is painful and undergo humuscle of body, had as a rock when it came to play, miliation just because of their being untouchables in seemed to shine forth like glass. What a dexterous the society. These untouchables find them self no where workman! The on looker would have said. And though in the society and spend life full of pain even today in his job was dirty, he remained comparatively clean" this world. (Untouchable) He has to clean toilets and bring about "Though the Indian constitution has sanitation at the cost of his hygiene. Every now and made it a crime to practice untouchability, there are then he is disparaged and called "defiled and pol- still 60 million people in India who are discriminated" luted". He is only a beast of burden in his eyes of the (Saroj Cowasjee). We can find a great clash between highly prejudiced so called society. His sister has also the established caste system in the various novel of to work in the houses of the touchables for chores and Anand, which is always the main theme in his works. returns humiliated. In utter desperation and exaspera- His main themes are deeply rooted in the social condition, he tells his father "They think we are dirt because tions of his time. Indian caste-based society is the major we clean their dirt"(Untouchable). The so called soci- concern, and his characters, represent the most pattern ety is not even considerate to him if he offers a helping of Indian society. He represents a society charged with hand to it. On the occasion, Bakha is playing hockey. the evils of untouchability, caste discrimination, and A little boy is injured and as Bakha lifts the boy up, social injustice. Anand is a great writer having a boy's caste-ridden mother screams "Polluted, polluted" sympathetical angle for the untouchables, the outcastes (Untouchable) There are many occasions in the novel in the society. He is the greatest realist, whose realism which reveal the harsh and painful realities in the distinguishes him any wrong bias, and has the ability society. On such occasion is when the untouchables to take a balanced view of man and society. Anand are victimized, and shattered into pieces. The "Well voices the most fundamental sentiments of a man whose Incident", "Temple Incident", "bazar incident" and life is a strange amalgam of helplessness, anger, promany other incidents describe how these ill-feted people test, despair and anxiety. The typical Indian lives and are exploited by the so called highclass touchables. life on many layers each of which is inextricably linked The cruelty doesn't happen only with him but his sis- up with others. The caste system is one such layer and ter also faces the same thing just because being an it is a very vital thing for him. He can not help it, so untouchable. So, here we can see the untouchables, ingrained it is in him, and yet he is a victim of it. Mulk being weak, have no justice. The priest in the novel Raj Anand's realism lies in the depiction of a society in pollutes his postion, who is supposed to preach the which the caste factor operates so easily and naturally, gospel of truth, humanity, morality, and sanctity. But, conditions everything so effortlessly, that often it ceases he turns out to be a victimizer, a tyrant. On many to be an issue even; it simply remains as backwater. In occasion Bakha and his family are subjected to inhu- his realistic portrayal of the novel Untouchable, caste
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International Referred Research Journal, January, 2012, ISSN- 0975-3486, RNI : RAJBIL 2009/30097, VOL- III * ISSUE 28

is the prominent theme and he is concerned with the sufferings of the masses i.e. Shudra- sweepers and his wish to bring about social happiness in their lives and to register his protest against the evil in the social system of Hindus as well, whereas Coolie is about the new caste system, the economic 'classes' being so rigid as to be almost 'closed'. Two Leaves and a Bud represents the pain of poor Indians, who suffer in the hands of the British, but the Indian life it represents is based on the caste and community. Anand wrote these novels in the phase of his career when caste system was on the peak in India and he was aware enough to raise his in protest. Anand himself accepts: "From tha time onwards my protest about the human predicament, under the empire and in the atmosphere of our own decay, often resulting from blind acceptance of bad habits and the taboos of the sage Manu and the Hadith tradition of Islam, beceme selfconscious.In a way I sensed the pain of lofe, which the more privileged took out of the weaker member of the flock"( Anand) In the realist depiction of the Indian society, he has presented to us a class of those people whose social status is dominated by their economic status. In his masterpiece Untouchable the status is determined by birth, whereas in one of another his novel Coolie it determines by an economic group. If we talk about the theme, Coolie of Anand is just extension of Untouchable, Anand depicts the social evil that has run its impact even in Indian history. A strong believer in the dignity and the equality, Anand is naturally shocked at the inhuman way the untouchables and coolies are treated by those belong to the superior caste. Whereas Anand tells about a single community in his novel untouchables, but it also implies in the rest of the world, where we have caste-based society. Where we have discrimination on the name of class, race. His representation of social structure reflects his idea to

revolt against for exploitators to change their inhuman behaviour with the rest of the world, and also to uplift their behaviour in the society. In the words of K.R.S. Iyenger, his works "not only a representation of social reality, but also a necessary functional part of social control, and also, paradoxically, an important element in social change" Mulk Raj Anand is the greatest writer of downtrodden because of his realistic portrayal of Indian society, which includes the social values and social harmony. Anand believes that man is the creator of his own destiny. He has immense faith in man and his power. Being a great artist, Anand does speak about black and white, but he gives the artistic form to the tragic experience of a man. Anand's revolt and warning lies within the presentation of his art. About the novels of Anand, Iyanger says that they came "fresh from contact with flesh and blood of everyday existence". We find no discrimination based on race and caste in our constitution, but in practical life these all aspects still exist in our society. Social discrimination still prevails this way or that way and, therefore, social exclusion and exploitation of the lower class of the society, though their form and proportion might be different from the cases of pre-independence era. K.R Shrinivas Iyenger also confirms this, ".the problem with blunted edges, perhaps, and also with some relieving features here- still defies a firm and final solution!" Despite of that Anand's novels considered as the blend to change the social system so that the untouchables can enjoy the equal freedom in the society. Anand dreamt for our strong, united, prosperous and peaceful nation. Through his great works he has presented to us the painful realistic picture of our so called Indian society in a great manner, now he has left on us to think how we can change the prevailing system, and how can we make our nation more prgressive.

R E F E R E N C E
Mulk Raj Anand, Untouchable, New Delhi: Orient Paperbacks, 1970 Mulk Raj Anand, "The Source of Protest in my Novels" in The Indian Novel with a Social Purpose ed. By K. Venkata Reddy, New Delhi: Atlantic Publishers and Distributors, 1999, pp. 20-21 K.R.S. Iyenger, Indian Writing in English, New Delhi: Sterling Publishers, 1984, p.338-39. Mulk Raj Anand, "The Source of Protest in my Novels", op. cit., p.29 Mulk Raj Anand: Coolie. 1936. London: Penguin, 1986 Saroj Cowasjee: Author and critic: The letter of Mulk Raj Anand (Writers Workshop Publication).
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