A Brief Biography of Mulk Raj Anand.

 

Mulk Raj Anand (12 Dec 1905 – 28 Sep 2004)

 

Mulk Raj Anand, also known as the novelist, short story writer, essayist, and art critic. As a result, his works became an appeal for unity against exploitation and injustice. Anand has been an active participant in the political movement for independence from his school days. In college, he was jailed and imprisoned for his involvement in the Gandhian movement.

Later in England, he was interested in avant-garde activities and left-wing politics.

Anand's writing draws on both Eastern and Western intellectual traditions. His perspective on both Indian and Western intellectual traditions is critical and mixed up. Anand opposes authoritarian imperialism and supports Western rationalism and humanist ideals. Despite praising the creative traditions of Indian art, literature, and philosophy, he opposes discriminatory practices from the past. Anand's socialist beliefs and vision for an equitable society are largely influenced by Western culture.

Anand's debut novel, Untouchable (1935), marked a significant break from traditional Indian fiction writing. He chose Bakha, a sweeper child, as the protagonist of Untouchable. The novel Untouchable follows Bakha, a teenage sweeper from an outcaste colony in a North-Indian cantonment town.

Bakha's daily humiliations are repeated. He gets assaulted and insulted because he had touched a high caste Hindu. He is not permitted to enter the Temple. Furthermore, he is cursed for contaminating a wounded youngster he assists in arriving home. Finally, three different alternatives are presented. Colonel Hutchinson of the local Salvation Army believes that Christianity is the only solution to untouchability. Mahatma Gandhi promotes social transformation and equality for all Indians.

The work also raises doubts about the reality of the untouchable. Discrimination marginalises and isolates untouchables from mainstream society. Untouchable raises awareness of the issue and its impact on society.

Anand's following works, Coolie (1936) and Two Leaves and a Bud (1937), focus on the condition of a different group of poor people. Anand's literature now covers topics such as working class and urban-rural conflict. Coolie follows Munoo, an orphaned rural child from Kangra Hills, in his search for a better life. He works as a domestic servant, coolie, industrial labourer, and rickshaw puller in various areas from Bombay to Simla.

Munoo, a rural, forced to move to the city to protect himself. Coolie has a diverse cast of individuals from many social strata, as well as several exciting events. Two Leaves and a Bud takes place on a tea plantation in Assam. Gangu, an impoverished Punjabi villager, is attracted by promises to join a plantation. A British officer who attempted to rape Gangu's daughter kills him after he is forced to labour in poor sanitation and starves.

The Big Heart (1945) follows the story of Ananta, a teenage coppersmith with a kind heart. Ananta was a wise member of the Thathiar community. He advocates for the eradication of the caste system, which may cause conflict and stress.

Mahatma Gandhi's disciples share his fear of machinery. Ananta recognises the value of machinery. Controlling machines by labourers instead of capitalists may reduce their negative effects. Ananta is convinced that they will eventually master machines. The whole action, like in The Untouchables, takes place on a single day.

The following two novels written by Anand were autobiographical in nature. The Private Life of an Indian Prince (1953) and Seven Summers (1951) fall within this category. The Private Life of an Indian Prince explores the Prince's neurotic world. In this work, the hero goes through a mental fall apart similar to Anand's own. The following four works are regarded authentically autobiographical: Seven Summers (1954), Morning Face (1968), Confession of a Lover (1976), and The Bubble (1984).

Anand fought against social prejudice and exploitation throughout his life. His compassion and emotion for the underprivileged inspired him to become a writer. Anand writes in a genuine approach, mixing Indian words, phrases, expressions, and proverbs into English. He used literature to highlight the experiences of underprivileged groups and promote social change.

 

Important Literary Works :

Untouchable (1935)

Coolie (1936)

Two Leaves and a Bud (1937)

The Village (1939)

Lament on the Death of a Master of Arts (1939)

Across the Black Waters (1939)

The Sword and the Sickle (1942)

The Big Heart (1945)

Seven Summers: the Story of an Indian Childhood (1951)

 

Mulk Raj Anand’s contribution to Indian Writing in English.

 

Mulk Raj Anand made important contributions to Indian Writing in English (IWE) with his pioneering literary works that highlighted social realism, humanism, and the representation of the marginalised and excluded in Indian culture. His contributions to IWE are understood in several manners:

 

Representation of Social Realism: Anand's works, including 'Untouchable,' 'Coolie,' and 'Two Leaves and a Bud,' gave an enormous representation of the terrible reality experienced by India's lower castes, labourers, and marginalised populations. Anand's vivid and emotional storytelling put attention on the social injustices, inequality, and exploitation that exist in Indian society, expanding the IWE landscape with narratives that represent the various and complicated realities of Indian life.

 

Promoting Social Reform: Anand's literary works were a harsh critique of the caste system, colonial dictatorship, and systematic injustices experienced by the impoverished. Anand pushed for social reform and raised awareness about current social concerns by giving voice to the marginalised and emphasising their sufferings. His passion to write about social injustices helped shape IWE as a forum for social criticism and advocacy.

 

Humanistic Perspective: Anand's humanistic approach to writing, marked by a strong concern for the human situation, gave IWE a distinctive depth. His representation of the common features of human challenges, ambitions, and dedication crossed cultural borders and struck a chord with readers in India and throughout the world, adding to the worldwide appeal of Indian literature written in English.

 

Mulk Raj Anand's contributions to IWE were distinguished by his sympathetic representation of human difficulties, criticism of societal inequities, and support for social transformation. Anand's literary works have a lasting impact on the landscape of Indian literature in English, producing a legacy of literary expression that continues to echo and bring discussion on societal concerns and human experiences.