A Study of the Theme of Oppression in Mulk Raj Anand’s Novels

Pages:120-122
Poonam and P.P. Khatri (Department of English, Singhania University, Pacheri Bari, Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan)

Mulk Raj Anand (1905-2004) is one of the greatest novelists in Indian Writing in English. He is also attributed to constitute the much talked about and referred to ‘trio’ in Indian Writing in English, the other two being R.K. Narayan and Raja Rao. Indian literature including that in English indulged before the advent of Munshi Premchand (in Hindi) and the trio in Indian Writing in English in mere imagination. Hence, India was looked upon as being a land of forests, jugglers and snakes by Europeans. Indian literature prior to these litterateurs pre-occupied, in history and romance only. It was way too far removed from reality and the people living in the Indian society. The trio endeavoured to eradicate Indian literature in English from being called literature of fairy tales and fantasy. R.K. Narayan, Raja Rao, Tagore tried, through literature, to voice the suffering and coercion against the Indian subject in the British Raj, trying thus to bring a tinge of realism to the literature. But, be it as it may, Mulk Raj Anand was a little different from them. He was profoundly influenced by Gandhiji, his ethics and his way of life. One thing remains to be seen that there is a decided difference of view between R.K. Narayan and Mulk Raj Anand.