Must-read books by Mulk Raj Anand

In the history of Indian literature, be it Indian English, Hindi or Urdu, there have been many writers who have challenged authoritarianism, societal evils, caste dominance, et cetera through their writings. These authors and their works dazzled millions of people and forced them to think, reflect and act.

Mulk Raj Anand is one such writer whose works are noted for their perceptive insight into the lives of the oppressed and their analysis of destitution, exploitation and adversity. One of the pioneers of Indo-Anglian fiction, Anand was one of the first India based writers to write in English to gain an international readership. Such was his allure and exuberance that even George Orwell and Picasso friends with him. Here is a look at 8 enthralling must-read books by Mulk Raj Anand.

Anand’s first book, ‘Untouchable’ argues for eradicating the caste system. It depicts a day in the life of Bakha, a young sweeper, who is "untouchable" due to his work of cleaning latrines. The book was inspired by Anand’s aunt's experience when she had a meal with a Muslim woman and was treated as an outcast by her family.

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The book is highly critical of British rule in India and India's caste system—one of the biggest societal problems that plague the society. The plot of the novel revolves around a 14-year-old boy, Munoo, and his plight due to poverty and exploitation because of the various social and political structures.

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Located in the tea plantations of Assam, the novel deals with the topic of oppression of the poor. It revolves around a peasant who tries to protect his daughter from a British soldier. It was later adapted to a Hindi film, 'Rahi', by Dev Anand and simultaneously released in English as 'The Wayfarer'.

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The first one of a trilogy that later included ‘Across the Black Waters’ and ‘The Sword and the Sickle’, the plot of the novel centres on the British rule and the independence movement. It revolves around a peasant in Punjab and his ways to go against the social norms in the village, his enrollment and troubles in the army, which eventually leads him to return to the village.

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The novel describes the experience of Lalu, an innocent peasant whose poor family was evicted from their land. Later he is deployed as a soldier in the Indian Army to fight on behalf of Britain against the Germans in France during World War I. However, he vaguely understands what the war is about.

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Similar to his other novels, this one also deals with social and political structures, particularly, the rise of Communism. Interestingly, the title for the book was given by George Orwell to Anand. It tells the story of the rise of a peasant movement in Oudh in U.P. in 1920–21.

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The novel is about a village of artisans in Amritsar District in the early 1940s whose livelihood is destroyed by the establishment of a factory producing copper utensils. Its theme is the conflict between hereditary coppersmiths and the capitalists.

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The book is recognized as one of Anand's most impressive and important works. While following an autobiographical tone, it deals with the abolition of the system of the princely states in India.

Pic credit: HarperCollins