“Social Realism and Humanism in Mulk Raj Anand’s Untouchable and Coolie”

Abstract

Mulk Raj Anand, one of the most celebrated figures in Indo-Anglian literature, is renowned for his deep humanism, social realism and uncompromising critique of India’s socio-cultural conditions during the colonial era. His novels Untouchable (1935) and Coolie (1936) are landmarks in Indian English fiction, vividly depicting the lives of marginalized and oppressed communities. Through Bakha, the sweeper boy in Untouchable, Anand exposes the inhuman practice of untouchability, while in Coolie, he portrays the tragic journey of Munoo, an orphaned child laborer, who becomes a symbol of India’s exploited working class. Both novels highlight poverty, social discrimination, economic exploitation and the dehumanizing impact of caste and class hierarchies. Anand, influenced by Gandhian ideals and socialist thought, combined realism with compassion, making his fiction not only literary works but also social documents with reformist zeal. This paper explores Anand’s use of social realism, his empathetic portrayal of the downtrodden and his literary technique of blending narrative artistry with social critique. It also examines how Anand used literature as a weapon against oppression, giving voice to India’s voiceless and oppressed millions.