Mulk Raj Anand: The Glory Of India's Past

Among the many jewels that emerged from India, the legacy of Mulk Raj Anand is fascinating and inspiring. The young boy from Peshawar who moved to England made a mark for himself by doing what he loved and practising what he believed in until the end of his days. Anand was one of the founders of the Progressive Writer's Movement, and his life is a glorious reminder of people who belong to India's past.

Mulk Raj Anand. Image Source: Javatpoint

At first, anyone who met Mulk Raj Anand thought him arrogant and perhaps too complicated. However, as one got to know him, they discovered a simple man whose writings reflected sincerity, humility, and honesty. He was born in Peshawar on 12th December 1905, and he graduated with honours from Khalsa College in 1924. After that, he moved to England for further studies, where he discovered his love for literature and formed amicable relations with members of the Bloomsbury group.

Although he is remembered for being one of the first few Indian writers to have an international audience and for drafting the first manifesto for the literary association, it is hardly known that throughout his life, he faced numerous heartbreaks. He first encountered double standards and underlying social intolerance when he fell in love with a Muslim girl. Anand tragically recalled the girl's marriage to a railway guard who already had two wives and how the man killed her when he found Anand's love letters in her bag. Furthermore, his decision to move to England served as an escape from his father, Lal Chand, who beat up Ishwar Kaur (Mulk Raj Anand's mother) because she hid that Anand had participated in the Amritsar Bandh and was jailed for the same.

Despite being initially drawn to theatre and women upon arriving in England, Mulk Raj Anand eventually settled down and married Kathleen Van Gelder. However, the marriage was short-lived due to Kathleen's infidelity, and Anand found new love with another woman. He divorced Kathleen and married Shirin Vajifdar, remaining married to her until the end of their days.

As a writer, Anand faced criticism from English authors who believed that the stories about the poor did not belong in refined Literature. This criticism shook him but he persevered with his work. When he published Untouchable, it was widely read and critically acclaimed, perhaps due to its realism. Gandhi advised Anand to keep the language simple and focus on the emotions felt by the Harijans. Anand rewrote the novel at Sabarmati Ashram but later when Gandhi approved the final draft, he faced the challenge of publishing it. Nineteen publishing houses had already rejected his manuscript. However, E.M. Forster's foreword to his book helped speed up the process, and Lawrence and Wishart ultimately published it in 1935.

Despite living in England, Anand’s work maintained a strong connection to his roots. He believed that his childhood experience in his mother's village gave him a deep understanding of the language and culture of the people there, which he channelled into his writing.

Mulk Raj Anand was always a humanitarian, socialist, and patriot. While he was dismayed by the changes in political affairs after independence, he developed his own worldview with the help of Gandhian philosophies and Nehruvian thoughts. He worked tirelessly towards the welfare of the depressed classes and his writings reflect an honest and intense intimacy that makes the reader feel as if Anand was the closest confidant they had ever known.