Social Realism in Select Novels of Mulk Raj Anand, UR Anantha Murthy And

International Journal of Academic Research ISSN: 2348-7666; Vol.6, Issue-8, August, 2019 Impact Factor: 6.023 [email protected] Social realism in select novels of Mulk Raj Anand, U R Anantha Murthy and Arundhati Roy: a study A. Vyshnavi Devi, Department of English, UPGC, Subedari, Kakatiya University, Warangal Abstract: The Indian novel in English began as a novel of social realism but not as a romance or historical romance. The raise of the novel in India was not purely a literary phenomenon. It was a social phenomenon, rather than a mere fulfilment of a social need or desire. It was associated with social, political and economic conditions of the country. Fiction is the off-shoot of the impact of Western literature on the Indian mind. The novel in India was purely a foreign import. The English novelists Henry Fielding, Daniel Defoe and Sir Walter Scott and the English translations of the illustrious European novelists Leo Tolstoy, Honor’Re de Balzac, Fyodor Mikhail, Ovich, Dostoevsky, Victor Hugo and many others apprised the Indian writer with the theme and technique of fiction. Indian writers became aware of the latest achievements of their contemporaries in foreign tongues and produced work of a technically high standard after reading the world’s classics in their own language. Key words: English novelists, hoary tradition, faithful cultures Introduction India and abroad in the recent decades. Indian English literature has been called India has a rich and hoary tradition of “a Janus–faced literature” born of “a story – telling, a brilliant galaxy of story – cross fertilization of two faithful tellers who illumine the pages of her cultures” - Indian and European. The history and literature. Bankim Chandra Indian fiction in English is now living, Chatterjee’s Rajmohan’s wife (1864), developing and evolving literary force. It which is typical of a transitional period in is also accepted as a significant part of the history of Indian literature was the third world or new literatures. Though first attempt made by an Indian to the Indian novel in English has begun as produce a novel in English. Later the a ‘hot- house- plant’, it establishes firm novelists like Mulk Raj Anand, roots in Indian soil. R.K.Narayan, Raja Rao, Bhabani Bhattacharya, Manohar Malgonkar, Ruth It has attained a rich growth, mounting Prawar Jhabvala, Anita Desai, Chaman extraordinary heights in the context of Nahal, Arun Joshi, Salman Rushdie, the contemporary Indian literature scene. Amitav Ghosh, Kamala Markendeya, The early decades of the twentieth Nayanatara Sahgal, Arundhati Roy, and century witnessed the rise of many several others have made their writers whose literary manifesto was to contribution for the flourishment of write for social, political and economic Indian English fiction. purpose. The purpose was not only to throw light upon the social evils and The Indian English literature has malpractices prevailing in the society in achieved far reaching importance both in www.ijar.org.in 18 International Journal of Academic Research ISSN: 2348-7666; Vol.6, Issue-8, August, 2019 Impact Factor: 6.023 [email protected] those days but also to employ fiction to The novels of the 1930‘s reflected the the cause of social amelioration. The progressive philosophy of the writers. proliferation of novel in Indian English They were vocal about injustice, cruelty manifests itself multifariously and exploitation that the masses faced. encompassing almost every aspect of Mulk Raj Anand’s Untouchable (1935), Indian social life. In the last one hundred Coolie (1936) and Two Leaves and Bud years or so, this staggering branch of (1938) took the creative imagination from literature has blossomed like a fragrant historical romances to social realism. flower and has become golden gate for G.V. Deseni’s All about H. Hatterr (1948) the world to see India through. This to it further to the psychological probing literary explosion or renaissance has not into individual personality. The Fifties been quite evolutionary, but in recent was a period of socially conscious novels years, it has caused a boom in the realism such as Kamala Markandaya’s Nectar in of Indian fiction writing. a Sieve (1954), K.A. Abbas’s Inquilab (1955) and R.K. Narayan’s The Guide The Indian novel in English began as a (1958) which were imbued with didactic novel of social realism but not as a rumblings in the agonized psyche of the romance or historical romance. The raise characters. Nayanatara Sahgal’s A Time of the novel in India was not purely a to be Happy (1958) traced the literary phenomenon. It was a social development of nationalist movement phenomenon, rather than a mere and the contrast offered by the old fulfilment of a social need or desire. It devoted nationalists with young was associated with social, political and pragmatic mercenaries. The Sixties economic conditions of the country. showed the development of psychological Fiction is the off-shoot of the impact of novels which highlighted the Indian Western literature on the Indian mind. identity under the onslaught of the The novel in India was purely a foreign cultural influences of the west, while import. The English novelists Henry Manohar Malgonkar’s A Bend in the Fielding, Daniel Defoe and Sir Walter Ganges (1964) was an attempt on the Scott and the English translations of the terrorist movement in India. Bhabani illustrious European novelists Leo Bhattacharya’s shadow from Ladakh Tolstoy, Honor’Re de Balzac, Fyodor (1966) and R.K. Narayan’s The Vendor of Mikhail, Ovich, Dostoevsky, Victor Hugo Sweets (1967) gave a perspective analysis and many others apprised the Indian of the historical process of social changes writer with the theme and technique of in India after Independence. Arun Joshi’s fiction. Indian writers became aware of The Foreigner (1968), on the other hand, the latest achievements of their rendered the alienation of Indian contemporaries in foreign tongues and expatriates in the quagmire of inter- produced work of a technically high cultural flux. standard after reading the world’s classics in their own language. The The decade of the Nineties was the literary stature of Indian Novel in harbinger of more profitable business to English has steadily grown with each the Western publishers and it gave a successive work of fiction. Indisputably, it special niche to Vikram Seth, Shobha De, has achieved global recognition as a Amitav Ghosh, Upamanyu Chatterjee significant genre. and they made quick bucks. The Western www.ijar.org.in 19 International Journal of Academic Research ISSN: 2348-7666; Vol.6, Issue-8, August, 2019 Impact Factor: 6.023 [email protected] readers suffering from the angst of effortlessly sustains below the selfish depression and melancholia needing some current of the clownish an undercurrent kind of diversion have turned to Indian of stainless splendour. novel in English for getting spiritual solace. Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s In the novels of Anita Desai, the interior Children and Shame, Shashi Tharoor’s of the human being forms the core of The Great Indian Novel, Rohinton scrutiny. Unlike Ruth Prawar Jhabvala Mistry’s Such a Long Journey and Balraj who gives graphic details about reality, Khanna’s A Nation of Fools highlighted Anita Desai is interested in the study of their divine propensities. Mistry was a the lives and working of the mind of the runner up for Booker Award in 1991. characters. The most prominent feature Githa Hariharan too hit the buzzer with of Desai’s art is the delineation of her novel The Thousand Faces of Night. character. She is primarily interested in Amitav Ghosh won acclaim for both his the portrayal of female protagonists as fiction and non-fiction. living in separate, closed, sequestered world of existential problems and R.K. Narayan is the conspicuous star in passions. Each individual is portrayed as the galaxy of fictionists, by virtue of his an unsolved mystery being hyper- achievement. It is certified by the fact sensitive, solitary and introspective. The that his novels are translated into the women have their material needs taken major languages of the world, which also care of by wealth and servants, but their indicates his wide popularity the world emotional needs remain unsatiated. Ruth over. He is one of the founding fathers of Prawar Jhabwala is the first woman Indian English fiction. There is no ‘good’ novelist of Indian English fiction. She has and ‘bad’ characters in Narayan’s novels. a discerning eye for the changing pattern Human nature is presented veraciously of Urban life in modern India, especially and interestingly and memorably. in and around Delhi. She shows a ‘Malgudi’ is Narayan’s “Casterbridge”. In considerable narrative power in drawing fact, Narayan’s main characters take life an ironic, comic, yet sympathetic so seriously that they appear little portrayal of the middle classes. She is spiritual and mostly secular. He is a undoubtedly a very skilful writer of species by himself. He has immortalized domestic comedy with a penchant for himself by the creation of Malgudi, a real irony and social satire. Her portrayal of life character provided him with the India and Indian scene, though marked original of The Guide, the most popular by detachment, has become somewhat of his novels. Narayan is a master of controversial. her stories have appeared realism and angst. His characters and in the “Encounter”, “The New Yorker” situations, incidents and episodes, are and other prestigious Journals. She gives real and true to daily life. Man appears, graphic details about reality. passes through self-made travails of life, and vanishes into life. That is the central Realism in art and literature is an theme of Narayan’s fiction. He portrays attempt to portray life as it is.

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