Dr.

RAM MANOHAR LOHIYA

NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY

ENGLISH-1
BOOK REVIEW
UNTOUCHABLE

SUBMITTED TO- SUBMITTED BY-

DR. ALKA SINGH NAMAN YADAV

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR ENROLLEMENT NO-210101092
(ENGLISH) B.A. LL.B. (Hons.)
DR. Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University 1st Semester, Section ‘B’

TITLE:
 Book review- Untouchable by Mulk Raj Anand

AIM OF THE PROJECT:

The aim of the project is to better understand the condition and problems faced by the so called “untouchables”
in pre-independent India and comparing it with contemporary times. The main purpose of this project is to
see how relevant a novel written some eighty years ago is to our modern times and how much the
consciousness of our society has grown in those eighty odd years with all the developments that has been
. taking place around us.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Mulk Raj Anand was born in 1905 in Peshawar in present-day Pakistan. Anand graduated with honours in 1924
from Punjab university and pursued higher studies at University College in London and at University of
Cambridge. Anand was a pioneer of Indian writing in English and was one of the first Indian writers with an
international following. His literary endeavors are not limited to novels but he also wrote short stories and
critical essays on literature and art. His writing is known for being vocal and sympathetic for the suffering and
marginalization of the poor Indians. His portrayal of poor and oppressed was considered very realistic and
accurate to that time. He is also referred to as the “founding father” of Indo-English literature along with RK
Narayan and Raja Rao.

Anand had a creative carrier spanning over more than seven decade, in this time he wrote generously in areas as
diverse as art and sculpture, Indian literature and history of ideas. His creative career is more often than not is
associated with his quest for a just, equitable and forward-looking India. Mulk Raj Anand was a founding
member of the Progressive writers association, established in London in 1935, it was literary movement in
pre-partition India.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Untouchable is one of the first novels written by Mulk Raj Anand. Published in 1935, it follows a day in the
life of Bakha an “untouchable”, it’s an epithet assigned to the group of people so far below every other caste
that they are considered outside of the caste system. Bakha wakes up every morning to clean the latrines
where upper class people relieve themselves, these upper class people by the virtue of their position in the
caste system are forbidden to touch human waste and the people who handles them. It is his duty to warn
people of his presence so that they can avoid touching him and impuring themselves. Unless any reform, this
will be his life and he knows it.

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. The novel creates remarkably accurate picture of life in the fringes of our
society. The book is well received both domestically and internationally. It exposes the evils of our stratified
society with remarkable simplicity. The books inspired the new generation of educated Indians to take up
the cause of equality and to think about the internal colonialism that’s creating hindrance in the country’s
accession to an inclusive and modern society.

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK-

 ACKNOWLEDGMENT
 INTRODUCTION
 PLOT
 THEMES
 REVIEW AND ANALYSIS
 PUBLIC RECEPTION AND CRITICAL ACCLAIM
 CONCLUSION
 REFERENCES

DURATION:
The last date to submit the rough draft/synopsis “Untouchable by Mulk Raj Aanad” was 10th October and
the last date to submit the final draft is 15th November.

CONCLUSION:

As people evolves and society changes with time, the most pertinent work at one point of history becomes
completely redundant at another. With the book “untouchable” unfortunately it is not true. There is a
chilling similarity between the world of Bakha and many young people of our modern society.
What changed is the way this dehumanizing practice manifest itself. Caste is still the deciding factor in
most social contracts. The book has a unique effect on the youth psyche.