RESEARCH PAPER

TITLE : SOCIAL CONFLICTS IN MULK RAJ ANAND’S ‘ COOLIE’

BY- SUNIL P. GAIKWAD

NEW HIGHSCHOOL, GANGAPUR
DIST.- AURANGABAD
MOBILE NO.- 7588096538
E_mail- spgaikwad69@gmail.com

Social conflict is one of the theme in Indian Literature. Mulk Raj

Anand depicted a pathetic picture of poverty in India through his novel, ‘Coolie’. Anand
traces the roots of social injustice and inequality based on the caste and class. Anand is
known as the Dickens of India because he highlights the conflicts of lower class people
for their existence. The term lower class people used for the people who are downtrodden,
Dalits, and oppressed, working in factories and agriculture. Readers met these outcaste and
downtrodden people with Munoo, the protagonist of the novel. These characters fought
and struggle with poverty and inequality in the society to keep their existence.

Key Words : social conflict, oppressed, downtrodden

The term Social conflict is described in Wikipedia as,

Social conflict is the struggle of a person or a group for
agency or power in society. Social conflict or group conflict
occurs when two or more characters ( actors ) oppose each
other in social interaction, reciprocally exerting social power
in an effort to attain scarce or incompatible goals and prevent
the opponent from attaining them. Social Conflict is also
the confrontation of social powers.

[ en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_conflict : 1 ]

Anand depicted the social system which turned out to be a caste system of India.
Readers learnt many issues like injustice and inequality related to caste system.
Anand’s novels focuses mainly on the social conflicts.. His protagonist characters are
exploited by the capitalists only because they are downtrodden. They quest for their
identity and search for freedom. Anand described their sufferings and record their
miseries. Their sufferings are not their luck, but the results of their social surroundings.
The writer reveals the curse of untouchability, child labour and social governance.

1
Through the various characters, the writer described the life history of millions of child
labours and starving children of India, who are treated like beasts by rich people of this
country. Munno, the prime character of this novel has to struggle till the end of his life.
This paper presents the social conflicts, depicted by the author, between the oppressed and
high-class people of India.
Through the novel ‘Coolie’, the author focuses on the social issues like
exploitation, the impact of Capitalism and social conflicts in the contemporary India.
It is the story of Enslavement and victimization of a man in an exploitative society
The writer describes the lives of a sweeper, a coolie and a peasant, who are socially
oppressed and downtrodden. The novel also has various themes like ‘denial of right to
happiness’, ‘exploitation of the oppressed and untouchables ( Dalits )’, the impact of
Capitalism’, ‘sexual degradation of human mind’, ‘Man-woman relationship’, ‘tension and
trauma’, and ‘social conflicts in the society’.
Coolie is the story of a boy named Munoo, who takes readers from a village
to town, from town to city and from city to Bombay. He faces few fortunes and many
misfortunes. His misfortunes begin from his Uncle and Aunt, in the village, then with the
Bank officer’s family, where he works as a servant, then his benefactor, Prabha, in the
city. He reached in the chawls of Bombay and lastly with Mrs. Mainwaring at Simla, as
her attendant and rickshaw puller. Finally, he dies as a rickshaw puller.
The novel begins with the rustic words of his aunt,
Munoo, ohe, Munooa, oh Mundu ! Where have you
died? where have you drifted, you of the evil star ?
Come back ! Your uncle is leaving soon. You must
go to the town.
[ Anand Mulk Raj : 9 ]
It explores the social evils of an unfortunate child, whose father died when
he was mere a child. He is an orphan boy, always beaten by his aunt and cursed by his
uncle, Dayaram. He is taken to Babu Nathoo Ram to work as a servant in his house. He
worked very hard, but is given a loaf of stale pancake to eat. His mistress always insults
him. Sometimes she says,
Eaters of your Masters ! Strange servant you are
that you fall asleep before the sun sets ! Wake up !
Brute ! You pig ! You dog !

[ Ibid : 25 ]

2
 The use of real words gives the effects of reality. The writer painted the
true picture of life through the character Munoo. He is an untouchable in the house of
Babu Nathoo Ram. His daughter didn’t allow him to play with her, as he is a servant of the
house. Munoo is fed well, when he was picked up by Seth Prabha Dayal in Daulatpur. He
had never eaten such a good food since the feast of his parent’s death anniversary. He has
to leave Daulatpur, when Praha Dayal becomes bankrupt. He has to work as a coolie in a
grain market with Hari. He also worked as a porter at the station. Accidently, he gets
acquainted with elephant trainer and come to Bombay with his help. He was warned about
the city as,
The bigger a city is, the more cruel it is to the sons
of Adam. You have to pay even for the breath that
you breath.
[ Iyengar, Srinivasa : 342 ]

In Bombay he experienced labor trouble, life on the pavements and

slum, hindu-muslim disturbances. He is knocked down the car of Mrs. Mainwaring, When
she learnt the history of the boy, she decided to take the boy to Simla. She makes him
servant as well as he works as a rickshaw puller Finally he feels that he is not going to die,
as he was worn out by his hard work. His fate hastens him to the grave and one white
night, he passed away. The novel concluded with,
the tide of his life having reached back to the deeps.

[ Anand Mulk Raj : 318 ]

Anand has shown very extreme sufferings of the Munoo, Hari and
Prabha Dayal. Munoo is the symbol of all the unfortunate, downtrodden and abused
children of India. This novel shows how poverty and cruelty can kill the children like
Munoo. He wanted to live a long life and wanted to be a Babu, but he is forced to work
hard. He died by extra work of pulling rickshaw and sexual exploitation.
Mrs. Mainwaring is Anglo-Indian. She is educated with romantic
attitude. She has special love for Munoo. She brought him to Simla only because he is a
young and orphan boy. She used to give him a chicken and roti which he had never eaten
in his life. He was always exploited sexually by Mrs. Mainwaring, so he became pale
and he often coughs and blood comes out of his spittle. His friend coolies diagnose that it
is the result of excessive sex than pulling rickshaw. When he was admitted to the
hospital, his memsahib visits him with the gifts of flowers and fruits. Finally, Memsahib

3
is forbidden to have sexual relationship with Munoo up to the last. Munoo is presented as
a universal character by Anand.
Prabha Dayal is one of the character who is suffered by Ganpat and
Todar Mals. Anand shows how Ganpat makes Prabha Dayal to suffer a lot by spreading
rumours that he is bankrupt. Hari works with Munoo as a coolie. He is exploited by Jim
Thomas by giving Hari low payment. Jim Thomas, who is the capitalist forced him to
live in a cottage in which even animals can not live. Throughout the novel, we find the
characters who are the sufferers and exploited by the Capitalists.
CONCLUSION :
Munoo is exploited all the time, one way or other, by one person or
another because he is poor, orphan and downtrodden. He is the representative character
in the novel. Anand depicted the real conflicts of downtrodden and oppressed workers in
the society. There are only two kinds of characters in the novel, sufferers and capitalists.
The novel has various themes like sexual degradation of human mind and social conflicts
in the society. Anand suggests that if Munoo was given a little sympathy and tenderness
by the society, he could be turned into a happy life. But Munoo, Prabha Dayal and Hari
have to struggle in the society for their existence because they are the victims of social
conflicts.

WORK CITED
1 Anand, Mulk Raj, 1988, Coolie, New Delhi, Aronold- Heinemann Publishers
( India ) Pvt. Ltd.
2. Iyengar, K.R. Srinivasa, 2007, Indian Writing English, New Delhi, Sterling
Publishers Private Limited.

WEB PAGES
1 creative.sulekha.com/coolie-an-epic-of-suffering_402086_blog
2 www.theijes.com/F0242031033.pdf
3. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_conflict