SOCIAL EXCLUSION AND EXPLOITATION IN MULK RAJ ANAND’S UNTOUCHABLE: A SUBALTERN STUDY
By Abnish Singh & Dr Prachi Dixit
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âThe greatest national sin is the neglect of the masses and that is one of the causes of our downfall.’1
Thus spoke Swami Vivekananda about the unavoidable role of the masses in building a strong and united nation, concomitantly if they are neglected, no nation can flourish for the long run. This is what seen in India not only at the time of Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902) but onwards too, and writers like Mulk Raj Anand (1905-2004) made it out and, therefore, stood to address a complex problem in the form of untouchability rampant in the Hindu society. In his realistic portrayal of the novel âUntouchable’ (1935), Anand is concerned with the sufferings of the masses i.e. Shudra- sweepers and his wish to bring about social happiness in their lives and to register his protest against the evil in the social system of Hindus as well. As Anand himself accepts:
From that time onwards my protest about the human predicament, under the empire and in the atmosphere of our own decay, often resulting from blind acceptance of bad habits and the taboos of the sage Manu and the Hadith tradition of Islam, became self-consciousâ¦..In this way, I sensed the pain of life, which the more privileged took out of the weaker members of the flock.2
Though the novelist communicates about a particular community in the novel- subaltern Hindus, it is also implied to the rest of the world, where caste-based, class-based, racial and economic discrimination prevails. His awareness of social exclusion and exploitation of the lower dregs of the society reflect his wish for excluders and exploitators to mend their inhuman ways and to change their social behaviour. For that he uses fiction as a tool, as it is “not only a representation of social reality, but also a necessary functional part of social control, and also, paradoxically, an important element in social change.”3 To pursue these notions of the novelist the paper proceeds to map out the social structure and economic conditions of the lower caste Hindus and causes of their social exclusion and exploitation of the subaltern as depicted in âUntouchable’.
Since the paper is concerned with the study of the subaltern it is not out of place to see the term. Wikipedia website defines âsubaltern’ thus, “Originally a term for subordinates in military hierarchiesâ¦the subaltern is denied access to both mimetic and political forms of representation.” While some thinkers use it in a general sense “to refer to marginalized groups and the lower classes- a person rendered without agency by his or her social status.”4 Therefore, in our study social exclusion and exploitation of the subaltern takes its roots in the depiction of caste-system among Hindus in the novel. The caste-system came into existence in the Vedic era. The Vedic literature explores the division of Hindu society into four castes according to their âKarma’- Brahmana (priests, teachers, spiritual masters, counselors), Kshatriya (kings, warriors), Vaishya (tradesmen) and Shudra (craftsmen, labourers, slaves). This four fold system places Brahmana at the top, while Shudra in the bottom in social order. This fourth caste is again divided in several sub-castes. Among them is sweeper, the lowest one. This sub-division of Shudra prevents them from being united and therefore they are socially expelled and exploited. Here one can sense the policy of divide and rule in its visible mark. Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar also puts it thus, “Caste system is⦠the division of labourers (which) prevents them from being united and makes them exploitable.”5 Sweepers whom even other sub-casts of Shudra consider lower than themselves have been excluded and exploited more than them for centuries. They are considered untouchables and compelled to dwell in the outskirts of the rest of Hindu dwellings. Anand was deeply moved by this social discrimination and ill-treatment with sweepers and it made him write for the love for life and the welfare of all and sundry. And that is the purpose of his writing fiction. Anand says:
The novel is for world’s continuance. It is urged by the wish to express oneself in uneasy syntax, in dim perspectives and from vague feelings of those who seek to break the shackles of serfdom. It
Tags: ANAND'S, Bad Habits, Caste, Dixit, Dregs, Economic Discrimination, EXCLUSION, EXPLOITATION, Hindu Society, Hindus, Human Predicament, Members Of The Flock, MULK, Mulk Raj Anand, Prachi, Realistic Portrayal, SOCIAL, Social Behaviour, Social Exclusion, Social Happiness, Social Reality, structure, Study, SUBALTERN, Sweepers, Taboos, United Nation, UNTOUCHABLE
