Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Publication
London [u.a.] Penguin Books 1986
Description
In Mulk Raj Anand's finest and most controversial novel he conveys precisely, with urgency and barely disguised fury, what it might feel like to be one of India's Untouchables. Bakha is a young man, a proud and even an attractive young man, but none the less he is an outcast in a system that is now only slowly changing and was then as cruel and debilitating as that of apartheid. Into this re-creation of one day in the life of Bakha, sweeper and latrine-cleaner, Anand poured a vitality, fire and richness of detail that have caused him to be acclaimed as his country's Charles Dickens as well as this century's greatest revealer of the 'other' India. 'It recalled to me very vividly the occasions I have walked 'the wrong way' in an Indian city and it is a way down which no novelist has yet taken me . . .' E.M. Forster 'One of the most eloquent and imaginative works to deal with this difficult and emotive subject' - Martin Seymour-Smith… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member LisaCurcio
Just 157 pages and one day in the life of eighteen year old Bakha, a "sweeper" in charge of cleaning three rows of public latrines on the edge of his town. He is an Untouchable.
Bakha starts his day working "earnestly, quickly, without loss of effort". He dreams of the day he will be able to do the
The actual horror of the position of an Untouchable emerges as we see Bakha's sister wait in line with others of her caste for a kind hearted upper caste person who will take the time to fill her water jug, and as we watch Bakha, overwhelmed by the sights on the street, forget to call to warn of his approach and accidentally touch a high-caste man. The "Lalla" proceeds to vilify Bakha: "Do you know you have touched me and defiled me, you cock-eyed son of a bow-legged scorpion! Now I will have to go and take a bath to purify myself. And it was a new dhoti and shirt I put on this morning!" And Bakha's day does not improve. He is thrown off the steps of the temple where wandered to listen to the prayers and try to see into the temple although he knew his presence would "pollute" the temple and it would then have to undergo a purification ceremony. He must then go to a row of houses to beg for bread for his family. When finally some is thrown to him, it falls to the ground where he picks it up to bring it home to his father, sister and brother.
Bakha actually displays a love of life that is momentarily depressed by these events, but which rises to the fore over and over. At the end of the day, Bakha is mystified by a Christian missionary who tries to "save" him from his untouchability through Jesus, an unexpected opportunity to hear (but not understand) the great Mahatma Gandhi expound his ideas for changing Indian society, and a local dandy explaining the ultimate solution to the problem of the untouchables--flush toilets. Bakha ruminates on the meaning of it all. Hopeful again, he turns for home to tell his father about Gandhi and the new machine--the flush toilets.
"Untouchable" was a contemporary story. It is still a stirring account of the basic humanity of those members of the lowest castes of Indian society, and the wretchedness of their lives.
Bakha starts his day working "earnestly, quickly, without loss of effort". He dreams of the day he will be able to do the
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work of his father, the head of all the local sweepers who is responsible for cleaning the streets of the town and the temple courtyard. His wish is fulfilled that very day when his father becomes ill, and he sends Bakha to do his job.The actual horror of the position of an Untouchable emerges as we see Bakha's sister wait in line with others of her caste for a kind hearted upper caste person who will take the time to fill her water jug, and as we watch Bakha, overwhelmed by the sights on the street, forget to call to warn of his approach and accidentally touch a high-caste man. The "Lalla" proceeds to vilify Bakha: "Do you know you have touched me and defiled me, you cock-eyed son of a bow-legged scorpion! Now I will have to go and take a bath to purify myself. And it was a new dhoti and shirt I put on this morning!" And Bakha's day does not improve. He is thrown off the steps of the temple where wandered to listen to the prayers and try to see into the temple although he knew his presence would "pollute" the temple and it would then have to undergo a purification ceremony. He must then go to a row of houses to beg for bread for his family. When finally some is thrown to him, it falls to the ground where he picks it up to bring it home to his father, sister and brother.
Bakha actually displays a love of life that is momentarily depressed by these events, but which rises to the fore over and over. At the end of the day, Bakha is mystified by a Christian missionary who tries to "save" him from his untouchability through Jesus, an unexpected opportunity to hear (but not understand) the great Mahatma Gandhi expound his ideas for changing Indian society, and a local dandy explaining the ultimate solution to the problem of the untouchables--flush toilets. Bakha ruminates on the meaning of it all. Hopeful again, he turns for home to tell his father about Gandhi and the new machine--the flush toilets.
"Untouchable" was a contemporary story. It is still a stirring account of the basic humanity of those members of the lowest castes of Indian society, and the wretchedness of their lives.
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LibraryThing member franoscar
Part of book project. Short but dense, I found it a little slow going. Spoiler Alert. The character was maybe over-described. The life description was very strong & clear & horrifying. I don't know if I had thought of the low-caste people as not being Hindus. You wonder -- does Gandhi have any
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effect at all, or is all the change from modernization. The graphic picture of how they couldn't be clean because they couldn't have water. It is also interesting that it was written in 1935 so it is a living picture of the crowds & Gandhi, not a looking back on it. Anand didn't know what would happen. Show Less
LibraryThing member Nafiza
I read this for this Post-Colonial English Lit class that I am taking and to be honest, I don’t know where this book is when it comes to the topic. Anyway, I’ll be writing my essay on this book; I haven’t yet decided what particular topic it is that I want to focus on specifically but there
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were a lot of things that were glaringly wrong with this book. And some others that were right. First, the hindi interspersed with the English confused me. I’m familiar with the language and I insist, that the way it is translated is not in fact the way it is used but whatever. No one listens to me. Also, Bakha was highly romanticized. That turned me off straight away. You are talking about an untouchable, give us the gritty details. Do not paint him to be the diamond in the dust. Which is exactly what Anand did. He didn’t represent the entire populace of the Untouchables – just this one boy who seemed to be “superior” to others. This is still perpetuating the idea of hierarchy within humanity – just not of the caste kind and it is still wrong. Then the abrupt shift from the village/simplistic tone and language to something out of Bloomsbury. The language shift is jarring and discordant and I understand its intention but its execution is poor and does not make for a smooth reading. I didn’t understand the focus of this book and I give it three stars because it made me realize (however much it tried to obfuscate the details with artistry) the dirty details of an Untouchable’s life. Show Less
LibraryThing member Kristelh
Review: This is a short read that depicts a day in the life of a young 18 y/o man of the lowest caste in India. While this was not a thrilling novel to read I found it interesting and also uncomfortable. I never realized how difficult life for an untouchable was. What a system which really is a
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system of bullying. It appeared to me that an untouchable did all the work no one else wanted to do to make life good for the other castes but then was dependent on good will of others to give them water, food, (was this how they were paid)? How did they get paid? To stand around and wait for water when one was so thirsty. Such a needed commodity. I was horrified. This did not make me at all impressed with a religion that treated others this way. I really question all people who seek this kind of religion that treats other people this way and criticizes Christianity in the same breath. Anyway, back to this book. I was surprised at how Bakha who was 18 seemed so very young. He wasted a lot of his day wandering around in his thoughts but in this way the reader gets to see the community, how he is treated, how they live, interact and the hopelessness. The ending of this book is what some people have trouble. It is kind of an abrupt change. Bakha in his wanderings comes across a gathering of peoples across social classes who are there to hear Gandhi. Gandhi speaks out against the system of untouchables and encourages the people and then he leaves. This gives hope to Bakha who heads home to tell his father. I looked up stuff as I tend to do. The system of untouchable still exists even though there are laws against it now. There are still people cleaning latrines. Gandhi spoke against untouchables but didn’t really understand that it wasn’t something you could just walk away from. Overall, an interesting look at the social culture of India. Show Less
LibraryThing member Petroglyph
A day in the life of a single Dalit and the ways in which he secures food and tries to accommodate his mixture of yearning and resignation with those of his family and those of the castes above him.
Feels much more modern than what I expected from a 1930s book. Beautifully written. Concerned with
Feels much more modern than what I expected from a 1930s book. Beautifully written. Concerned with
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the plight of the Dalit and their slave-like existence on the periphery of Hindu society, but does so not through melodrama or preachiness, but by presenting their lives as-is. Attitudes and viewpoints are contrasted, not by setting up straw characters to serve as mouthpieces for political views, but by having nuanced characters clash in nuanced ways. Life as she is lived makes an excellent case for change, better than authorial filibustering ever could. The one speech that does make it into the book is admittedly anvilicious, but even that is tempered by how its effects on the main character are different from the ones intended. Even so, the book left me wonderfully conflicted. Nicely done! Show Less
LibraryThing member RajivC
This is a good book, that takes you through the day of an Untouchable in India. Why do we still have Untouchables? We do. There is no answer to this one. The book does expose the essential hypocrisy that exists in Indian society - it is okay for a priest to flirt with and attempt to have sex with
"We clean their dirt, and we are dirt" is a line(I have paraphrased it) in the book, and this is illustrative.
It's a good book. I was not sure of the part where he introduces Mahatma Gandhi into the narrative. Apart from that quibble, I'd suggest that you read the book.
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an untouchable woman, but it is not okay for her to protest. When she does so, she becomes a human being who pollutes. "We clean their dirt, and we are dirt" is a line(I have paraphrased it) in the book, and this is illustrative.
It's a good book. I was not sure of the part where he introduces Mahatma Gandhi into the narrative. Apart from that quibble, I'd suggest that you read the book.
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LibraryThing member Cecilturtle
Bakha is a young Untouchable, at an age where passion and reason battle fiercely and rebellion is difficult to contain. Through the adventures of a day, we see the contrasts of his life - his social condition, his familial predicament, his precious humanity. Anand thus walks us through all the
The conclusion is a hopeful one: Gandhi, who preaches unity and independence, and modernity which is knocking at India's door both carried by the heavy gusts of wind, lead us to believe that Bakha can have a better future... the question that remains is, will he (Bakha) have the enduring courage to see it through.
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emotions from servility to righteous anger, as this young man navigates life's unfairness.The conclusion is a hopeful one: Gandhi, who preaches unity and independence, and modernity which is knocking at India's door both carried by the heavy gusts of wind, lead us to believe that Bakha can have a better future... the question that remains is, will he (Bakha) have the enduring courage to see it through.
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LibraryThing member DeltaQueen50
Untouchable by Mulk Raj Anand was originally published in 1935. It is a short novel that depicts a day in the life of Bakha, a young "sweeper", who is classed as an untouchable due to his work of cleaning latrines and sweeping the streets. This story highlights the unjustness and inhumanity of the
Over the course of this particular day various incidents occur that cause Bakha to question the system of oppression that he lives under. It is a day of being slapped, shouted at, and having crowds set against him. Getting no sympathy from his father, he spends the afternoon playing grass hockey with his friends. But when he carries a higher caste injured player home all he gets is more abuse. His father, angry at him for being gone all afternoon, throws him out and he finds himself at the train station listening to a speech by Mahatma Ghandi who talks about the plight of the Untouchables and how he would like to end the caste system. Bakha also overhears a couple educated men discussing Ghandi's speech and although he doesn't understand much of what has been said, he does hear them say that changes are coming and that there will soon be flushable toilets which sends him home with some hope for the future.
Untouchable was obviously written to show the lack of dignity given to the lower caste people of India. The author also seems to pointing out the upcoming clash between modernity and tradition. The story also brought home to me my own ignorance about the caste system and how it affected all levels of society. I had never realized before that the caste system was followed by the Hindus while the Muslims did not. Untouchable was an easily read story filled with well described images that gave the book a feeling of authenticity.
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Indian caste system.Over the course of this particular day various incidents occur that cause Bakha to question the system of oppression that he lives under. It is a day of being slapped, shouted at, and having crowds set against him. Getting no sympathy from his father, he spends the afternoon playing grass hockey with his friends. But when he carries a higher caste injured player home all he gets is more abuse. His father, angry at him for being gone all afternoon, throws him out and he finds himself at the train station listening to a speech by Mahatma Ghandi who talks about the plight of the Untouchables and how he would like to end the caste system. Bakha also overhears a couple educated men discussing Ghandi's speech and although he doesn't understand much of what has been said, he does hear them say that changes are coming and that there will soon be flushable toilets which sends him home with some hope for the future.
Untouchable was obviously written to show the lack of dignity given to the lower caste people of India. The author also seems to pointing out the upcoming clash between modernity and tradition. The story also brought home to me my own ignorance about the caste system and how it affected all levels of society. I had never realized before that the caste system was followed by the Hindus while the Muslims did not. Untouchable was an easily read story filled with well described images that gave the book a feeling of authenticity.
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LibraryThing member snash
The story of one day in the life of a 18 year old untouchable, from various abuses to a Gandhi rally focussing on his attempts to come to grips with his place in Indian society.
Awards
Language
Original publication date
1935
ISBN
0140183957 / 9780140183955