The novel was originally titled Bakha‘ and was almost double its present length. During his three-month
sojourn at Mahatma Gandhi’s Sabarmati Ashram, Anand narrated the story to the Mahatma and also read
Gandhi’s poignant story about the sweeper-boy Uka, written in utmost simplicity and published in ‗Young
India‘. In his article “On the Genesis of Untouchable: A Note‖, Anand tells us that on the advice of the
Mahatma, he removed the portions which were his ‘-deliberate attempts at melodramatic contrasts of the
comic and the tragic motifs, through which the spontaneous feelings, moods and lurking chaos in the soul of
Bakha, had been somewhat suppressed.” Gandhi also suggested to Anand that he should cut down more than
a hundred pages, especially those passages in which Bakha seemed to be thinking, dreaming and brooding
like a ‘Bloomsbury intellectual.’ Incorporating these suggestions and revisioning the plot from the sensibility
of a novelist rather than a pamphleteer, Mulk Raj Anand finally published the novel in 1935 with its present
title ‗Untouchable‘.
Though the novel is very simple, however, it exposes contradictions and oppressions in the classified society
of the country. The protagonist of the novel Bakha is an intelligent and handsome boy but he is an outcast
and untouchable as his presence and touch is considered impure and corruptive. Anand in this novel
challenges the rules and barriers made for untouchables and argues for their education. The novel was very
well received both domestically and abroad as it highlights the social evils of society and fights for the rights
of the untouchables. In India, many educated Indians were forced to think about how the internal caste
system of India is preventing its progress and in abroad, authors like E.M. Forster saw a literary and
historical significance in the novel.
The book is divided into different sections and the first sections starts with an imaginary town of Bulashah.
The town is based on actual towns and city which existed within the country at that time. There are
references to many Indian habits, the Hindu caste system and the British occupation of India which signify
the time and place in the novel. The book starts with an outcaste‘s colony located in the outer of Bulashah.
The protagonist and his family live in that colony. There is a presence of the third person who describes the
colony through five senses and focuses on smell. He says that there is a choking smell in the place which
makes it unsuitable to reside. The conclusion of the place is described by the protagonist of the novel,
Bakha.
There are many incidents in Bakha‘s life like his relationship with his father and his low-class life which he
leads as a sweeper which makes us sympathetic towards him but it is very difficult for the readers to relate
with him. His immature and biased adoration of Britishers in India seems offensive and contradictory to
modern-day readers. The motive behind him doing so is to escape the harsh realities of his life. Bakha is a
victim of social injustice. Bakha’s duty is very hard. He gets up early in the morning and to do his work
cleaning the public latrines. Even doing work hard, he bagged for ‘chapatis’ door to door. Once when Bakha
touched Lalaji at the road unknowingly he reproached and slapped him before the huge crowd of people.
Gulabo heated Sohini because of her wonderful beauty. She could not tolerate as her competiter. At the well,
Gulabo asked Sohini to return to her house without taking water in her picture because she belongs to lower
caste.
Untouchable is the most appropriate title because is it convey to the readers the pitiable condition different
types untouchables living in Indian society. They did not enjoy any equal and respectable social position in
comparison to the people of upper class. Mulk Raj Anand describe the total routine, mental torture and deep