Mulk Raj Anand, Writer
Writer

Mulk Raj Anand

Born 12 December 1905 · Pakistan — Died 28 September 2004

Wrote 'Untouchable', a pioneering novel depicting the plight of India's oppressed classes.

Mulk Raj Anand was an Indian writer in the English language, recognised for his depiction of the lives of the poorer class in the traditional Indian society. One of the pioneers of Indo-Anglian fiction, he, together with R. K. Narayan, Ahmad Ali and Raja Rao, was one of the first India-based writers in the English language to gain an International readership.

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A detail that
surprised us

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Anand once worked as a restaurant waiter in London while earning his doctorate, mingling with the Bloomsbury Group and future literary giants.

The Story

1
In 1929, Mulk Raj Anand earned a Ph.D. in philosophy from Cambridge University with a dissertation on Bertrand Russell and English empiricists, while working in a London restaurant to support himself.
2
🌟 His debut novel, Untouchable (1935), follows a single day in the life of Bakha, a toilet-cleaner, vividly exposing the brutal realities of India's caste system through encounters with Gandhi and a Christian missionary.
3Anand co-founded the Progressive Writers' Association in London in 1935, a group determined to use literature to fight poverty, hunger, and political oppression in colonial India.
4📚 Between 1935 and 1937, Anand published three novels—Untouchable, Coolie, and Two Leaves and a Bud—that explored exploitation and poverty in the lives of India's lower classes with unflinching realism.

🏅 Awards & Honours

—
Sahitya Akademi Award

🔍 One thing most people don't know

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In 1935, Anand's novel Untouchable was revolutionary for portraying a day in the life of a toilet-cleaner, employing English infused with Punjabi and Hindustani idioms.

📸 Through the Years

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🗓️ A Life in Moments

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Birth
Born in Peshawar, British India
Mulk Raj Anand was born into a Hindu Khatri family in Peshawar, now part of Pakistan.
1905
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Education
Graduated from Khalsa College, Amritsar
Anand completed his honors degree before moving to England for further studies.
1924
📚
Education
Earned Ph.D. from Cambridge University
He completed a doctoral dissertation on Bertrand Russell and English empiricism while working as a waiter in London.
1929
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Publication
Published Untouchable
His novel exposed the harsh realities of India's untouchable caste through innovative use of Indian idioms in English.
1935
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Career
Co-founded Progressive Writers' Association
Anand helped establish the group in London to address social injustices through literature.
1935
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Career
Launched Marg magazine
Anand founded one of India’s oldest publications dedicated to arts and culture in Bombay.
1946
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Career
Organized India’s first art triennale
He spearheaded a global contemporary art exhibition in India during the Cold War era.
1968
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Death
Death in Pune, India
Anand passed away at age 98, leaving behind a literary and cultural legacy.
2004
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🗝️Discoveries

Swipe to uncover hidden stories
01 / 05
👤PERSONAL

During the 1926 general strike in the UK, Anand sympathized with coal miners, reflecting his early engagement with leftist politics while studying in London.

02 / 05
🏆ACHIEVEMENT

Anand founded Marg magazine in 1946, which remains one of the oldest Indian magazines focused on visual and performing arts.

03 / 05
🏆ACHIEVEMENT

He earned a Ph.D. at Cambridge in 1929 with a dissertation on Bertrand Russell and the English empiricists, an unusual academic focus for an Indian writer of his generation.

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"The novelist’s function is to tell the truth about man and society."

— Mulk Raj Anand

🎙️ Speeches & Recordings

These recordings preserve the legacy of Bharat's icons
Mulk Raj Anand English Directed by Suresh Kohli
·YouTube
More from this archive
Mulk Raj Anand English Directed by Suresh Kohli
01
Mulk Raj Anand English Directed by Suresh Kohli
YouTube
UNTOUCHABLE::A NOVEL BY MULKRAJ ANAND
02
UNTOUCHABLE::A NOVEL BY MULKRAJ ANAND
YouTube

🌱 What changed because of them

Mulk Raj Anand's novels, especially Untouchable, challenged the social norms of caste and poverty, influencing the Progressive Writers' Association and Indian English literature. His founding of Marg magazine helped institutionalize arts criticism and cultural dialogue in India. His efforts to blend Indian languages with English created a new narrative style that shaped generations of Indo-Anglian writers.

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