The images of Mahatma Gandhi in Anand’s Novels

Abstract

The period 1920-1947 in the history of Indian’s struggle for independence has been designated as “The Era of the Gandhian Revolution’ in Indian literature. To the masses of people, Gandhi appeared as ‘a tradition an oracle”. He has to them a messiah, an incarnation of Rama of the Ramayana and Krishna of the Mahabharata who descended upon earth to kill the demon who held Indian in bondage for two hundred years and to free Indian from the yokes of foreign rule. He has known as the Mahatma [“great-souled”].It was his charisma and image that electrified the imagination of many Indo-English novelist who strove to “express, to reflect or to probe his ideal and ideas either directly or metaphorically, in their work. Gandhiji himself was not a literature in the truest sense of the term but he frequently wrote in Indian Opinion, Young India and Harijan to champion the cause of India’s freedom, to spread message of non –violence and love of the downtrodden and the untouchables. His style was as simple as anything. It was free from rhetorical flourishes. He said, “I want art and literature that can speak to millions…For me all art must be based on truth. I reject beautiful things, if instead of expressing the truth, they express untruth.” Inspired by Gnddhi’s simple style and approach to literature, they turned to the grim reality of contemporary socio-political scene averting their attention from writing historical romances, adventure stories or mystery novels. They were interested in the depiction of the life of the common man, the poor and the marginalized.