Untouchable (Penguin Classics)

I've always had a rather vague idea of what India's untouchables were all about. Mulk Raj Anand takes the reader through a day in the life of a latrine-cleaner under the caste system. The year is 1932, just after Gandhi's famous fast in protest of the treatment of the untouchables. This book was first published in 1935.The protagonist, Bakha, despite his dirty job, is a fine physical specimen with handsome features. He performs his work efficiently and gracefully, and is an excellent hockey player when he can find the time. His sister is unusually attractive as well. But the beauty and good nature of these young people is no protection against the unrelenting insults of society.Mulk Raj Anand makes you feel the shame of walking the streets shouting, "Posh, posh, sweeper coming!", so that no one will come near you. One touch is considered so polluting that the offended person must immediately bathe and change clothes. An Untouchable is not even permitted inside a school or temple. Merchants will take his money, but only after washing it.The introduction by E.M. Forster, which I read after the book, is a good analysis of its themes and form.Untouchable is psychologically astute, beautifully written and steeped in the pungent, vibrant atmosphere of India. I recommend it to readers who appreciate historically important fiction - and an unforgettable story.

Mulk Raj Anand has contributed a timeless and poignant account of the plight of the untouchable of India. Although this is a novelization of untouchable life, it reads like real life. For those beginning their education about the untouchable outcasts of India, this book will give them an immediate, up-close and personal look into the hellish world that was untouchability. The lead character Bakha (a street sweeper) experiences the furious oppression and scorn of being a polluted untouchable, and at the end of the book witnesses the arrival of Mohandas Gandhi, who preached the abolition of untouchability, and wanted to uplift the "harijan", as he called them. Inspired by Gandhi, he hopes to lead a better life, and to escape a life of torment and squalor. This short book is a quick and engaging read for those who wish to have an inside look at what life was like for the untouchables.

A fast and easy read, this is a novel about what is probably a typical day in the life of an Untouchable, the lowest caste in the Hindu order. The sole purpose of the existence of these people was to do the jobs that nobody else in society would do, and without an ounce of gratitude. The "dalits" were expected to loudly announce their presence while walking along the street, lest someone accidentally brush up against them ... in which case a humiliating commotion would occur at the indignation of the "polluted" one, involving many more people than the actual incident. Ignorance plays a huge part in Bakha's acceptance of his lowly lot in life.The book also touches upon the life of Gandhi, whose stop in this town was part of his pilgrimage to spread love, acceptance and national pride across the country, in the years before Independence. At the end of this humiliating day, Bakha chanced upon a gathering crowd, found himself a spot in a tree, and heard the old man they called Gandhi speak ... the same speech that he gave all across India. In his perpetual ignorance, Bakha didn't understand much of it, but what he did understand gave him new hope, of something alien to him, but which probably wouldn't be realized in his lifetime.

This is a well written book about what it was/is like to live under the "rules" of a caste system. I find it is important for me to learn about the lives of others but i do not like dry material. I prefer to read "stories' about what it feels like to be another person in a different life than the one I have lived. This book does an excellent job showing us the experiences and feelings of a young man who is trapped into being someone he is not, simply by birth and the expectations attached to his genetic history. I also found that this book was an excellent way to introduce the historical significance of the movement in India to do away with the caste system. A perfect book to read in a high school classroom. This book will bring about thought provoking ideas for any reader, and is especially valuable for young minds that need to be exposed to the life experience of others their age who live in vastly different circumstances.