Abstract

This study examines Mulk Raj Anand’s seminal contribution to Indian English literature by analyzing the interplay between Social Realism and Comprehensive Historical Humanism in his major novels, specifically Untouchable, Coolie, and Two Leaves and a Bud. Anand, a lifelong socialist and a founding member of the Progressive Writers’ Association, strategically employed Social Realism—a literary approach aimed at portraying socioeconomic reality—to transform his fiction into a platform for genuine social and political awakening. The investigation argues that Anand’s success as the "voice of the voiceless" lies in his innovative utilization of modernist narrative techniques, such as the stream of consciousness, to grant profound psychological complexity and depth to subaltern protagonists like Bakha and Munoo. This approach effectively translated systemic oppression—whether rooted in caste, class, or colonialism—into compelling humanistic tragedy. The analysis further demonstrates that Anand’s humanism, synthesized from Gandhian compassion, Marxist dialectic, and a pragmatic scientific approach, provided the necessary moral and philosophical structure to fight for the dignity of the marginalized, thereby cementing his enduring legacy.