A Journal of Mahatma Gandhi Antarrashtriya Hindi Vishwavidyalaya

is no protagonist in the narrative. This
is written with a purpose. The writer says
in his foreword: “There are many books
written for educating women but I have
written this story in a ‘new form’ I believe
that both men and women will appreciate
and get benefitted after reading it. I have
tried to use the spoken words of real
men and women in the dialect of this
region of the business class” In this novel
not only the language is ‘real’ but life
depicted is also ‘real’. This ‘novel’ is written
for establishing the importance of education
for women. Education makes woman’s
outlook broad and liberal whereas
uneducated woman is narrow minded and
can’t handle her family properly. This
‘novel’ supports widow marriage. This is
the direct influence of reformist movement
in India in the 19 th century. In this novel
customs prevalent in business class of the
region are told elaborately. The mindset
of the 19 th century Indian society is also
reflected in this narrative. Early ‘novels’
like Vama Shikshak (1872), Bhagyawati
(1877), Amrit Charitra (1888),
Nissahay Hindu (1881), Pariksha Guru
(1882) continue the same trend and
centrality of women is worth mentioning.
Dalit (oppressed) Discourse
On social front the Hindi novelist also
took up the cause of the downtrodden
of the Indian society especially from so
called ‘ untouchables among lower caste’.
Mahatma Gandhi had given the
nomenclature ‘Harijan’ (son of God) to
this caste group. The Indian constitution
abolished untouchability and made it a
criminal offence. Dalit thinkers and the
followers of Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar,
chairman of drafting committee of Indian
constitution and undisputed leader of Dalits
preferred to call them Dalit (oppressed).
Emancipation of Dalits was also one of
the goals of Indian Reformers. Jyotiba
Phule and Dr Ambedkar were the champions
of this cause.
As far as my research goes a novel
written in Hindi Ghar ki Raah (Search
for a Home/1935) by Indra Basawada is
the first dalit novel written in Hindi whose
protagonist and writer himself comes from
dalit society. I’m aware of the fact that
the great Indian novelist and story writer
Premchand has written Rangbhoomi
(1925/battlefield) in Hindi whose
protagonist is a poor, blind beggar and
belongs to dalit caste. But the theme of
this novel is not Dalit discourse. Therefore
Ghar ki Rah may be treated as the first
dalit novel in Hindi. May be among all
Indian languages. One more interesting
aspect came to surface when I discovered
this novel that its foreword is written by
no other than the greatest Novelist
Premchand. Ghar ki rah is search for
home by a dalit (untouchable) boy Munnu
who is ten years old. For the first time
in the history of Hindi Novel A dalit boy
emerged as protagonist and the reader
looks at society from the eyes of an
48 :: January-March 2012