A Journal of Mahatma Gandhi Antarrashtriya Hindi Vishwavidyalaya

eligious leaders. Premchand in his novels
and short stories also fought for the rights
of women. There is a clear influence of
19 th -20 th century reformist movement and
especially Mahatma Gandhi on Premchand’s
writings.
Godan, Rangbhoomi, Premashram,
Kayakalp, Sevasadan, Gaban,
Nirmala are the famous novels of
Premchand which tell the story of
contemporary India. The structure, style
and theme of Premchand’s novel is
unique.He tells the story in Indian kissa
style by addressing the readers directly
as if they are listeners. He starts preaching
readers in updeshakhyan style. Thus his
novel becomes a wonderful mixture of
kissa and akhyan. In Kayakalp he uses
the notion of rebirth and myths and magic,
dream methodology while constructing the
story. This methodology was first used
in Hindi Novel in Shyama Swapn (Dreams
of Shyama) by Thakur Jaganmohan Singh
in 1888.
Premchand’s famous novel Godan
(Gifting the cow/1936) is a classical novel
not only in its theme but also in style.
The novel starts with the dialogue between
Horiram and Dhaniya (wife-husband) but
the writer switches to story telling mode
and starts telling the background situation
of this dialogue. Very swiftly he starts
depicting the nature which plays a creative
role in depicting the situation. Premchand
is a smart story teller so the reader at
once does not feel that Premchand has
changed the band. Premchand got this
technique in heritage from the century
old katha and akhyan style. So the style
of Premchand’s story telling is purely
Indian.
This is an anti colonial and anti
imperialist novel. This is also a cultural
expression of India. A belief in Indian
mindset persists through tradition that if
a person gifts a cow before or while dying
to a priest, all his sins are forgiven by
God and he directly goes to heaven.
Premchand uses this belief in a satirical
and symbolic way. In agricultural society
in India the role of the cow is very pivotal.
The cow is treated as mother and also
a symbol of prosperity. Every Indian farmer
has a dream of having a cow of his own.
Premchand tells us the story of a farmer
Hori Mahto who wishes for a cow , struggles
to get a cow, fails in his ambition but
while dying the priest asks his wife Dhaniya
for presenting him a cow. This is the irony
of the story where a farmer couldn’t fulfill
his lone ambition of getting a cow but
was asked by the priest to present a cow
while dying. The story starts and ends
with satirical note. This becomes a satire
on the whole Indian culture and society.
Within this framework Premchand
constructs the story of anti-imperialism,
anti-colonialism and anti-capitalism apart
from criticizing the Indian society especially
the upper caste who are also hand in
glove with the rulers who in turn protect
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