THE PORTRAYAL OF THE DALIT PEOPLE IN PREMCHAND'S FICTION

Abstract

As Premchand was a socially conscious storyteller who authored a substantial body of both short stories and novels, he masterfully portrayed the social realities of his era in both his short fiction and his longer works. Premchand's narrative literature offers a comprehensive depiction of the various issues plaguing society during his time. His fiction portrays a wide spectrum of challenges—ranging from the problems of rural life to issues concerning family dynamics, education, religion, communal relations, industrialization, the struggle for Indian self-rule, and socio-economic exploitation. Furthermore, his narrative works chronicle numerous other problems prevalent in the society and times in which he lived. The issue of untouchability (the 'Dalit problem') is one such critical concern that finds expression in both his short stories and his novels. During Premchand's era, the living conditions of Dalits (the 'untouchables') within society were far from satisfactory. Given that Dalits constituted an integral part of Indian Hindu society, struggles and movements were underway at various levels to bring about improvements and upliftment in their status.