M A I N   N E W S

Mulk Raj Anand dead
Funeral to take place in Mumbai
Tribune News Service

Mumbai, September 28
Eminent litterateur and doyen of Indian writing in English Mulk Raj Anand passed away in Pune this morning. He was 99.

He had been admitted to the Jehangir hospital in Pune on September 17 after contracting pneumonia. He complained of respiratory problems and he breathed his last at 8.30 am, according to sources in that city.

Anand is survived by wife Shireen, daughter Sushila and niece Jyoti. According to sources, his body would be embalmed and brought to Mumbai where the funeral will be held.

The author had shifted residence from Mumbai after the spacious bungalow at Cuffe Parade in downtown Mumbai where he lived was demolished for a high-rise some years ago. He moved to the picturesque hill station of Lonavla-Khandala, near Pune.

He, however, remained in touch with the literary scene in Mumbai till the last. “Whenever he came to Mumbai he had suggestions about ‘Marg’,” says General Manager Radhika Sabavala of the magazine Anand founded in 1946. Mulk Raj Anand edited ‘Marg’ till the 1980s. “He was ‘Marg’..not just its founder-editor. He did not see any difference between life and art,” recollects Sabavala.

According to family sources, Anand has bequeathed his property to The Sarvodaya Trust, which he founded.

Anand, who was conferred the Padma Bhushan in recognition of his contribution to Indian writing in English stumbled into literature by accident. After an aunt committed suicide after being ostracised by the community for being friendly with Muslims, Anand took to documenting the lives of the downtrodden in his works.

Anand’s works, Untouchable and Coolie which look at the plight of children from the lower castes, won critical acclaim. He went on to become the founder of the Indian People’s Theatre Association and the Progressive Writers Association.

Anand was Tagore Professor of Literature and Fine Arts at Panjab University and a visiting professor at the Institute of Advanced Studies in Shimla. He was also the fine art Chairman of Lalit Kala Akademi.

Born on December 12, 1905 in Peshawar Anand completed his graduation with honours in 1924 from Panjab University, Lahore. He went on for higher studies at the University of London and Cambridge.

PM: he was father of English novel

New Delhi, September 28
Describing Mulk Raj Anand as “one of the founding fathers” of English novel in India, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh expressed grief at the demise of the noted novelist.

Mr Mulk Raj’s many talents and his outstanding literary career would be treasured among the defining elements of modern Indian literature”, he said. — UNI