''Maila Aanchal'' ( hi, मैला आँचल; en, The Soiled Border) is a 1954
Hindi
Hindi ( Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...
novel written by
Phanishwar Nath Renu
Phanishwar Nath Mandal 'Renu' (4 March 1921 – 11 April 1977) was one of the most successful and influential writers of modern Hindi literature in the post-Premchand era. He is the author of ''Maila Anchal'', which after Premchand's ''Godaan'' ...
.
After
Premchand's
Godan, 'Maila Anchal' is regarded as the most significant Hindi novel in the
Hindi literature
Hindi literature ( hi, हिन्दी साहित्य, translit=hindī sāhitya) includes literature in the various Hindi language which have writing systems. Earliest forms of Hindi literature are attested in poetry of Apabhraṃś ...
tradition.
It is one of the greatest examples of "Anchalik Upanyas" (regional novel) in Hindi.
Significance
It was the writer's first novel and immediately established him as a serious writer in Hindi literature. It radically shifted the prevalent narrative styles in Hindi novels and changed the structure of Hindi novels. It has contributed towards the study of Hindi as a language and also constitutes the major curriculum of Hindi course.
Phanishwar Nath Renu was subsequently awarded one of India's fourth highest civilian honours, the
Padma Shri
Padma Shri ( IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conf ...
.
Contents
This
social novel
The social novel, also known as the social problem (or social protest) novel, is a "work of fiction in which a prevailing social problem, such as gender, race, or class prejudice, is dramatized through its effect on the characters of a novel". Mor ...
details the trials and tribulations of a small group of people in a remote village of North-east
Bihar
Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West ...
during the
Quit India Movement. It also has the reference of a young doctor (dagdar babu) who took care of the masses at that time, which was inspired by Dr. Alakh Niranjan, the first MBBS doctor in the locality.
It is a regional novel in true sense as local colour is reflected in it by means of dialect, life style, superstitions and beliefs, festivals and culture of the rural people. The characters are fit to the region and they are guided by the regional characteristics . The region becomes to be a living character and plays a great role in leading the characters to the catastrophe .
Adaptation
''Maila Aanchal'', a television adaptation of the novel aired on
DD National
DD National (formerly DD1) is a state-owned public entertainment television channel in India. It is the flagship channel of Doordarshan, India's public service broadcaster, and the oldest and most widely available terrestrial television chann ...
, the Indian national public broadcaster, during the 1990s.
References
External links
* {{cite web , title = ''Maila Anchal '' in translation, url = http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/01glossaries/smith/index.html#
Hindi-language novels
Culture of Mithila
Books on Mithila Region
1954 novels
1954 Indian novels