Images of Gandhi in the novels of the “Big Three” of the Indian English fiction

Mahatma Gandhi is a predominant character in Indo-Anglian fiction devoted to politics and struggle for independence. The Gandhian ideology was a potent force behind India‟s national upsurge. So no Indian English novelist writing during this period could avoid the impact of Gandhian ideology. In fact Gandhi became a recurring presence in the novels of the period. Indian English literature really took a new direction under his impact in matters of subject matter and style. Under the influence of Mahatma the Indian writers turned from romanticism to realism. The “Big Three” of the Indian English novel---MulkRaj Anand, R.K.Narayan and Raja Rao---- besides other novelists turned to social realities of their time and carved man‟s image in their art. Now, Gandhi has been presented in the novels of the The “Big Three” of the Indian English novel sometimes as a character talking with other characters and sometimes through his ideology. So Gandhi as a major figure in these novels undoubtedly merits a special discussion. So no discussion of Indian English of the novel of the period would be complete without an assessment of the all pervasive influence of Mahatma.