CHANAKYA NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY, NYAYA NAGAR,

MITHAPUR, PATNA-800001

“Barber‘s Trade Union, by Mulk Raj Anand”

FINAL DRAFT SUBMITTED IN THE PARTIAL FUILFILMENT OF

THE COURSE TITLED-

Law and Literature

SUBMITTED TO:
SUBMITTED BY:

Dr. Pratyush Kaushik NAME-Aayush Kumar

Faculty of Law and Literature COURSE-BBA.LL.B (Hons.)

ROLL NO. -2201

SEMESTER- Ist
DECLERATION BY THE CANDIDATE

I, AAYUSH KUMAR, student of Chanakya National Law University, hereby declare that the
work reported in the BBA LL.B (Hons.) Project Report titled “Barber‘s Trade Union”
submitted at Chanakya National Law University is an authentic record of my work carried out
under the supervision of Dr. Pratyush Kaushik. I have not submitted this work elsewhere for
any other degree or diploma. I am fully responsible for the contents of my Project Report.

(SIGNATURE OF CANDIDATE)

NAME OF CANDIDATE: AAYUSH KUMAR

ROLL NO: 2201

COURSE: B.B.A LL.B ( Hons.)

SEMESTER : 1st

CHANAKYA NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY, PATNA

ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to thank my faculty Dr. Priya Darshini whose guidance helped me a lot with
structuring my project.

I owe the present accomplishment of my project to my friends, who helped me immensely with
materials throughout the project and without whom I couldn’t have completed it in the present
way.

I would also like to extend my gratitude to my parents and all those unseen hands that helped me
out at every stage of my project.

THANK YOU,

NAME: Aayush Kumar

COURSE: BBA. LL.B. (Hons.)

ROLL NO: 2201

SEMESTER – 1ST

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Declaration................................................................................................................................i

Acknowledgement…................................................................................................................ii

Tableof Contents….................................................................................................................iii

Aimsand Objectives….............................................................................................................iv

Hypothesis................................................................................................................................iv

ResearchMethodology.............................................................................................................iv

1. Introduction…............................................................................................................1-3

2. LegalOverview…........................................................................................................4-7

3. Issues raised in theshortstory....................................................................................8-10

4. Pre-conceivedsocietal norms…..............................................................................11-12

5. Conclusion..............................................................................................................13-14

Bibliography…………………………………………………………………………………15

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 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

The Aims and Objectives of this project are:

1. The researcher tends to throw light on one of the masterpieces of Mulk RajAnand
‘Barber‘s Trade Union’.
2. The researcher tends to show legal overview of thebook.
3. The researcher tends to throw light on the various issues raised in thebook.

HYPOTHESES

The researcher considers the following hypothesis:

1. Discriminatory practices create a negative impact on thesociety.
2. There is only one caste : Caste ofHumanity

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

For this study, doctrinal research method was utilised. Various articles, e-articles, reports and
books from library were used extensively in framing all the data and figures in appropriate
form, essential for this study.
The method used in writing this research is primarily analytical.
 INTRODUCTION

In The Barber‘s Trade Union by Mulk Raj Anand we have the theme of class, appearance,
alienation, arrogance, ingenuity, independence, admiration, respect, control and freedom.
Taken from his Selected Short Stories collection the story is narrated in the first person by a
young unnamed boy and after reading the story the reader realises that Anand may be
exploring the theme of class. Chandu is considered to be of a lower caste or class than other
people in the village. It is as though he is being judged solely on the fact that both he and his
father are barbers. It is also noticeable that those who alienate Chandu are arrogant and
appear to be rooted to a value system (caste system) that Chandu himself does not believe in
adhering to. Chandu sees nothing wrong with trying to better himself. However due to the
rigid values of those in the town Chandu ends up losingbusiness.

Though it is interesting that Chandu knows that he can outwit those who have alienated him.
All he has to do is to be patient and wait for each individual‘s hair to grow. This too may be
important as it suggests that Chandu is using his ingenuity. The end of the story is also
interesting as Anand appears to be exploring the theme of control. Chandu by setting up a
barber‘s union and forcing those in the village to come to him rather than having him travel
to them. Has taken control of the situation he finds himself in. Where many might have done
as instructed by the elders in the village.Chandu does not. He not only continues to dress as
he wants to but he also forces the men in the village to adhere to his rules rather than Chandu
having to do as he has been told by Bijay Chand and others. Similarly Chandu‘s mother is
able to ignore the instructions of those in the village now that she has money (coming from
Chandu). If anything Chandu and his mother have freed themselves from the preconceived
societal norms that have been accepted for so long in the village. It might also be worth
noting that Chandu‘s actions have benefited other barbers in the neighbouring villages. They
too have taken control of their situation thanks to Chandu‘s ingenuity and his resilience. In
reality Chandu started off as an underdog fighting against the caste system and managed to
turn things around in his favour. It is easy for the reader to see as to why the narrator respects
and admiresChandu.

1|Page
Mulk Raj Anand (12 December 1905 – 28 September 2004) was an Indian writer in English,
notable for his depiction of the lives of the poorer castes in traditional Indian society. One of
the pioneers of Indo-Anglian fiction, he, together with R. K. Narayan,Ahmad Ali and
RajaRao, was one of the first India-based writers in English to gain an international
readership. Anand is admired for his novels and short stories, which have acquired the status
of being classic works of modern Indian English literature, noted for their perceptive insight
into the lives of the oppressed and their analysis of impoverishment, exploitation and
misfortune. He is also notable for being among the first writers to incorporate Punjabi and
Hindustani idioms into English and was a recipient of the civilian honour of the Padma
Bhushan. Born in Peshawar,Anand studied at Khalsa College, Amritsar, graduating with
honours in 1924,[3]before moving to England, where, while working in a restaurant because
of poverty, he attended University College London as an undergraduate and later Cambridge
University, earning a PhD in Philosophy in 1928, his dissertation being "Bertrand Russell and
the Englishempiricists.

" During this time he forged friendships with members of the Bloomsbury Group. He spent
some time in Geneva, lecturing at the League of Nations' School of intellectual corporation.

Anand met an English actress, Kathleen Gelder, whom he married in 1939. They had a
daughter, Sushila. In 1948, theydivorced.Anand's literary career was launched by family
tragedy, instigated by the rigidity of the caste system. His first prose essay was a response to
the suicide of an aunt, who had been excommunicated by her family for sharing a meal with
aMuslim woman. His first main novel, Untouchable, published in 1935, was a chilling
expose of the day-to-day life of a member of India's untouchable caste. It is the story of a
single day in the life of Bakha, a toilet-cleaner, who accidentally bumps into a member of a
higher caste.

Bakha searches for salve to the tragedy of the destiny into which he was born, talking with a
Christian missionary, listening to a speech about untouchability by Mahatma Gandhi and a
subsequent conversation by two educated Indians, but by the end of the book Anand suggests
that it is technology, in the form of the newly introduced flush toilet that may be his savior by
eliminating the need for a caste of toilet cleaners.

This simple book, which captured the puissance of the Punjabi and Hindi idiom in English
was widely acclaimed and Anand won the reputation of being India's Charles Dickens. The
introduction was written by his friend, E. M. Forster, whom he met while working on T.S.
Eliot's magazine Criterion. Forster writes: "Avoiding rhetoric and circumlocution, it has gone
straight to the heart of its subject and purified it."

Inevitably, Anand, who in the 1930s and '40s spent half his time in London and half in India,
[3]
was drawn to the Indian independence movement. During his time in London, he wrote
propaganda on behalf of the Indian cause alongside India's future Defence Minister V.
K. Krishna Menon, while trying to make a living as a novelist and journalist. At the same
time, he also supported freedom elsewhere around the globe and even travelled to Spain to
volunteer in the Spanish Civil War, even though his role in the conflict was more journalistic
than military. He spent World War II working as a scriptwriter for the BBC in London, where
he became a friend of George Orwell. Orwell penned a favourable review of Anand's 1942
novel The Sword and the Sickle and remarked that "although Mr. Anand's novel would still
be interesting on its own merits if it had been written by an Englishman, it is impossible to
read it without remembering every few pages that is also a cultural curiosity," adding that the
growth "of an English-language Indian literature is a strange phenomenon". He was also a
friend of Picasso and had Picasso paintings in hiscollection.

Anand returned to India in 1946, and continued with his prodigious literary output there. His
work includes poetry and essays on a wide range of subjects, as well as autobiographies,
novels and short stories. Prominent among his novels are The Village (1939), Across
theBlack Waters (1939), The Sword and the Sickle (1942), all written in England,
and Coolie (1936), The Private Life of an Indian Prince(1953), perhaps the most important of
his works written in India. He also founded a literary magazine, Marg, and taught in various
universities. During the 1970s, he worked with the International Progress Organization (IPO)
on the issue of cultural self-comprehension of nations. His contribution to the conference of
the IPO in Innsbruck (Austria) in 1974 had a special influence on debates that later became
known under the phrase of "Dialogue Among Civilizations". Anand also delivered a series of
lectures on eminent Indians including Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and
RabindranathTagore, commemorating their achievements and significance and paying special
attention to their distinct brands ofhumanism.

His 1953 novel The Private Life of an Indian Prince was more autobiographical in nature. In
1950 Anand embarked on a project to write a seven-part autobiography, beginning in 1951
with Seven Summers. One part, Morning Face (1968), won him theSahityaAkademiAward.
Like much of his later work, it contains elements of his spiritual journey as he struggles to
attain a higher sense ofself-awareness.
 LEGAL OVERVIEW

At a tender age, Chandu embarks upon fullfledged domestic responsibility. Every

morning Chandu has to make errands to the notables in the village for shaving and hair-
cutting. All goes well and the set ordered is not disturbed unless Chandu starts going to the
Taluka for transacting business. He observes certain novelties there, particularly the rig out of
doctor Kalan Khan- a white turban, a white rubber coat and a leather bag in hand. He is
uncontrollably fascinated towards the apparel. He has attraction for the medical profession as
he has bequeathed some medical tips and snippets from his father. Chandu‘s new attire brings
about great clamour and chaos in the village. when he approaches the landlord‘s house. The
landlord, an ideologue of dogmatism and orthodoxy, having seen Chandu in the new robe,
mortifies Chandu in the foulest terms. The landlord reprimands calling Chandu –‖The son of a
pig! Get out ! Get out ! … You will defile my religion‖. It is a fact that innocent low–caste
people like Chandu are always treated with humiliation for no fault of theirs. Did Chandu
commit any blemish or blunder by wearing a dress like doctor KalanKhan‘s?

The conservative society always prefers injustice and oppression. Chandu is impelled
to realize that due to his being a low-caste boy, he is not entitled to such felicity and that he is
perpetually harnessed to serve the upper caste society. This is his ineradicable destiny and
that he is bound to be in it. The village Sahukar, too, goes one step ahead and deals with
Chandu in harshest possible terms –‖You little swine, you go on disguising yourself as a
clown …‖ Panditparmanand, the keeper of the village shrine, also bullies saying –‖He is a low
caste devil! He is a rogue! ‖. Chandu is thoroughly humiliated and exasperated at this
treatment. There is a distinct discrepancy between Chandu and Mulk Raj Anand‘s other
protagonists like Bakha and Munoo. They would have wilted, submitted and succumbed to
the circumstance as normal creatures of circumstance would have. But Chandu is entirely
unlike them. He is one in hundreds and hundreds in one. He is intent on topsey- turveying
everything orthodox. He is representative of the modern man in the modern world. Chandu,
insulted and affronted though, instead of giving into the village superiors, adopts a course of
action with a view to teaching the idiots alesson.

His course of action is a course of revolt. He desires to change his fate and fate of his
fellow – brothers by way of overcoming his predicament. Despite his being a mere barber
boy, he has prowess to outwit and outsmart others. With a view to teaching the orthodox
idiots a lesson, he ceases to dance attendance to the village notables and others for shaving
and hair –cutting. Instead, he frequents the town for earning. Within a few days, the outcome
is easily visible, causing a great problem and inconvenience. Chandu is so shrewd and
cunning that he has already had his Verka counterpart in his league.

The result is that the landlord looks hoary and his wife has even threatened to leave
him. The Sahukar looks like a leper with the brown tinge of tobacco on his moustache. The
elders in the village become a stock subject of laughter. Chandu very conveniently succeeds
in his plan of non-cooperation. The villagers approach the barber atVerka with a double
money offer, but in vain. The villagers reel under the new situation while Chandu makes hey
in the town. He summons all the barbers in the purview of seven miles and convinces them
that it was high time that all the elders came to them and that they must stop dancing
attendanceto them. Andthus, theylaunch into ―Rajkot District BarberBrothers‘ Hairdressing
andShavingSaloon‖andthusbecometheharbingerandheraldoftheneweraoffreedom and justice.
Chandu‘s victory assumes greater significance especially in the backdrop of the orthodox and
inhuman traditions in the Indian society. His triumph restores sanity to the situation. It is not
a win which belongs only to Chandu. It is victory of justice, parity, morality and rejuvenation
of humandignity.

Mulk Raj Anand talks expressively how caste discrimination not only affects the ones upon
whom its forced but also following it, believing in it and idealizing it as an instrument of
social control. Caste discrimination affects an estimated 260 million people worldwide, the vast
majority living in South Asia. It involves massive violations of civil, political, economic, social and
cultural rights. Caste systems divide people into unequal and hierarchical social groups. Those at the
bottom are considered ‗lesser human beings‘, ‗impure‘ and ‗polluting‘ to other caste groups.
They are known to be ‗untouchable‘ and subjected to so-called ‗untouchability practices‘ in
both public and private spheres. ‗Untouchables‘ – known in South Asia as Dalits – are often
forcibly assigned the most dirty, menial and hazardous jobs, and many are subjected to forced
and bonded labour. Due to exclusion practiced by both state and non-state actors, they have
limited access to resources, services and development, keeping most Dalits in severe poverty.
They are often de facto excluded from decision making and meaningful participation in
public and civil life. Lack of special legislation banning caste discrimination or lack of
implementationoflegislation,duetodysfunctionalsystemsofjusticeandcaste-bias,have
largely left Dalits without protection. Despite policy development and new legislation in
some countries, fundamental challenges still remain in all caste-affectedcountries.

The progress that has been made is, to a large extent, a consequence of the tireless work of
Dalit civil society groups in South Asia. They have also – through IDSN and by other means
– managed to place caste discrimination firmly on the international human rights agenda. UN
bodies and EU institutions are paying increasing attention to this issue.The division of a
society into castes is a global phenomenon not exclusively practised within any particular
religion or belief system. In South Asia, caste discrimination is traditionally rooted in the
Hindu caste system, according to which Dalits are considered ‗outcasts‘. However, caste
systems and the ensuing discrimination have spread into Christian, Buddhist, Muslim and
Sikh communities. They are also found in Africa, other parts of Asia, the Middle East, the
Pacific and in Diasporacommunities.

Caste systems are a form of social and economic governance that is based on principles and
customary rules:

 Caste systems involve the division of people into social groups (castes) where
assignments of rights are determined by birth, are fixed andhereditary.
 The assignment of basic rights among various castes is unequal and hierarchical, with
those at the top enjoying most rights coupled with least duties and those at the bottom
performing most duties coupled with norights.
 The system is maintained through the rigid enforcement of social ostracism (a system
of social and economic penalties) in case of anydeviations.

The doctrine of inequality is at the core of the caste system.

Thosewhofalloutsidethecastesystemareconsidered―lesserhumanbeings‖,―impure‖and
thus―polluting‖toothercastegroups.Theyareknowntobe―untouchable‖andsubjectedto so-called
―untouchabilitypractices‖in both public and privatespheres.

―Untouchables‖ are often forcibly assigned the most dirty, menial and hazardous jobs, such as
cleaning human waste. The work they do adds to the stigmatisation they face from the
surrounding society.
The exclusion of ‗caste-affected communities‘ by other groups in society and the inherent
structural inequality in these social relationships lead to high levels of poverty among
affected population groups and exclusion from, or reduced benefits from development
processes, and generally precludes their involvement in decision making and meaningful
participation in public and civillife.

The division of a society into castes is a global phenomenon not exclusively practised within
any particular religion or belief system. In South Asia, caste discrimination is traditionally
rooted in the Hindu caste system. Supported by philosophical elements, the caste system
constructs the moral, social and legal foundations of Hindu society. Dalits are ‗outcastes‘ or
people who fall outside the four-fold caste system consisting of the Brahmin, Kshatriya,
Vysya and Sudra. Dalits are also referred to as Panchamas or people of the fifth order.
However caste systems and the ensuing caste discrimination have spread into Christian,
Buddhist, Muslim and Sikh communities.

Caste systems are also found in Africa, other parts of Asia, the Middle East, the Pacific and in
Diaspora communities around the world. In Japan association is made with Shinto beliefs
concerning purity and impurity, and in marginalized African groups the justification is based
on myths. Caste discrimination affects approximately 260 million people worldwide, the vast
majority living in South Asia.

Caste discrimination involves massive violations of civil, political, economic, social

andcultural rights. It is often outlawed in countries affected by it, but a lack of
implementation of legislation and caste-bias within the justice systems largely leave Dalits
without protection. A central featureof castediscrimination isthe so-called
―untouchabilitypractices‖. It stemsfrom the notion that different caste groups have varying
degrees of purity and pollution, with Dalits and other caste-affected groups being so impure
that they can pollute othergroups.

Paradoxically, sexual abuse and rape against Dalit women is not considered polluting to men
from dominant castes. If Dalits and other caste-affected groups challenge the untouchability
practices, they often face violent sanctions and social boycott. Massive violations of human
rights occur in relation to untouchability practices and other forms of caste-based
discrimination.
 ISSUES RAISED IN THE SHORT STORY

Mulk Raj Anand, undoubtedly, is one of the doyens of IndianEnglish fiction writing. As a
prolific writer, he has authored about fifteen novels; some of them are Untouchable (1935),
Coolie (1936), Two Leaves and a Bud (1937), The Village (1939), Across the Black Waters
(1941), The Sword and the Sickle (1942), The Big Hearts (1945), Seven Summers (1951),
The Private Life of an Indian Prince (1953), The Death of a Master of Arts (1964),
Confessions of a Lover (1976), The Bubble (1984), etc. Besides it, he has produced more
than six collections of short stoeies, such as The Lost Child and Other Stories (1934), The
Barber‘s Trade Union and Other Stories (1944), The Tractor and the Corn Goddess and Other
Stories (1947), Reflection on the Golden Bed and Other Stories (1953), The Power of
Darkness and Other Stories (1959), Lajwanti and Other Stories (1973). He also has two
collections namely Indian Fairy Tales (1946) and More Indian Fairy Tales (1961) to his
credit. He is such a versatile genius whose writings include subjects like education, art,
music, dance, painting, sculpture, etc. Among the early influences on his life were those of
his mother who, nonetheless uneducated, adroitly recounted the fables and folk tales to him,
and of his cousin Kaushalaya in whom he saw a soulmate with whom he could at least
commune. As he grew up, he was greatly influenced by Gandhiji. When he went to Europe
for higher studies he came in contact with many emerging as well as established writers. Karl
Marx, Tolstoy and Ruskin also influenced him to a large extent. Though, he was strongly
influenced by them in a number of ways, he is not tied to any particular system or belief,
rather he synthesized all of them and evolved for himself a comprehensive historical
humanism. Owing to his sensitive and precocious inclination, Anand was enraged by the
widespread evil practices such as untouchability, caste system, religious hypocrisy,
exploitation of the poor, women‘s problems, corruption among bureaucracy and so forth. As
we have discussed that the Indian stories which Anand heard as a child influenced him to a
great extent. As a result, his short stories may be referred to as a means, which propagates
Anand’s notions. He wants his readers to be aware of the evils of such a system which
obstructs men to be civilized. Religious Hypocrisy which is one of the themes Anand depicts
prominently, and wherein the religious customs, traditions and rituals contributively act as an
instrument of exploitation. Anand portrays this theme from different angles. The Maharaja,
Maharaja Ganga Singh Bahadur hopes to get heaven easily at the age of forty in
thestory―TheMaharajaandtheTortoise‖inthecollectionTheBarber‘sTradeUnionand
Other Stories. He spends about one hundred and eighty lakh rupees on bringing the river
Ganga to Udhampur from Hardwar by pipelines to offer oblations to the Sun from which the
Maharaja considered his clan to be descended. At this age, he understood the significance of
the religion. He asks his Prime Minister about his hope of getting heaven easily. The Prime
Minister, Pandit Ram Prasad, who is a Brahmin and a great hypocrite, finds a way out to
exercisemorecontrolontheMaharaja:―ItsohappenedthatasMaharajaSirGangaSingh reached the
age of forty and felt he was getting old, he sought the advice of Pandit Ram Prasad, who was
both the High Priest and the Prime Minister of Udhampur, to prepare an easy passage for his
journey to the next world.‖ (25) Pandit Ram Prasad, who is a hypocrite and clever enough,
advises the Maharaja to donate his weight in gold to priests. He suggests the Maharaja to
worship and offer oblations to his ancestor, the Sun, every morning on the banks of the river
Ganga. He also cautions the Maharaja against the illconsequence if the ritual could not be
followed properly: According to the holy books, on the appearance of every full moon, he
should donate his weight in gold to the priests, entertain seven hundred of them to a feast in
the palace and take a prayer, mentioning the name of God three hundred and seventy-five
times on the rosary after offering oblations every morning to his ancestor, the sun, seated in
the lotus seat by the edge of the Ganga. If this ritual was not followed, said the Pandit, His
Highness was in grave danger because, the access to heaven apart, he would have prolonged
illness, as the planets Saturn and Venus were daily clashing in the scroll of hishoroscope.
The Prime Minister, Pandit Ram Prasad, who is a Brahmin and a great hypocrite, finds a way
outtoexercisemorecontrolontheMaharaja:―ItsohappenedthatasMaharajaSirGanga Singh
reached the age of forty and felt he was getting old, he sought the advice of Pandit Ram
Prasad, who was both the High Priest and the Prime Minister of Udhampur, to prepare an
easy passage for his journey to the next world.Pandit Ram Prasad, who is a hypocrite and
clever enough, advises the Maharaja to donate his weight in gold to priests. He suggests the
Maharaja to worship and offer oblations to his ancestor, the Sun, every morning on the banks
of the river Ganga. He also cautions the Maharaja against the illconsequence if the ritual
could not be followed properly: According to the holy books, on the appearance of every full
moon, he should donate his weight in gold to the priests, entertain seven hundred of them to a
feast in the palace and take a prayer, mentioning the name of God three hundred and seventy-
five times on the rosary after offering oblations every morning to his ancestor, the sun, seated
in the lotus seat bythe edge of the Ganga. If this ritual was not followed, said
thePandit, His Highness was in grave danger because, the access to heaven apart, he would
have prolonged illness, as the planets Saturn and Venus were daily clashing in the scroll of
his horoscope people have an indrawn faith in religion and follow its practices and customs
blindly.Savitri,inthestoryisforcedtobeSatiwithherdeadhusband.Thoughshe is educated and
modern, yet she is compelled to follow the ageold custom for the sake of religion. Anand
repeats several times in his short stories that a corrupt and ridiculous religion formed in
devotion to a non-existent God Who is even unable to provide any relief to human beings
misery. In fact, it creates more new problems for man in various ways. Anand has great belief
in the essential goodness of man. The theme “The Feudal Attitude” which has recurrently
been shown by the author highlights the suppression and oppression of the poor farmers as
well as the people of the low-caste. The class of feudal lords solidifies into an upper nobility
class. These feudal lords feel that they are much superior to the commons. As a result, they
arrogate what they want from the people working under them. Anand reflects the tendencyof
feudalismthroughhischaracterslikeNawabZaffarUllahain―A
KashmirIdyllGaneshDasin―TheProdigalSon,MilapChandin―Boots,RajaRajeshwerRaoin―TheM
anwholovedMonkeysMore
thanHumanBeings,theSethin―ThePriceofBananasandLatifin―AConfession‖andsoon.Anandfocu
sesonfeudallife-style,itscrueltyandcaprice. The feudal lords regard it their divine right to
exploit and abuse the have-nots. However, there are some feudal lords like Raja
RajeshwerRao and Khan Azam Khan who foolishly waste their money for the sake of
sham pride. Anand exposes the caprices and cruelties of these feudal lords whereby they
create an atmosphere of sub-humanity in
society,whichcausesthepoorandthedowntroddentoliveamiserablelife.Thestory―AKashmir
Idyll‖ in the collection The Barber‘s Trade Union and Other Stories is an account in which
the behaviour of the officials is not good with their tenants. The nawab-NawabZaffarUllah, a
courtier of the Maharaja of the Kashmir possesses all the inclinations of a feudal landlord. He
exploits a poor young man who is on the way to attend his mother’s funeral. The poor man
persistently makes a plea for mercy before the Nawab and says that he is on his way to join
the funeral ceremony of his dead mother atSrinagar.
 PRE-CONCEIVED SOCIETAL NORMS

One variable that makes us less prejudiced is education. People who are more educated
express fewer stereotypes and prejudice in general. This is true for students who enroll in
courses that are related to stereotypes and prejudice, such as a course on gender and ethnic
diversity (Rudman, Ash more, & Gary, 2001), and is also true more generally—education
reduces prejudice, regardless of what particular courses you take (Sidanius, Sinclair,
&Pratto,2006).

The effects of education on reducing prejudice are probably due in large part to the new
social norms that people are introduced to in school. Social norms define what is appropriate
and inappropriate, and we can effectively change stereotypes and prejudice by changing the
relevant norms about them. Jetten,Spears, and Manstead (1997) manipulated whether students
thought that the other members of their university favored equal treatment of others or
believed that others thought it was appropriate to favor the ingroup. They found that
perceptions of what the other group members believed had an important influence on the
beliefs of the individuals themselves. The students were more likely to show ingroup
favoritism when they believed that the norm of their ingroup was to do so, and this tendency
was increased for students who had high social identification with theingroup.

Sechrist and Stangor (2001) selected White college students who were either high or low in
prejudice toward Blacks and then provided them with information indicating that their
prejudiced or unprejudiced beliefs were either shared or not shared by the other students at
their university. Then the students were asked to take a seat in a hallway to wait for the next
part of the experiment. A Black confederate was sitting in one seat at the end of the row, and
the dependent measure was how far away the students sat from her.

High prejudice students who learned that other students were also prejudiced sat farther away
from the Black confederate in comparison with high prejudice individuals who were led to
believe that their beliefs were not shared. On the other hand, students who were initially low
in prejudice and who believed these views were shared sat closer to the Black confederate in
comparison with low prejudice individuals who were led to believe that their beliefs were not
shared. These results demonstrate that our perceptions of relevant social norms can strengthen
or weaken our tendencies to engage in discriminatorybehaviors.
White college students who were low in prejudice toward Blacks sat closer to the Black
confederate when they had been told that their beliefs were shared with other group members
at their university. On the other hand, White college students who were high in prejudice sat
farther away from the Black confederate when they had been told that their beliefs were
shared with other group members at their university. Data are from Sechrist and Stangor
(2001).

The influence of social norms is powerful, and long-lasting changes in beliefs about
outgroups will occur only if they are supported by changes in social norms. Prejudice and
discrimination thrive in environments in which they are perceived to be the norm, but they
die when the existing social norms do not allow it. And because social norms are so
important, the behavior of individuals can help create or reduce prejudice and discrimination.
Discrimination, prejudice, and even hate crimes such as gay bashing will be more likely to
continue if people do not respond to or confront them when theyoccur.

What this means is that if you believe that prejudice is wrong, you must confront it when you
see it happening. Czopp, Monteith, and Mark (2006) had White participants participate in a
task in which it was easy to unintentionally stereotype a Black person, and as a result, many
of the participants did so. Then, confederates of the experimenter confronted the students
abouttheirstereotypes,sayingthingssuchas―MaybeitwouldbegoodtothinkaboutBlacks
inotherwaysthatarealittlemorefair?or―Itjustseemsthatyousoundlikesomekindof racist to me.
You know what I mean? Although the participants who had been confronted experienced
negative feelings about the confrontation and also expressed negative opinions about the
person who confronted them, the confrontation did work. The students who had been
confronted expressed less prejudice and fewer stereotypes on subsequent tasks than did the
students who had not beenconfronted.

As this study concluded, taking steps to reduce prejudice is everyone’s duty—having a little
courage can go a long way in this regard. Confronting prejudice can lead other people to
think that we are complaining and therefore to dislike us (Kaiser & Miller, 2001; Shelton &
Stewart, 2004), but confronting prejudice is not all negative for the person who confronts.
Although it is embarrassing to do so, particularly if we are not completely sure that the
behavior was in fact prejudice, when we fail to confront, we may frequently later feel guilty
that we did not (Shelton, Richeson, Salvatore, & Hill,2006).
 CONCLUSION

In The Barber‘s Trade Union by Mulk Raj Anand we have the theme of class, appearance,
alienation, arrogance, ingenuity, independence, admiration, respect, control and freedom.
Taken from his Selected Short Stories collection the story is narrated in the first person by a
young unnamed boy and after reading the story the reader realises that Anand may be
exploring the theme of class. Chandu is considered to be of a lower caste or class than other
people in the village. It is as though he is being judged solely on the fact that both he and his
father are barbers. The content of their character is not taken into consideration rather a
traditional hierarchy is imposed by those of a higher caste. The simple matter of Chandu
changing his clothes to a style that he prefers is also frowned upon by those in the village
who are of a higher caste. This may be important as those of a higher caste may be suggesting
that Chandu because he is of a lower caste. Has no right to dress as he does. Something that
some readers might find unusual considering that Chandu is only trying to improve his
appearance. However it is by improving his appearance that others feel threatened and as
such alienateChandu.

It is also noticeable that those who alienate Chandu are arrogant and appear to be rooted to a
value system (caste system) that Chandu himself does not believe in adhering to. Chandu sees
nothing wrong with trying to better himself. However due to the rigid values of those in the
town Chandu ends up losing business. Though it is interesting that Chandu knows that he can
outwit those who have alienated him. All he has to do is to be patient and wait for each
individual‘s hair to grow. This too may be important as it suggests that Chandu is using his
ingenuity. He will not be beaten by a system that will not include him. Purely because he is of
a lower caste. If anything Chandu knows that those in the village who are alienating him are
reliant on him and his services. The narrator‘s relationship with Chandu is also interesting as
he not only respects Chandu but he is full of admiration for him. In many ways the narrator
envies the freedom that Chandu has when it comes to him being able to go into town.

Unfortunately others do not respect or admire Chandu. Something that is clear to the reader
by the fact that Bijay Chand throws Chandu out of his home because he believes that Chandu
has no right to dress as he is doing so. What is interesting about BijayChand and others is that
they do not appear to realise that they need Chandu more than he needs them. He may be
ofalowercasteandattempting(intheireyes)todressabovehisclassbutheistheonly
barber in the village. Chandu has a monopoly. Something he himself is very much aware of.
Chandu can also go into town and earn money and not be judged for wearing the clothes he is
wearing. If anything the fact that Chandu can earn a rupee for a haircut yet only two piece in
the village suggests that not only is Chandu not being judged by his caste but his efforts are
also respected by those in the town. It may also be important that Chandu buys the bicycle as
symbolically this may suggest he is independent of those in the village. He has his own
means to get into town and earn money. He is not reliant on the business of the men who
alienated him because of his choice ofclothing.

The end of the story is also interesting as Anand appears to be exploring the theme of control.
Chandu by setting up a barber‘s union and forcing those in the village to come to him rather
than having him travel to them. Has taken control of the situation he finds himself in. Where
many might have done as instructed by the elders in the village Chandu does not. He not only
continues to dress as he wants to but he also forces the men in the village to adhere to his
rules rather than Chandu having to do as he has been told by Bijay Chand and others.
Similarly Chandu‘s mother is able to ignore the instructions of those in the village now that
she has money (coming from Chandu). If anything Chandu and his mother have freed
themselves from the preconceived societal norms that have been accepted for so long in the
village. It might also be worth noting that Chandu‘s actions have benefited other barbers in
the neighbouring villages. They too have taken control of their situation thanks to Chandu‘s
ingenuity and his resilience. In realityChandu started off as an underdog fighting against the
caste system and managed to turn things around in his favour. It is easy for the reader to see
as to why the narrator respects and admiresChandu.
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

The researcher has consulted following sources to complete the rough proposal:

PRIMARY SOURCES:

1. ‘Barber‘s Trade Union‘ by Mulk RajAnand

2. Lawjournals

SECONDARY SOURCES:

1. www.googlebooks.com
2. www.academia.edu.in