Upendranath Ashk's Short Stories: Anti-Colonial Dimension

(With special reference to: Daachi and Other Political Stories)

Abstract

Upendranath Ashk began his creative life in the third decade of the twentieth century. He is considered one of Urdu's significant short story writers. His short stories are narratives of political and social conditions, focusing on social issues and inequalities, as well as the political and social activities of the lower and middle classes. The anti-colonial dimension of his stories is prominent. This article presents an anti-colonial study of Ashk's representative collection of short stories, "Daachi Aur Doosre Siyasi Afsane" (Daachi and Other Political Stories). In this collection, the impact of the political conditions and movements of Ashk's era on rural and urban life is evident. These stories depict peasant movements against colonial feudalism and laborers' protests against colonial capitalism. These stories articulate patriotism, nationalism, revolutionary tendencies, protest demonstrations, and contemporary resistance movements. Characters possessing national and revolutionary consciousness participate in political activities. All these elements collectively form an anti-colonial narrative, which highlights the anti-colonial dimensions of his work.