42 SOCIAL SCIENTIST must offer a creative interpretation of life; otherwise it becomes nothing more than a mirror reflecting what is in front of it, or it becomes simple formalism. In PremchancTs literary ^anvas, encompassing as many as 6,000 characters from all classes in society ranging from the landless labourer to the moneylender and zamindar in rural India as well as the entire hierarchy of the governmental machinery, lies captured almost 50 years of Indian history and it is as objective and authentic history can be. It is precisely Premchand's deep involvement with the oppressed and crushed humanity, and his unrelenting fight against the forces of reaction and obscurantism in Indian society that enabled him to solve the multifaceted problems of the individual and society and led to the development and consolidation of his ideology which was truly scientific in nature. (This is a modified version of a paper presented at Centre for Historical Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University. The author is grateful to K M Panikkar, K K Goenka and Anil Rai for assistance and suggestions) SARA RAI 1 Convocation address at the Dakshin Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha, December 23, 1934, Madras. 2 Amrit Rai, Premchand: Kalam Ka Sipahi, Hans Prakashan, Allahabad, 1962, p 86. 3 Premchand—"Life Story", translated by Madan Gopal in The Shroud and Twenty Other Stories, p 8. 4 Chand (monthly), March 1924, pp 321-3. r> Sachi Rani Gurtu (ed.), Premchand Aw Gorky, 1955, p 26. 6 Vividh Prasang Vol I, Miscellaneous prose writings in three volumes, 1919, p 264. 7 ChithiPatri Vol 1, Collected letters in two volumes, December 21, 1919, p 23. & Durga Das, India from Curzon to Nehru and After, p 101. 9 Premchand, Premashram, pp 622-624. 10 Alok Rai, "A Kind of Crisis: Godan and the Last Writings of Munshi Premchand," The Jurnal of the School of Languages, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Monsoon, 1974. 11 Vividh Prasang Vol II, April 16, 1934, pp 257-58. 12 Vividh Prasang Vol II, November 6, 1933,p 333. ];< Shzvrani Devi Premchand, Premchand Ghar Me in, p 10. 14 Premchand, "Kafan", in The World of Premchand, translated by David Rubin, Alien andUnwin. 1972, p 191. 15 K P Singh, "Premchand's Ideology*', Social Scientist, October 1976, p 73. 16 Amrit Rai (edj, Mahajani Sabhyala in Premchand, 1959, p 264. 17 Mangalmtra, published in Premchand Smriti, p 292-3.