کرشن چندر کے افسانوں "مہالکشمی کا پل" اور "بھوت" میں جبلتِ بقا اور معاشی استحصال

Abstract

This research paper examines Krishan Chander's short stories "Mahalakshmi Ka Pul" and "Bhoot" in the context of survival instinct and economic exploitation. The primary objective of this study is to explore how Krishan Chander represents hunger not merely as a biological need but as a social and economic tragedy rooted in class inequality, exploitation, and the unequal distribution of resources. In Mahalakshmi Ka Pul, symbolic elements such as the sari, the hearth, and the lives of working-class women portray economic disparity, class identity, and social deprivation. In Bhoot, hunger is transformed into a powerful metaphor that challenges the hollow claims of peace, freedom, and progress in a society where the poor continue to suffer from poverty and starvation.

This study employs a qualitative textual and analytical approach. The theoretical framework draws upon Abraham Maslow's theory of human needs, Karl Marx's concept of economic exploitation, and Amartya Sen's Entitlement Theory to examine the relationship between hunger, survival, and structural inequality. The findings reveal that Krishan Chander presents hunger not as an individual or natural condition but as the consequence of an exploitative socio-economic system that deprives the working class of its basic rights and dignity. Furthermore, symbols such as the sari, the hearth, the ghost, milk, and nakedness function as powerful literary devices that expose human suffering, class oppression, and economic injustice. The study concludes that Krishan Chander's fiction offers a profound critique of social inequality and advocates human dignity, economic justice, and social equality, making these stories highly relevant to contemporary socio-economic realities.