more pronounced in the later writings of the author. Abbas is an admirer of Gandhi in the initial phase, becomes an ardent supporter of Nehru and also an admirer of Indira Gandhi but towards the later part of his career he developed admiration for the revolutionary movements specially that of Naxalism which he depicted in the novel The Naxalites. In the story ‘The Gun’ published in the collection The Gun and Other Stories (1985), depicts the uprising of the untouchables. Ruldoo, a young Harijan boy draws a bucket full of water from the Pucca well in his village. The village priest sees him do this. As a result a collective fine of one hundred and fifty rupees is imposed on the Harijans of the village. If not paid,the country, Abbas knew very well that the socio-political and economic conditions and forces were responsible for the condition of the society. So, if one were to look for the villains in his stories, one would find them in the form of socio-political and economic conditions at a given time. Kohli writes:

Abbas…had a greater awareness of the changing scenario and growing reality around him. His stories had compassion devoid of any romanticism that characterized the work of his contemporaries. Each character in his stories, consciously or unconsciously, had a reason for his action. The stories are both in rural and urban settings and provide an insight into his thinking both as a writer and a journalist with a social awareness. In his preface to one of his early