The Book "The Guide" by R.K.Narayan

             The Book "The Guide" BY                                                                       

                                               -R.K.Narayan 

                     R. K. Narayan (10 October 1906 – 13 May 2001), full name Rasipuram Krishnaswami Iyer Narayanaswami, was an Indian writer, best known for his works set in the fictional South Indian town of Malgudi. He is one of three leading figures of early Indian literature in English , and is credited with bringing the genre to the rest of the world. R.K. Narayan is one of India’s most celebrated author - probably most beloved in India, of all Indians writers writing in English. More than Salman Rushdie or Arundhati Roy. And rightly so. I don't think any other writer has written this much variety - novels, children books, short stories and scriptural retellings.

                         The book is written in typical Narayan style – simple, lightly humored and well paced. The book draws you a picture of India in its true color – in vivid details. For a person not familiar with rural India landscape, Narayan is the man to go to. On the other, the same thing may distract someone who is too familiar with rural India. The writer doesn't use strong language to derive the message like many of India’s best authors do – you are not left by saddened by the book; instead book comes with a really light satire. 

                     'The Guide' is the story of transformation of the protagonist, Raju from a simple tour guide to a great spiritual guide. Starting as a tourist guide in the small village of Malgudi, Raju more often known as Railway Raju, leads a very simple life with his widowed mother. However the entrance of Rosie and her husband, Marco, brings about a turmoil in all of their lives. Rosie aspires to be a famous dancer while Marco is focussed towards his career and totally apathetic towards Rosie and her dancing dreams. In comes Raju, as a listener, an admirer and eventually a lover. He succeeds in fulfilling Rosie's dreams, and his own too, but the greed to make more money wouldn't cease. He ends up in jail for forgery, which is when Rosie makes an exit from his life. After the prison sentence he takes refuge by the bank of a river and the people there think of him to be a holy man, all thanks to his words of wisdom and experience. Raju starts enjoying the role and attention. However, his holiness is put to test when he is expected to observe a fast of several days so that the village might get some rain. Initially reluctant, later on Raju wants to keep alive the faith and hopes of several hundreds of people.

                     Although, book is as good for a casual reader but you have got to be able to read between the lines to understand its true literary greatness. The narrative comes around the tragedy of Raju - who despite having been opportunist all his life – more of a villain than a hero end up finding himself having to and playing the role of a spiritual guide. He is able to live through many a falls without remorse - including his jail term. The only time he feels sad is, in fact, in the end - when no one is accusing him of anything.