He anxiously steps into the village, and sees that it is affected by the most dangerous droughts. However, one day, the villagers just stop coming, thereby forcing Raju to starve. For a few months, Raju enjoys his life as an anonymous saint, relishing the food and respect offered by villagers, and keeps himself busy with small children and adulating adults. The villagers believe him to possess some kind of magical qualities, and place him on a high pedestal, expecting him to solve their small, myriad problems. One thing leads to another, and soon Raju Guide becomes famous as a wandering saint, who is venerated like a God among villagers, and gives them daily discourses citing mythological and allegorical stories. He invites his villagers to take shelter under the feet of countryвЂ™s wisest and yet humblest holy man. By sheer coincidence, VelanвЂ™s problem is solved and he becomes a die-hard Raju loyalist. Raju is disarmed with VelanвЂ™s innocence and his own instincts to guide a lost man. As Raju stares vacantly, he is noticed by a villager вЂVelanвЂ™, who is impressed by the silent, wise man, and wants Raju to solve his problems.

The story begins with Raju sitting somberly on a river bank, near Malgudi, contemplating his next move, as he has just come out of the jail after two years of punishment for fraud and forgery. Narayan in his true style creates a wonderful tale brimming with love, treachery and faith. Destiny pushes him towards saintliness in the most unprecedented manner, and R.K. The Guide tells the story of Railway Raju, a young fatherless boy, who is transformed from a lost-in-world jail convict into a holy saint without any conscious effort on his part. Narayan, вЂThe GuideвЂ™ and the story was so interesting that I did not want to put it down, even after the novel has ended. Yes, recently, I finished yet another novel of R.K. Narayan for yet another dose of his humorous satire, laden with rare pearls of wisdom, steeped in the humblest of real life situations. He has also taught at the Kabul University and the International university of Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek as well as students from the Tibetan Public Service Commission, Dharamsala, and Kiyushu University, Japan.No matter how many books I read, I keep coming back to R.K. Shakti Batra has been Vice-Principal, Dyal Singh College (University of Delhi). It provides a comprehensive summary of the novel, its background and the critical problems associated with it. The present critical study examines and analyses the narrative from the point of view of university examinations. He, however, confesses to Velan that he is an imposter and reveals his chequered past. When there is a drought, the credulous peasants turn to him for help and he reluctantly undertakes a fast to propitiate the rain gods. Velan, an illiterate peasant, takes him for a priest after Raju utters a few platitudes. Set in Malgudi and Mangala, it narrates the life and times of Raju, formerly a tourist guide, who has just been released from prison and has taken refuge in an old temple by the river Sarayu. NarayanвЂ™s much-acclaimed novel, The Guide, is considered by many to be his finest work.

Guide rk narayan novel