‘R.K. Narayan represents various Indian scenes in ‘The Guide’. Comment.

Ans.

R.K. Narayan has drawn the real picture of social and economic life of that time. In the episode ‘Raju as swami’ there is clear picture of the superstitions prevailing. far and wide. Marco represents Anglo-Indian life. Particularly Narayan has depicted various facts of Indian life such as rural life. West oriented life. village shopkeepers owing their small shops, wage earning taxi driver and educational scene etc. Now we discuss these points in a little detail.

Rural Scene

The life of villagers at Mangala is painted in a realistic manner. Raju after relieving from jail seeks for arrangement of food and shelter. A barber remarks that he looks Ike a mahatma. He makes up his mind to live his life as a pseudo saint and takes shelter in a deserted temple. Velan a villager of Mangala comes to Raju and he is much impressed with him. Velan’s step-sister told the people that she was changed by the mere look of swami ji. In this episode we observed several features of rural India. The characteristics of the time are superstitious, poverty, simplicity and dependence of monsoons. The villagers are superstitious to a great extent. They have faith in devils and evil spirits. It is Velan’s firm belief that Raju has some secret powers. When Raju tells Velan plainly that he is and ex convict, Velan takes it as the extreme courtesy of swami ji. He had blind faith in Raju as a holy man. Cause of this superstition is lack of proper education. In this way Raju is respected to the highest degree which he does not deserve.

Villagers are poor due to low economy of the country. Another rea son of their poor economic condition is lack of education. For some people. Malgudi railway station has become the source of improving their financial condition. Main business at the time was farming, but it was not paying be cause no tubewell and fertilizers were available. The crops dependent on monsoons. Villagers are deceived by Raju It is not a strange because they were simple and being exploited by the pseudo saints.

West-oriented Indian Life

Marco belong to this category. He dressed himself after the western style. Poor villagers and middle class are impressed with his dress in the description of his outer personality we note le dressed like a man about to undertake an expedition-with his thick coloured glasses. thick jacket and a thick. helmet over which was perpetually stretched a grecian sheeny, water proof cover, giving him the appearance of a space-traveler’. AL Malgudi Marco looks rich and cultured among the low railway officials, the taxi driver, low shop keepers etc. His wife Rosie is equally fashionable. These characters are drawn from the metropolitan city. Marco is a contrast to Raju Pls interests and aspirations are different from those of Raju.

Low Shopkeeper

In the character of Raju’s father we see the picture of Indian shopkeeper of low standing, he has a small shop and deals in fruit. tobacco, betel leaf, parched gram etc. The sugar is kept in an old tin which looks rusty. He is always surrounded by the farmers, drivers of bullock-carts. Economically they are not able to impart good education to their children. For Raju Albert Mission education is a distant thing. The children of such person live a scanty food and feel delighted when they get sweets. R.K. Narayan presents the true picture through the description of Raju’s early children.

Education Scene

A school is started and the poor condition of the school has lively been described. There were no educational facilities for poor boys. Raju gets his education at the hand of his father. Then he is sent to be taught by a school teacher. It is called ‘Pyol School’ and the school master has been described as, ‘He lived in Kabir lane, in a narrow old house with a cement pyol in front, with the street drain running right below it. He gathered a score of young boys of my age every morning on the pyol, reclined on a cushion in corner and shouted at the little fellows flourishing a retten cane all the time’.. This is a typical school for the little children. The unworthy school master has been realistically drawn as a poor person of bad manners.

The Temples

The worshippers through round the place of worship in the high spirit. They do not know Raju, the swami is an ex-convict. The children are reciting text harmoniously. There are bronze lamps; being fed with oil and some persons are making wicks to be placed in the lamps. The little framed pictures of gods are hung there. Woman wash the floor and deco rate it with pattern in coloured floor. Thus we find a typical spiritual atmosphere in the pillared hall.

Hermit

An ex-convict or a sinner may be holy man of the first rank. as we see in the case of Valmiki. But so far as Raju is concerned he is a pseudo saint. As a matter of fact superstitious persons are responsible for the typical atmosphere in the temples. When Raju was released from Jail, he was in search for the arranged of food and shelter. He decides to become a hermit. Velan is responsible for his enhanced spiritual status. In the course of time, the temple generally becomes over crowded. ‘Over flowed into the corridors and people sat right upto the river’s edge’. Thus Narayan exposed the reality of pseudo saints at that time.

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