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 country’s wisest and yet humblest holy man.
By sheer coincidence, Velan’s problem is solved and he becomes a die-hard Raju loyalist. Raju is disarmed with Velan’s innocence and his own instincts to guide a lost man.
As Raju stares vacantly, he is noticed by a villager ‘Velan’, 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, ‘The Guide’ 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.
No matter how many books I read, I keep coming back to R.K.
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