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Waiting for the Mahatma

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R. K. Narayan's "Waiting For Mahatma" is set in southern India, in the fictional village of Malgudi, during the final years of the country's struggle for Independence from the British Empire. This is the second book I have read by Narayan, and I enjoyed both immensely. The author is a classic teller of tales, totally irreverent in his use of humor and irony. His straightforward prose is graceful and highly readable.

Sriram is an orphan who has lived with his Granny since childhood. His father was killed fighting for the British in Mesopotamia, and the grandmother has received a monthly military pension for the boy ever since. She saved every penny in an account set up for Sriram, and now that he is twenty years-old, she signs the account over to him. Feeling wealthy and quite independent, he strolls around town until he is stopped by a beautiful girl, asking for a contribution. She is collecting money for Mahatma Gandhi's work. And Mahatmaji is coming to visit the people of Malgudi.

Sriram is not particularly knowledgeable about Gandhi, nor has he thought much about Indian independence, the elimination of the caste system, and nonviolent civil disobedience. He is totally focused on the girl collecting coins for a cause. He wants to know her name, her age, her caste, her horoscope and whether she is free to marry him. He is love struck from the first glance. Later, Sriram wades into a great gathering of people, all awaiting the arrival of "the great soul," to look for the lovely young woman in the crowd. The throng suddenly cries out in one great voice, "Mahatma Gandhi Ki Jai!" He has arrived. The great man begins to clap his hands rhythmically and loudly and asks the crowd to do the same, with vigor and spirit. "No good. Not enough. I like to see more vigor in your arms, more rhythm, more spirit. It must be like the drum beats of the non-violent soldiers marching to cut the chains that bind Mother India."

Sriram eventually finds Bharati, the girl of his dreams, in Gandi's entourage. He asks to volunteer, to work for the cause, and charms Bharati by his obvious romantic intentions. She, however, has more serious matters on her mind. She brings Sriram to meet Gandhi, after he promises to tell the truth in all things. He suddenly blurts out that he wants to work and live in the ashram so he can be close to Bharati. Gandhi responds that Bharati must be pleased to have such a fine friend. He will permit Sriram to travel with him and his followers for a few weeks if Granny permits. When the Mahatma finally leaves the area, Sriram becomes Bharati's disciple, and she his Guru, with the great man's blessing. His parting words to the boy are, "Spin and read Bhagavad Gita, and utter Ram Nam continuously, and then you will know what to do in life." He promises to write to both of them, and he does.

As the struggle becomes more intense, Gandhi is jailed and many of his followers choose to protest by going to prison also. Such a one is Bharati. Sriram is left on his own to do the best he can and remain faithful to the ideals he has dedicated himself to. Although his version of nonviolent resistance is quite different from Gandhi's and Bharati's.

Although I found fascinating, and terribly moving, all the narrative that has to do with Mahatma Gandhi, this is, in fact, a story of the common man. Most of the novel's characters are touched only slightly by the political events taking place in their nation. Their primary concerns are much more basic - food, shelter, clothing, health, etc.. The problems of the larger world may intrude occasionally, but not for long. The author perfectly portrays the small village and its peoples concerns, trials and tribulations, and juxtaposes them against Mahatma Gandhi's take on the big picture and love for his people. This is a wonderful novel which I highly recommend.

JANA

A truly Indian experience. As told by R.K. Narayan this story evolves from a dreamy pace to a fevered pitch. Sriram is a child growing up in his own world. A world of security, comfort and laziness. What is it that drives this youth to seek change? The entrance of a romance in his life, the natural process of growing up or is it the Mahatma? Narayan uses his narrative style and rustic observation to enrich this tale and capture the spirit of rural India coming to terms with its liberation. What does this liberty mean? Our hero's life has changed for good. Driven by the spirit of the events unfolding around him Sriram is involved in the fight for freedom. But Sriram's motives are suspect. And has his life really changed? Yet Sriram is still capable of selfless action. His love for Bharathi and his devotion to her vindicate his motives. With his characteristic charm Narayan has recreated the common life amidst a historic perspective. For lovers of Narayan this is a must read. Enjoy.

Sriram, a 20-year old lad with lots of money, a loving grandmother and all the time in the world (to waste) meets Bharati, a beautiful woman. And as it always happens, falls in love instantly. But Bharati is involved in the Indian freedom struggle, and is a disciple of Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the independence movement. She is a serious-minded woman and will think of nothing other than the task on hand. Sriram realises that the only way to win her hand is by immersing himself in the freedom movement.

Thus he embarks on a life of struggles - he deserts his grandmother and all the money. At times, Sriram thinks if he should ever have altered the course of his life. Did he not enjoy life before? But love transcends everything. And for that one woman in his life, he will undergo any tribulation. He is waiting for her, but will she? The ending of the story is quite excellent, and will have you spellbound.

Set in the 1940s, this book wonderfully narrates the freedom struggle through the eyes of Sriram and Bharati. To me, it is the most important work of R.K. Narayan and ranks alongside his classic debut novel, Swami and Friends.

There are sometimes when one would like for RKN to continue the tangential descriptors. This story did not evoke any such feelings for me and for the best part Gandhi's appearances kept interrupting the flow which looking back was exactly how Sriram, the protagonist must have felt. Only an RKN fan would recommend this.

R K Narayan's novels, which involve various types of people from a fictitious town called Malgudi, are a delight to read. "Waiting for the Mahatma" is another realistic novel set during the freedom struggle days. I was surprised by noting R K Narayan handling a romance genre in his novel. However after reading this novel, I am amazed how well he brings out the emotions in romance as well. This novel is a stunning representation of freedom struggle movement and its impact on the lives of numerous Indian people.

The novel is about a boy of age around twenty called Sriram. He lives with his grandmother in Malgudi. Sriram tries to explore the outside world himself to figure out what interests him the most. He is drawn towards a beautiful and patriotic girl called Bharati in a local festival. He tries to woo her and comes to know that she is working under Mahatma Gandhi for the freedom struggle. He somehow manages to sneak into the freedom struggle movement even though he has no clue initially what it is for. The story unfolds as the experience of a conservative guy entering social life and his romance with a bold and beautiful girl.

Sriram deserts his old grandmother and travels across different villages of rural India along with Bharati to spread the message of the Mahatma. His encounters with different set of people like the shopkeeper who sells foreign imported biscuits is amusing. Sriram comes in contact with a terrorist called Jagadish and the consequences of his associations with him have been realistically portrayed. At some point of time both Sriram and Bharati are destined to be shut in jail indefinitely. Whether Sriram could get the acceptance of Bharati to marry her and whether Mahatma approved their marriage are interestingly narrated.

The best aspect of this novel is the capture of the simplicity of the India and its citizen prior to gaining independence. The ongoing freedom struggle which alters the lives of different people like Sriram makes one feel about the numerous citizens who were forced to abandon their families for their country. The comedy of errors associated with the death of grandmother are thoroughly enjoyable. The novel also provides an insight into the minds of cunning people like Jagadish who manipulate and drag others into their troublesome ways. Having Mahatma and Netaji as characters in the story adds credibility to the story.

Though the backdrop of the story is freedom struggle, R K Narayan makes it relatively light through his impeccable narrative style. The caring grandmother and the shopkeeper Kanni are characters one can easily find in Indian villages even today. I enjoyed the novel as much as any other novel of R K Narayan. The manner in which he brings out the subtle emotions associated with romance is brilliant. I doubt whether any of the present Indian writers have the capacity to match Narayan. This novel is a must read for anyone who wants to delve into the lives of Indian citizen before independence.

We meet Sriram, an orphaned middle class/upper caste young Indian, as he turns twenty years old. Having raised him to adulthood, his grandmother hands him his bank account into which his father's military pension was deposited. Somewhat spoiled in childhood and now being given an unearned living, Sriram plays the big shot for a while but his heart is not in it. Something's missing as he wanders the streets of Malgudi.

Elsewhere in the world, World War II has started. In India Mahatma Ghandi campaigns throughout the land, urging the people to peacefully oust the British. Ghandi is coming to Malgudi. An advance party precedes him and Sriram falls in love with a girl, Bharati, collecting money for Ghandi's movement. To the dismay of his grandmother he joins the cause to follow Bharati.

Oddly enough, he is quite sincere about following Ghandi and gives up his meaningless idle life to devote himself to the Mahatma's peaceful uprising. Like Ghandi and his disciples, Sriram learns to spin cotton, he has a garment made from his yarn, he burns his factory made clothes and tours the region painting slogans telling the British to leave. He and Bharati are separated for a time. Bharati won't marry Sriram unless the Mahatma blesses the union.

There are moments of high comedy. When the richest man in Malgudi invites Ghandi to stay in his home, Ghandi invites a poor young boy to follow him in and then proceeds to move into the boy's shanty town rather than stay in the rich man's palace. Later in the novel, Sriram throws himself to the ground to block the entrance to a shop selling "the finest English biscuits". We meet criminals in prison, a bombastic photographer, and even sycophantic prison guards.

But Sriram's tale is serious and the novel ends tragically, yet leaving us with hope. It is as much about India's clumsy rise to independence as it is about an awkward young man reaching maturity. As an innocent India is led forward by the wise Mahatma, an immature Sriram is led by a wordly Bharati. Narayan paints an intimate portrait of India rather than an epic canvas.

Despite being a spoiled and lazy man, Sriram proves himself surprisingly principled. He is weak, but taps into Bharati's strength at need. He is jealous and insecure but easily reassured. He does not bear his burden heroically but he accepts his lot willingly. If we cannot be saints, Sriram's experience convinces us we can, and should, be good.

Vincent Poirier, Tokyo

For those familiar with, and in tune with Narayan's style, this book is a wonderful and funny read. I actually found it difficult to put down, a surprising statment for the kind of books Narayan writes. Narayan's style is deceptively simple as he follows ordinary people through their lives and reveals their thoughts and motivations. My life (and I would presume, that of most people living in the modern world) is more complicated and my motivations more nuanced. Still I feel that the stories contain some deep understanding of human life. It is a paradox I can't figure out.