Waiting for the Mahatma | R.K. Narayan | Summary, Character Sketch, Analysis, Theme | Simple English
Notes in very easy language. Complete Summary with pdf
Character Sketch of Sriram, Bharti
Assassination of Bapu by Godse
#Malgudi_The_Fictional_City
#Waiting_For_The_Mahatma
#R.K.Narayana
#Post_Independence_Novel
#Published_in_1955
Waiting for the Mahatma
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Waiting for the Mahatma is a 1955 novel by R. K. Narayan.[1]
Waiting for the Mahatma
First edition
AuthorR. K. NarayanCountryIndiaLanguageEnglishPublisherMichigan State University Press
Publication date
1955Media typePrint (Hardback & Paperback)Pages241
summary riram is a high school graduate who lives with his grandmother in Malgudi, the fictional Southern Indian town in which much of Narayan's fiction takes place. Sriram is attracted to Bharati, a girl of his age who is active in Mahatma Gandhi's Quit India movement,[2] and he becomes an activist himself. He then gets involved with anti-British extremists, causing much grief to his grandmother. Sriram's underground activity takes place in the countryside, an area alien to him, and the misunderstandings with the locals provide the book's best comic moments. After spending some time in jail, Sriram is reunited with Bharati, and the story ends with their engagement amidst the tragedy of India's partition in 1947 and Gandhi's death in 1948.
Waiting for the Mahatma is written in Narayan's gentle comic style. An unusual feature of this novel is the participation of Gandhi as a character. His revolutionary ideas and practices are contrasted with the views of traditionalists such as the town's notables and Sriram's grandmother. This note of ambivalence towards the freedom movement may be due to Narayan's needing to reassure his mainly British audience.[3] The political struggle serves as a background to Sriram and Bharati's unconventional romance which is concluded outside either's family circle. This is one of Narayan's most successful novels[citation needed], where much happens behind the facade of the low key storytelling.It is a bit like ‘Waiting for Godot’ - the final moment with the Mahatma solemnizing the union of Sriram and Bharati never quite arrives in the end. Mentioning this upfront is not really a spoiler - one gets a sense that Sriram’s ambition to marry Bharati is likely to come up with a cropper. In fact as a sense of ‘been-there-and-done-that’ in many ways. The Malgudi settings, Sriram as a ‘man-child’ character doted upon by his granny, Bharati as a the no-nonsense modern woman are themes that we encounter recurrently in Narayan’s novels.
Narayan has made it an industry to introduce us to young men sequestered in comfortable circumstances who are aimless and bereft of a purpose in life. Often their mother or granny dote upon the protagonists even as the ‘father figure’ is left vexed and reduced to making caustic comments. Further the character is tongue-tied in the presence of the fairer sex although he naturally falls in love with a girl at the first sight. In some novels the story has a natural arc that sees the character mature and achieve a sense of closure.
‘Waiting for the Mahatma’ begins on a promising note as we are introduced to life and times of the Mahatma as he battles for India’s independence. Mahatma’s life was celebrated in Richard Attenborough’s, ‘Gandhi’ so there is little that is novel in this narrative and we eagerly want to explore Sriram’s pursuit of Bharati. But the freedom movement moves on from being a sub-plot to the central focus of the story. Since the settings is around the Quit India movement we know that India’s tryst with destiny is still a few years away.
Still the story is not as grim as the freedom struggle. In fact Sriram is a rather reluctant recruit to the freedom movement and he is busy finding ways to impress Bharati and spend more time with her. Bharati is fully committed to the Mahatma’s movement and enjoys making fun the confused man who has fallen hard for her. She chaffs him and even pulls in the Mahatma into the story, adding a personal touch that we were not quite expecting.
So long as Bharati is around she guides Sriram and ensures he is motivated to contribute to the national cause. Once Sriram is left to his own devices the boredom gets on his nerves and he drifts into trouble. Initially it is mild and inconsequential as he supposed to visit villages and promote the ‘Quit India’ movement. It gets more serious and self-destructive when he meets Jagadish - a hot-headed follower of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. Sriram is vulnerable to being manipulated and quickly transitions from scripting radio message to indulging in violence causing damage to Government property and hurting common folks. Effectively he converts into a terrorist without realizing the enormity of his actions. Again Bharati is used to hook Sriram as Jagadish promises to arrange a meeting if he delivers on his assignments.
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