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org © 2018 IJCRT | Volume 6, Issue 2 April 2018 | ISSN: 2320-2882

R.K.Narayan's The Guide : A Study of The Transformation

of Raju from a Tourist Guide to Spiritual Guide
Dr. Awadhesh Kumar Mishra
Asst. Prof. of English
Dr. R.M.A.S.College, Malighat, Muzaffarpur (Bihar)

Abstract: R.K.Narayan's novel 'The Guide' published in 1958 is based on Malgudi, a fictional town in south India.
The novel describes the transformation of the protagonist Raju from a tourist guide to a spiritual guide and then one of
the most famous holy man of India. The title refers to the last three of the roles that Raju assumed in his Unplanned
career i.e. as a tourist guide, as guide for Rosie and as Spiritual guide for society. He begins his career as any other
young man of average abilities by fitting into any role that comes his way. He runs the petty shop of his father and
when Malgudi station is set up, he runs a book stall selling, old magazines, being enquired by the passengers on
various details about the neighbouring places and he assumes the role of a tourist guide. His chance encounter with
Marco-Rosie makes him change his role as a champion of Rosie's craving for dancing career. He gradually assumes
the role of an impresario and manager of Rosie's dance career. Then a transformation takes place from fake swami to
true sanyasi (Spiritual Guide).

Keywords : Transformation, Social, Morality, Acceptance, Contribution, Confess.

R.K.Narayan is a great writer of characters. He is praised for his art of characterization. His
characters are based on the psychological treatment. All his characters are real and life like. Raju is the
central figure in the novel 'Guide'. The whole theme revolves round him. He dominates from the beginning
to the end of this novel. He is the only source of all incidents and events in it. He appears before us in
various forms as a Railway Raju, a hermit, a lover, a fraud, and a criminal. Thus, the novelist has named this
novel after him. It is Raju who is the guide.
The hero of the novel Raju is presented to us in various role that he plays in his entire life. He is
presented before the readers in different characters according to the changing circumstances. He acts and
behaves as per the demand of his circumstances. But one very inconspicuous trait runs from the beginning
to the end of his personality is the sense of guiding people in their private or common problems of life. The
underlying theme of this novel is that the hero begins and ends his life while guiding others, but failing to
guide himself totally. So this novel revolves round the central point of view which is guiding people in this
world.
Raju the hero of the novel is a young man, son of an ordinary village shopkeeper, having little
education. But as grows up he develops to be an intelligent and romantic young man. He is social,
adventurous and can win the hearts of his associated people.
With the introduction of the railways to Malgudi, tourists begin to pour there. The background of
Malgudi, tourists begin to pour there. The background of Malgudi is rich in natural sights and sounds. It has
very beautiful hills with lush green forests. There is the river Saryu flowing by. Far away is found ruins of a
place consigned to oblivion.
All these stimulate the interests of the visitors. Now Raju changes from shopkeeper to a successful
guide for the people coming to Malgudi. So we find Raju's first appearance as a shopkeeper changing to a
career of a tourists. He earns a lot of money and fame. He is extremely popular because of sociable nature.
Further, there is turning point in the life of Raju. In course of his guiding career he comes across a
young couple —Marco and Rosie. Raju comes in the life of Rosie and begins to act as her guide on her
artistic quest. For this, he also fans her discord against Marco her husband. On this account the romantic
turned artistic guide Raju confess,

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"I was accepted by Macro as a member of the family. From guiding tourists I seemed to have come
to a sort of concentrated guiding of a single family."
Raju then successfully acts an artistic guide of Rosie. Soon Rosie gets a towering success. And she is
the success of Raju. From artistic guidance Raju turns to a commercial enterprise. He transforms Rosie into
a commercial dancer. He begins to earn money. His art of guiding brings him affluence and fame. At this
stage the guide in Raju is known as Mr. Raj.
Unfortunately, Mr. Raj, the guide tries to forge the signature of Rosie for the release of her jewelry
from the bank. This is discovered and he gets imprisionment for two years. In jail, Raju's fine sense of
humor and social sense win him good friends. He acts also a guide for them in the jail. The jail life marks
the end of the romantic and commercial in Raju's life.
After all the jail life, he abandons his previous life and wanders away to a very distant and remote
village called Mangal. Here, the artistic-guide turned `gaol-guide' Mr. Raj. Or Mr. Raju takes shelter in a
temple. By chance he is taken to be a saint by the local people. He receives a lot of presentations and edibles
which gives him a comfortable life in the temple. Soon he capitalizes on the benightedness and credulity of
the villagers. Soon he begins to act as a wise man for the villagers by settling disputes and arranging
education for children. Here the traits of artistic turned gaol-guide seems to be 'Spiritual-Guide' obtaining
reverence from all but definitely not from God. The cosy life of Raju is caught in his own net of deception.
Raju is forced to go on fast to propitiate the 'Rain-God'. But before he dies, the guiding tone is still present
in Raju's words, when he says,
"Velan its raining in the hills. I can feel it coming up under my feet up my legs"
After his two year period in jail Raju bids good bye to the romantic life of woman, wine and wealth.
He wandered away to a remote village called — Mangal, where he sought shelter in a temple from the
probing eyes of society. By chance, the villagers look him to be a great and lived on their charity. But after a
long time, he was caught in the net of his own misdoings. The villagers forced him to go on fast in order to
propitiate the rain god to help the people struck by a long famine. Raju reluctantly went on fast and slowly
kissed the inevitable end on the 14th day of his fast.
The character of Raju strikes us very much even though he does not possess the great tragic heights.
Raju being an intelligent man, could read anyone in a short time. He tells us about Marco and Rosie —
"Perhaps he (Marco) married out of a desire to have someone care for his practical life, but unfortunately his
choice was wrong - this girl herself was a dreamer if ever there was one." However Raju does not exhibit
the great inner storm that we find in the tragic heroes of Shakespeare or Graham Greene. More or less Raju
proves himself an impresario from beginning to the end. He has no care for tradition, culture and morality.
He does not hesitate in luring a married lady and also earns money through her.
Raju has also certain good qualities which keep us bound to him. He receives punishments for his
misdeeds. The fast he was forced to take leads to his end without any salvation. He could have run away
from the village, but he did not want to demolish high hopes of villagers in him. He preferred to die than to
betray those who held him in such a reverential esteem. Raju's all voices are redeemed when he dies for the
villagers. His laying down his life evokes in us pity and sympathy which are the corner stones of a great
man.
So R.K. Narayan's "The Guide" is a fine example of realistic portrays of Indian scenario as this
technique was used by in tragedy King Lear Shakespeare skillfully exposes the chaos, illness and turmoil of
Lear's dominion with unadulterated realism of his art (Ramanan, 2014) [1]. With the same skill R.K.
Narayan portrays the journey of different phases of Raju's life like Station food vendor, a tourist guide, a
sentimental adultery, a manager of Rosie, a jailbird, martyred swami while portraying transformation of
Raju from Railway Raju to spiritual awaken Raju. Narayan put forward different religious, cultural, social,
economic aspects of Indian society. He also focuses on deteriorating family relation, religious nature of

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Indian society, and different problems of Indian society like drought, blind faith on sadhu, superstitious
nature of Indian people. "The Guide" is a magnum opus by R K Narayan which was published in 1958. It's
greatness is recognized by bestowing Sahitya Akademi Award on it. The movie "The Guide" is the blend of
philosophy, fiction and elements of supernatural blended with the faith of morals in it. Bollywood stars of
bygone era Dev Anand and Waheeda Rehman acted as leading stars in the film "Guide".

REFERENCES
[1] Osborne-Bartucca, Kristen. The Guide Study Guide. Grade Saver, 5 January 2019, Web. 7 May
2019.
[2] Ataullah Nuri. The Picture of the Indian Society in R.K. Narayan's in the Guide Literary Articles,
February 13, 2010.
[3] Vanathi A, R.K.Narayan's Narrative Skill in presenting rural scenario in his the guide : A brief
analysis Aijrrr 2017 1(16) : 5-8.
[4] Amisha Garg. Major Symbols in R.K.Narayan's : The Guide Volume : 3, Issue : 7, July 2015.
Paripex - Indian Journal of 5. Research 2015.
[5] Naipaul VS. India : A Wounded Civilization New York : Vintage Books 1977, 13.
[6] The Guide (1958) Mysore, Indian, Thought Publication, 1971.

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