Waiting for the Mahatma (Hardcover)

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.

Young Sriram, who has led a somewhat sheltered life under the care of his grandmother, meets Bharati, an activist in Mahatma Gandhi's Satyagraha movement. Through his pursuit of Bharati, Sriram is drawn into the independence movement, and we see through his eyes how various parts of Indian society were dealing with the prospect of independence. Some were disturbed by likelihood of change (ranging from those with a big stake in the Imperial status quo, to those who disliked British rule but nonetheless viewed its demise with deep distrust - for example one powerful person is shocked at Gandhi's inclusive attitude towards untouchables). Others of course sat on the fence or were just not bothered about politics - who was in charge was a matter of utter indifference to them.

Sriram is drawn closer to Indian nationalists who were prepared to take a more violent attitude to protest, such as his friend Jagadish. But Narayan contrasts their position with that of a British person who has lived in India for over thirty years, employed many Indians and regarded himself as an Indian: Sriram's intolerance turns to embarrassment during a conversation with that character.

Narayan weaves these themes into the main plot with great skill - big issues are reflected, illuminated, and put into context by everyday events. At times people and events appear to be comic, at other times tragic, but always they carry a resonance.

The true hero of the novel, of course, is Gandhi. Narayan depicts him as a saint-like figure (he even uses that term). Whether or not this will grate upon readers with a greater knowledge of Gandhi and his place in Indian history than mine, I don't know. It is true to say that the novel is sentimental in places. Perhaps that approach was right for the time the novel was written, and it might not hang together so well if it was written in a different, more critical way. I was prepared to overlook that and just enjoy the read.