“The Guide” is a famous novel written by R
“The Guide” is a famous novel written by R.k.Narayan.The entire story is set in the fictional town named Malgudi.In this,Raju is the protagonist who is known as Railway Raju as a tourist guide.The story depicts the transformation of a tourist guide into a spiritual guide.The novel begins with coversation between Raju and a villager named Velan who was asking guidance from Raju to convince his sister for marriage because Velan considered him as a holy man but Raju was not focusing on that instead he thinks about his past life in prison.Earlier,he lived in a small village eith his mother and owned a shop at railway station.Then next day he somehow convinced Velan’s sister to get married this made him popular as a holy man and becomes very popular among the villagers but this embarrassed him.Because he was thinking himself a traitor and then he accepts the way as it is.Then Raju came to know about the people’s fighting due to famine.Raju tries to solve the problem by giving a message but the message was carelessly manipulated and told to the people that he is fasting for rain.This brings him more fame.Raju shares his past life’s story with Velan.Raju tells him that he was a famous tourist guide and his life changed after meeting a beautiful lady named Rosie.In railway station he met her with her husband Marco.Marco was an archealogist and a workaholic so he hardly makes time for his wife so rosie became close with Raju because he appreciated her dancing skills and spend more time with her.Because of misunderstanding between Rosie and Marco they got separated and Rosie decided to live with Raju but still her love for her husband remains in her heart.Since Rosie is a great dancer belonged to a family traditionally dedicated to temples as dancers and they were treated low for that reason.In order to make their living Rosie started to perform dancing programs and Raju became her manager.Slowly Raju turned to loose his love for Rosie and started to move towards money he made lots of bookings and never considered about Rosie.The money earned by Rosie was spent lavishly by Raju and after sometime a letter came from Morco but he hides it from Rosie and did some foregery tricks to cheat them and also got arrested for that and his mother also left him.Rosie started to hate him and left the place with her husband’s book.After narrating this whole story he admits himself as a common man and not as a holy man on the other hand newspaper circulated his great sacrifice for the welfare of people.According to Raju this was the first thing he is doing for the welfare others without any expectations.On the 11th day doctors treated him and started to give up on his health and then after sometime he went to the mountains and he said he could feel it is raining in the hills and then he sagged down.The author made it interestin without revealing the secret why it happened to rain and also the story reflects the social condition of that time and deals with self realization of a common man in his life.Raju was able to find the true pleasure in helping others and not in his love affair or money.
