Summary
Chapter 5
Raju remembers how he used to be known as “Railway Raju.” Everyone asked for him and respected his opinion; he never told them he didn’t know the answer. He helped people find their way, and enlisted the old man Gaffur and his car to take the tourists where they wanted to go.
Raju notes that travelers are enthusiastic and don’t mind inconvenience as long as there is something to see. Raju doesn’t understand this but doesn’t care; it is not his place to ask questions. He gets to know the sorts of people who travel in the area. There are scholarly types whom Raju lets do most of the talking. There are more innocent ones whom Raju speaks to freely, making up glorious facts or exaggerating others.
The porter’s son now sits in the shop almost all day while Raju acts as a guide. He comes back to check the money. His mother wonders why he neglects the shop and Raju says he does not, and that he likes being a guide because people know him, ask for him, and give him food. He also finds talking to people interesting. She is mollified.
When a train comes into town, Raju knows exactly where to stand and what to do to get a tourist to notice him. He has an eye for them and has his classifications for them. There are passionate photographers whom he helps take to the right places. He waits to figure out how much cash the person will have first, though, and then decides how many hours of places he will show him.
Raju is quite skilled at making calls in a split second. He sees which tourists engage porters and which hook their own bags on their fingers. He sees which ones will want a nice room and which will want one just for sleeping. He carefully scrutinizes those who come to him, knowing they won’t be clearheaded right after their journey. He draws out what the person’s interests are.
After a long time being a guide, Raju knows no two people have the same interests. Taste differs. Some want to see ruins, others hydroelectric plants, others pretty vistas. Some want to get drunk, others want to find poetry in nature. Some want Raju to tell them everything, others want to instruct him on the facts. Raju is polite and amenable to all situations. He makes decent money, especially during special times such as the elephant herd trapping.
Once there is a girl who says all she wants to see is a king cobra dancing to a flute. Her male companion chides her, which annoys Raju because he finds the girl very enticing.
The man arrives first. Raju finds him strange but puts him up in the Anand Bhavan Hotel. The man, who Raju learns is named Marco, sightsees for a day and then tells Raju another person is coming. When Raju sees the girl, Rosie, he finds her appealing. She is not gorgeous but she has a lovely figure and dusky skin.
One day, Raju takes Marco to the caves and carvings he wants to see, and tells the girl he can take her to see the king cobra. Rosie asks her husband and he shoos her away and says he will see her back at the hotel.
Gaffur and Raju take Rosie to a group of huts on the other side of the river. Raju asks for the snake and a man prods it in the basket. It rises up and children run off screaming then return. Rosie calls for the man to play a flute and he complies. The snake writhes about. Rosie is mesmerized by it.
When they return, Marco tells Raju what time to bring the car around tomorrow. Raju is privately annoyed; he hates this man and does not like that he just orders the car and does not say where he is going.
The next morning, Gaffur and his car are waiting at the hotel. Raju asks where the couple is and Gaffur replies that they said they’d be down soon. Something in Gaffur’s manner bothers Raju; he thinks Gaffur must be trying to impress Rosie as well, and he feels jealous.
Raju goes upstairs and knocks. Marco opens the door fully dressed and ready to go. He exits and closes it. He informs Raju he wants to study the friezes again, then see cave paintings. Raju calculates how much this will cost in his head. He informs Marco they will probably be gone for a whole day and may not get back before the evening.
Marco sighs that Raju probably has no idea how to deal with women. Raju, feeling bold, asks what the trouble is. Marco is friendlier than he ever has been, and says the fairer sex does not lead to peace.
Raju has an idea, and ventures to ask if he might try talking to her. Marco brightens and tells him he can try. Raju goes back upstairs and knocks. He says it is he, not her husband. Raju lowers his voice and tells Rosie he cannot get the sight of her dancing form out of his head. She opens the door. With bright, tearful eyes she looks at him. She asks why he wants her to come out with that awful man. Raju leans in and says without her life would be blank. Raju expects her to shut the door on him angrily but she is amused. She tells him to wait.
Raju can barely restrain himself from bursting in. Marco comes upstairs, and is amazed when Raju says Rosie is coming.
Rosie comes downstairs and the three of them join Gaffur in the car. Gaffur warns them they may have to stay at Peak House tonight. Rosie dashes upstairs to get her and her husband a change of clothing. It seems things are better between them, but the air is still a bit tense.
The group reaches Peak House at four in the afternoon. The caretaker is pleased to see Raju sine he brings him so much business. Raju asks Marco for money for food and supplies. Marco is hesitant when Raju does that until he tells him he will get receipts.
Peak House is on a cliff in the Mempi Hills and has stunning views of the jungle below. It is “like heaven to those who loved wild surroundings” (57), and Rosie is in ecstasy with all the plants and flowers. Marco merely seems annoyed.
Joseph the caretaker brings them their food and shows them the coal stove. He warns them to keep their door locked. He says they can sit on the veranda and watch tigers and other animals below. Joseph leaves.
Raju knows his way around the kitchen and serves the food after watching a glorious sunset. Once, his hand touches Rosie’s and he is nearly insensate. He cannot stop thinking about her but wonders if it is wrong because of Marco.
Rosie asks Marco to join her on the veranda but he says she wants to be alone, so she asks Raju to join her. In the dark, Rosie asks about the various animals. Raju can only think of her beauty and wishes he could gush his love for her, but thankfully he restrains himself because Marco quietly joins them.
The next morning, the mood is sour between the two. Marco says he is ready to see the caves and when Raju asks about the lady, Marco snaps not to worry about her. Raju wonders what terrible things happen every night between the two of them that make the mornings so miserable.
Raju is bitter as he leads Marco outside. Marco strides ahead without knowing where he is going, and Raju finally asks if he knows the route. Marco is surprised and says no, and Raju takes over. At the cave, Marco is visibly excited and talks volubly. It is clear he likes dead and decaying things; how could Rosie be with him?
Inside the cave, Marco examines the cave paintings. Raju is bored as the hours pass. Finally, he says he will go back, and tells Marco to take the same route home. Marco ignores him and keeps up his examinations.
Back at Peak House, Rosie calls out to Raju from a stone wall under a tree. He joins her. She asks if Marco is still cave-gazing and Raju sys yes. He asks her what she is interested in, and she says anything but old stone walls.
Raju thinks this must be his moment and asks why she and Marco quarrel. He adds that he cannot fathom how anyone would quarrel with her. She asks what he means, and he pours out his immense love for her. He speaks of that love between comments on her art of dancing. Rosie is pleased but says he is like a brother.
Reckless, Raju asks why she married Marco. She admits it was for money and that she is from a caste of people dedicated to temples as dancers. All women in her family stretching back generations were dancers. When Rosie was young she danced in a village temple; her caste is viewed as public women and are not respectable.
Raju assures her that modern India is different and there is no such thing as caste. Rosie goes on about how she went to college and then afterward thought about what to do. She saw an advertisement asking for an educated, beautiful woman to be a wife to a rich man and decided to take it, especially as there were no caste requirements.
Raju is surprised at all of this but she defends her choice even though she is sad. Raju feels for her, and tells her he would have made her a queen in this place.
The group learns Gaffur cannot come until the following day but they are fine. Marco is pleased to have more time to study the walls. Raju studies the couple. When Gaffur does arrive, Marco says he’d like to stay longer and hopes Raju will go back to the hotel, fetch his things, and then come back here with him. Raju hesitates, but this is part of his job. He agrees. Rosie says she wants to go back as well.
Gaffur watches the two of them in the car but they do not talk or touch.
The next day, Raju takes Rosie all over town and shows her with great zest the sights of Malgudi. She is like an excited child and marvels at everything. Once Gaffur warns him that she is married and he waves him off angrily.
Rosie likes the market, hotel and cinema. It is a lovely, long day and Raju walks her back to the hotel. At the door, he hesitates and asks feebly if he should leave. Equally feebly she says yes. On impulse he gentles nudges her aside and enters. She follows.
Chapter 6
Raju loses count of time after trying to heed the cycles of seasons. His beard now caresses his chest, his hair is down his back, and he wears prayer beads. The villagers bring him so many things that he loses interest in getting more; he distributes everything at the end of the day. He asks Velan to stop, but they love gift-giving. They also begin calling him swami.
Raju loves the evening rains and how cozy they make the gatherings, but one day he notices that the sky never dims with clouds. He asks and Velan says sadly that the rains are not there and crops are beginning to die. Raju gives them comforting words but is disturbed when he goes down to the river to see how it has shrunk.
The signs begin to manifest more. Reports come in of sugar canes wilting. The people float all manner of theories, including science, religion, mythology, weather, and more. Raju tells them not to think of it too much but even his words are offering little comfort. The village wells are drying up and people come in waves to the river. There they quarrel and lament.
One day, Velan tells Raju a buffalo has died. Raju wishes he could say he can do nothing about it, but Velan asks if he can see it. To Raju, the people are “clearly losing their heads. They are entering a nightmare phase” (72). A small crowd follows Raju as he walks to the buffalo. Reports filter in of cholera in a neighboring village.
Raju inspects the buffalo. The people are somewhat relieved it is from a different village, and Raju add to this by saying it seems to have died from a poisonous bite.
More cattle begin to die. The shopkeeper has to raise prices and people become angry and start fights. The air is filled with curses and shouts. Raju is concerned with their agitation and wonders if he ought to find a new place.
In the morning, Velan’s brother comes to him and tells him Velan was injured. Raju gives advice but privately wonders if maybe this brother himself did it; after all, the brothers were all involved in litigation. Raju counsels rest for Velan but the brother says that is impossible, as they have to get ready for their big battle tonight.
Raju looks at the brother. He is of lesser intelligence and spends his days grazing cattle in the mountains. He only speaks to the cattle during the day and is very rude and abusive to them. He never visits Raju except for today because he feels like there are no other options, and he should get the swami’s blessing.
This man annoys Raju, especially as he tries to say he wasn’t the first to hit the shopkeeper, so he sighs that no one should fight. He does not like the idea of so much commotion because what if it attracts attention and the police come? He forcefully tells the boy to go tell Velan and the others not to fight and he will tell them what to do later. The boy is frightened.
Raju adds that he will not eat until they are good. The boy barely understands and out of terror of this wild man runs away.
He goes to the assembly of men gathered under an ancient tree. The elders are discussing the rain and fight. They have misgivings, especially because they do not want the swami to know about it and disapprove.
When the boy bursts in, he starts blubbering and the others can barely understand what he is saying. He says the swami will not eat and says “no fight.” The men perk up at this and the boy feels like he should not have said anything about the fight. He lies and says he told the swami that there is no rain. The men laugh and pat his head. He remembers he must be clear about the not eating and reasserts this.
The men buzz with excitement because they think Raju is being like Gandhi and refusing food until things improve. He will fast out of love for them and the rains will come. They forget their troubles and bickering.
The village stirs. A crocodile is found dead. The river recedes and an ancient temple is unearthed. The fight is settled amiably and the people en masse decide to visit the swami.
Raju is waiting for his gifts and food. His mind wanders to new recipes and his old favorite foods and cravings. When he hears voices, he is relieved but a little puzzled at how large the crowd is. Perhaps he prevented the fight and people are grateful.
The people approach and soften their voices. The women get busy cleaning and lights are lit. Raju reads quietly while they work. He reads a passage aloud and discusses food and God’s goodness. They listen politely for an hour but then Velan says their prayers will be answered and the swami will save their village. Raju is puzzled, but thinks these are just normal praises for him.
Women come to touch his feet and when he protests they all say he is not a man but a Mahatma. The crowd presses in and will not leave him alone. They gaze on him with more intensity than normal. They thank him and stumble through their words of thanks. Raju ruminates that perhaps his presence really is that glorious.
Time passes and Raju is confused that they are not presenting food or leaving. He cannot ask though, and all Velan will say is that he is undertaking a great sacrifice and they simply want to be at his side.
Finally, Velan asks if Raju thinks the rains will come tomorrow. Confused, Raju says it might if it is God’s will. Velan proceeds to tell him of what he thinks Raju is going to do—stand in the river water, look to the sky, utter prayers for two weeks, and fast the whole time. Raju is stunned; he remembered saying all this long ago to fill an evening. He knows he cannot be surprised and thinks maybe this is the time to be serious and attach meaning to his own words. He “now sees the enormity of his own creation” (85).
Raju turns to Velan and says he must be alone tonight and the day tomorrow and that Velan must come to him tomorrow night alone. This sounds important and Velan agrees. The people depart.
Raju’s body aches from sitting. His mind is tormented. He does not know how he can survive without food. He wishes he’d known this scenario he made up would apply to him so he could have tweaked the parameters. He thinks about running away, but then remembers the women and children touching his feet and how grateful they were.
His solution is to dip into his extra food that he kept for a second meal at night; this will help him survive.
When Velan comes the next day Raju asks him straightforwardly what it is about him that makes Velan think he can bring the rain. Velan is perplexed.
Raju calls him to sit and says he must listen to him. He feels terrible that he will have to shatter the illusion but it is the only thing he can do. He begins to speak, admitting he is not a saint and is a normal man. Raju’s voice fills the night. Velan listens seriously and says nothing; “there are lines of care on his face” (87).
Analysis
In these chapters there are two significant events that will alter the course of Raju’s life: meeting Rosie and getting himself involved in a fast to bring the rains. In regards to the first, Raju demonstrates his lack of character in pursuing another man’s wife, justifying it because he thinks Marco is a “grotesque” and rude man, and appealing to Rosie’s love of dancing to secure her affection.
The character of Marco is a compelling one as he is passive but his actions end up mattering a great deal to the course of Raju and Rosie’s lives. He is primarily interested in “dead and decaying things” (62) and “cold, old stone walls” (63) as Rosie puts it. He is constantly immersed in dark caves, out of the sunlight of real life. Metaphorically this points to his ignorance of Rosie and Raju’s affair; it also helps cement the fact that Marco is not interested in his living, breathing wife as a human being. Though she may have done wrong to have an affair, Marco was undeniably harsh and dismissive of her throughout their marriage. Later when he discovers the affair he is justifiably aggrieved and angry, but his marmoreal nature asserts itself and he treats Rosie worse than she actually deserves.
Rosie is more complex than either Marco or Raju. She first appears to be a simple, childish being who delights in things like a cobra dancing to a flute and the saccharine compliments of a tour guide. However, not only is she college educated, but she demonstrates even early on that she makes her own choices in life. Coming from a dancer caste, the women of which are considered “public” and low-class, she does not want to languish there poor and disrespected. She chooses to marry Marco because he does not care about caste; though she does not love him, she does what she thinks is best. Her life with Marco is mostly miserable, and though with Raju it will not be much better, it is still a path for her to eventually become completely free.
Raju is compelled by Rosie’s beauty and her sad story. He ignores the warnings of his mother and Gaffur and eventually tanks his entire life in order to be with her. One wonders what is exactly so beguiling about Rosie that Raju would do this; yes, she is attractive, but is that enough for Raju’s single-minded obsession? For him to set aside some of the things that make him tick, such as working with tourists and being seen as indispensable and an expert? What does Raju get out of this relationship besides the obvious (sex)? A few hypotheses include: 1) he does not like Marco as a person and delights to an extent in fooling him; 2) he sees that Rosie is in need of comfort and he likes feeling needed; 3) he likes the intrigue and putatively low-stakes danger; 4) he never really had any friends or engagement in his community anyway, and this adds color to his life; and 5) he lacks insight into himself and cannot see the road ahead of him—i.e., he does not realize or care to realize what he is doing to his life because all that matters is the here and now.
In the contemporary narration Raju becomes used to his new life as a holy man. Ever an actor, he looks the part and is completely revered by the community. His qualms about remaining are mostly gone, but he does toy with leaving once the villagers start to become distressed about the drought and concomitant famine. His maxims and parables only go so far in alleviating starvation. However, Raju finds karma catching up with him in terms of his making up stories about holy men and their deeds. He had no idea that through a few twists of fate—Velan’s brother finally coming to see him at the height of the villagers’ turmoil, accidentally mentioning the fighting, trying to cover it up to the elders, and mixing up exactly what Raju said about fasting—that he would become responsible for ending the terrible drought via fasting and praying. If there was any time to leave it would be now, but Raju has been here long enough that he doesn’t find that to be so easy. He “felt that after all the time had come for him to be serious” (84) and “felt moved by the recollection of the big crowd of women and children touching his feet” (86). These thoughts show a growth in his character, especially when he decides he will tell the truth to Velan.
