Waiting for The Mahatma

Waiting for The Mahatma – R.K. Narayan’s novel, Waiting for the Mahatma (1955), describes the last five years of Mahatma Gandhi’s life. Set in Narayan’s beloved, make-believe town of Malgudi, narrates the travails of Sriram and Bharati, two Gandhian who fall in love but are forbidden by the Mahatma to marry in haste. When finally he gives them permission to marry and promises to solemnize the marriage himself, Gandhi is assassinated. The present study examines and analyses the narrative from the point of view university examinations. It provides a comprehensive summary of the novel, its background and the critical problems arising therefrom.