Page 151 - DENG202_ELECTIVE_ENGLISH_III

Elective English—III

Notes He had no time to examine those things on other days. He is a hobbyist. He likes to repair things
with his own hand. He wants to hang a picture, repair the radio and oil the watch. He sits like a
great god in his workshop. However, he is unable to do anything because he finds many
instruments are missing somewhere in the cupboard. The boys of him who stand near him want
to escape from their father’s scolding. Suddenly he sees his children playing in the next house.
He finds that his children are not developing on the right times. He punishes them. The man
finds that half the Sunday is left. There are only a few more hours left. He remembers his
promises. He wants to fulfil them. He gets up after his rest. He thinks that he can take his family
out on that day. Then he remembers how he spent the previous Sunday with children, howling
with hunger at the bus stand. He says to his children to stay at home that day. He promises to
take his family out ‘the next Sunday’.
In “The Crowd”, R K Narayan says that he likes Crowd. In a crowd, a man can attain great calm-
he can forget himself for a few hours. He has seen many crowds when he is in Madras near radio
stand at the Marina, Flower Bazaar road, Central Railway Station platform and Parry’s corner to
Moore market. There he was watched humanity in a dazzling variety and shape of colours,
forms, voices, appeals and activities. He likes crowd at a temple festival. The misanthrope hates
a crowd, misses the charm of life.
In the essay “Coffee”, the author describes the story of Coffee and the way it came to India.
Bababuden, a Muslim saint came from Mocha, bringing with him a handful of seeds and settled
himself on the slope of a mountain range in Kadur district, Mysore state. This range was later
named after him, and anyone can see his tomb while making a short trip from Chikmangulur.
Later he describes the process of Coffee-making, which everyone does, but he gives many
precautions for making tasty Coffee.
Thus R K Narayan’s early essays cover a range of subjects which are common such as ‘Restaurants’,
‘Gardening without Tears’, ‘Of Trains and Travellers’, etc.
11.5.3 Middle Period Essays

R K Narayan wrote these essays for ‘The Hindu’ and other periodicals. They were written when
he has at the peak of his career. These pieces represent various aspects of Narayan’s engagement
with Post-Independence India. One such essay is “Reluctant Guru”. In 1969, Narayan was visiting
professor at the University of Missouri, Kansas University. When he stepped into his very first
class, R K Narayan found himself confronted with a very of elderly ladies, each brandishing a
copy of ‘The Guide’ in her hand. This essay is an autobiographical essay. Here the Reluctant
Guru is the author himself. He is exposed to the naiveté of American campus crowds. On tour as
a D.V.P (Distinguished Visiting Professor), Narayan meets in shock but amused silence, a throng
of people who thinks that India is only the land of snake charmers, Yoga, Mysticism, Philosophy,
Fakirs and Black Magic. He professes to them on everything that is demanded of the land of
Kama-Sutra. What comes out in this refreshing essay is the blinkered view the west has of the
Eastern sub-continent, especially India. Humour is there and what sets the mood of the reader is
the matchless symphony and humour, which unfolds the fact of India. The Bharat brand of
English, the defence of the usual late corners in India, the world of culture mongers, a plea for a
ministry of worry, brings out the best of R K Narayan’s pungent and sparkling humour and his
capacity to launch in any situation.
‘The Newspaper Habit’ is a funny essay about the reading habits of a newspaper. The man-in-a-
hurry glances at the headings and summary and puts away the paper for a thorough study later
in the day but he misses the sports column. The boy, who borrows the paper, detaches the sports
page.
In the other essay “The Lost Umbrella”, R K Narayan describes how he often forgets his umbrella
at shops, for which he filed a detailed complaint with the police. R K Narayan says that an

146 LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY