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The Guide, written by R K Narayan in 1958, celebrates the myriad mysteries and bizarre charms of India, as seen through the experiences of a small-town tour guide, Raju from Malgudi. The novel went on to be adapted on the silver screen and has been immortalised by Dev Anand and Waheeda Rehman, playing the protagonists Raju and Rosie respectively.
On R K Narayan’s 111th birth anniversary, here’s revisiting this timeless story that captures the crazy and magical spirit of India through its themes of love, loss, betrayal and the search for God.
Here’s an exclusive excerpt from the book.
RAJU WELCOMED THE intrusion—something to relieve the loneliness of the place. The man stood gazing reverentially on his face. Raju felt amused and embarrassed. ‘Sit down if you like,’ Raju said, to break the spell. The other accepted the suggestion with a grateful nod and went down the river steps to wash his feet and face, came up wiping himself dry with the end of a chequered yellow towel on his shoulder, and took his seat two steps below the granite slab on which Raju was sitting cross-legged as if it were a throne, beside an ancient shrine. The branches of the trees canopying the river course rustled and trembled with the agitation of birds and monkeys settling down for the night. Upstream beyond the hills the sun was setting. Raju waited for the other to say something. But he was too polite to open a conversation.
Raju asked, ‘Where are you from?’ dreading lest the other should turn round and ask the same question. The man replied, ‘I’m from Mangal.’
‘Where is Mangal?’
The other waved his arm, indicating a direction across the river, beyond the high steep bank. ‘Not far from here,’ he added. The man volunteered further information about himself. ‘My daughter lives nearby. I had gone to visit her; I am now on my way home. I left her after food. She insisted that I should stay on to dinner, but I refused. It’d have meant walking home at nearly midnight. I’m not afraid of anything, but why should we walk when we ought to be sleeping in bed?’
‘You are very sensible,’ Raju said.
They listened for a while to the chatter of monkeys, and the man added as an afterthought, ‘My daughter’s married to my own sister’s son, and so there is no problem. I often visit my sister and also my daughter; and so no one minds it.’
‘Why should anyone mind in any case if you visit a daughter?’ ‘It’s not considered proper form to pay too many visits to a son in-law,’ explained the villager.
Raju liked this rambling talk. He had been all alone in this place for over a day. It was good to hear the human voice again. After this the villager resumed the study of his face with intense respect. And Raju stroked his chin thoughtfully to make sure that an apostolic beard had not suddenly grown there. It was still smooth. He had had his last shave only two days before and paid for it with the hard-earned coins of his jail life.
Loquacious as usual and with the sharp blade scraping the soap, the barber had asked, ‘Coming out, I suppose?’ Raju rolled his eyes and remained silent. He felt irritated at the question, but did not like to show it with the fellow holding the knife. ‘Just coming out?’ repeated the barber obstinately.
Raju felt it would be no use being angry with such a man. Here he was in the presence of experience. He asked, ‘How do you know?’ ‘I have spent twenty years shaving people here. Didn’t you observe that this was the first shop as you left the jail gate? Half the trick is to have your business in the right place. But that raises other people’s jealousies!’ he said, waving off an army of jealous barbers. ‘Don’t you attend to the inmates?’ ‘Not until they come out. It is my brother’s son who is on duty there. I don’t want to compete with him and I don’t want to enter the jail gates every day.’

Autumn is here and so is the season to go out and read. With cool fall breeze there to turn the pages of your book, what better way to enjoy the season but to immerse yourself in a great read.
Here are 24 books you should read this month.

The Shoonyam Quotient

Mickey Mehta, global leading wellness coach, and corporate life coach will show you how to be neither pessimistic nor optimistic, but optimized-primed to become the best version of yourself. The unique and motivational catchphrases and deep philosophical thoughts encapsulated in The Shoonyam Quotient will make you energized, content and peaceful.

The Golden House: A Novel

The story of the powerful Golden family is told from their neighbor and confidant, René’s point of view – an aspiring filmmaker who finds in the Goldens the perfect subject. The Golden House is about where we were before 26/11, where we are today and how we got here. The result is a modern epic of love and terrorism, loss, and reinvention- a powerful, timely story told with the daring and panache that makes Salman Rushdie a gleam of hope in our dark days.

Nostalgia

From one of Canada’s most celebrated writers and two-time Giller Prize winner, Moyez Vassanji, comes a taut, ingenuous and dynamic novel about a future where everything is possible. You will be granted an eternal life and freedom to choose your identity. Let’s explore this new territory of Vassanji’s brilliant writing.

Barefoot to Boots: The Many Lives of Indian Football

In Barefoot to Boots, renowned journalist Novy Kapadia reveals Indian football’s glorious legacy through a compelling detail of on-field action, stories of memorable matches, lively anecdotes, and exclusive conversations with legendary players and officials. The book will offer priceless insight into the future of the game as the Indian Super League dramatically changes the landscape of domestic football and India hosts the FIFA U-17 World Cup for the first time this year.

Words from the Hills

Words from the Hills offers a novel perspective to look at time and schedule forthcoming and bygone in a unique way. A biographical work developed around the life, works and philosophy of Ruskin Bond, in this planner we aim to catch those moments of pure joy. This planner (of 12/16 months), perhaps the first of its kind, will open a new window to our understanding of self-preservation and remembrance.

Songs of a Coward: Poems of Exile

Explore the liberating power of words in Songs of a Coward. Written by Perumal Murugan during a period of immense personal turmoil, these verses are an enduring testament to the resilience of an imagination under attack. By nature passionate, elegiac, tender, nightmarish and courageous, the poems in Songs of a Coward weave an exquisite tapestry of rich images and turbulent emotions in one’s darkest hour.

Prem Purana : Mythological Romances

Love is a universal feeling – it escapes no one -not even devas (gods) and asuras (demons), kings and nymphs. And when they face life’s unexpected tribulations, their love also undergoes trials. Tormented by passion, ravaged by betrayal, torn by the agony of separation, love in its many splendored forms is the origin of these incredibly endearing stories of Prem Purana.

You Never Know: Sometimes Love Can Drag You Through Hell

Dhruv knew Anuradha was his true love. But, despite this, he went ahead and fulfilled the desire of his body and mind. Akash Verma’s book You Never Know: Sometimes Love Can Drag You Through Hell will take you into a world of secret and dark revelations. What happens next? – is the question that will echo every time you flip a page.

Boo! 13 Stories That Will Send a Chill down your Spine

Boo is a collection of 13 well-crafted horror stories about a he-ghoul, a departed son’s soul, whispers and visitations from beyond, night howls, unearthly claws that erupt from bellies and the very first ghost in the world, among others. Penned by Shashi Deshpande, Kanishk Tharoor, K.R. Meera, Jerry Pinto, Usha K.R., Jahnavi Barua, Manabendra Bandyopadhyay, Ipsita Roy Chakraverti, Jaishree Misra, Kiran Manral, Madhavi S. Mahadevan, Durjoy Datta and Shinie Antony, the tales in Boo will surely spook you for a long time.

The Stardust Affair

Avinash Pawar, a young, undaunted reporter, works at the Mumbai Sun, alongside his mentor, Hamza Syed, a seasoned journalist who specializes in unearthing secrets about the city’s underworld. What starts out as a straightforward writing assignment quickly turns into a dangerous game where Avinash is playing for his life. Will he able be to escape from this dark world of drugs, crime, and deception?

Are You Connected ? 25 Keys to Live, Grow and Success with Self and Other

In this book, Acharya Venugopal, a monk from ISKCON, shares the different tools, skills, and experiences needed to help one connect to one’s own self, the people who matter and to God. Highlighting the need to go deeper into the meaning and purpose of life, Acharya offers skills to achieve peace of mind and to live in harmony with our true selves.

The Consolidators

The Consolidators talks about the second-generation entrepreneurs who tend to be the most interesting ones that have the controlling effect in business. In this highly original book, Prince displays the story of seven super successful second-generation entrepreneurs who showed imagination, gumption, and foresight in turning around the companies they inherited from their Fathers. In the most compelling way, this book will guide you to take your business to a sky-high reach.

Philosophia Perennis: Osho on Pythagoras I & II

Take a plunge into the world of Pythagoras. In a two-series collection, Osho expands on the perennial philosophy and the timeless laws of existence. In Philosophia Perennis 1,- Osho speaks on the ancient but little-known teachings of Pythagoras, his Golden Verses. In the second collection of talks on the timeless laws of existence, Osho talks about how the combination of seemingly polar opposites creates a unique meeting of religion and science. With the wisdom of Pythagoras, Osho blends in his insight to topics that include psychoanalysis, education, politics, revolution, sex and religion, making this book an exceptional read.

The Indian Spirit: The Untold Story of Alcohol in India

Wish to know where Drinking came from? Sit back and take delight in knowing the history of the drinking culture in India. The book is a treasure trove for those who have the palate to enjoy their drink and curiosity to know where it came from. Captured in the book are fascinating stories about alcohol, etiquettes of drinking and tasting notes on different spirits and brews!

Temporary People

Combining the irrepressible linguistic invention of Salman Rushdie and the satirical vision of George Saunders, Unnikrishnan presents twenty-eight linked stories that careen from construction workers who shapeshift into luggage and escape a labor camp, to a woman who stitches back together the bodies of those who’ve fallen from buildings in progress, to a man who grows ideal workers designed to live twelve years and then perish—until they don’t, and found a rebel community in the desert. With this polyphony, Unnikrishnan brilliantly maps a new, unruly global English.

India’s Most Fearless: True Stories of Modern Military Heroes

India’s Most Fearless covers fourteen true stories of extraordinary courage and fearlessness, providing a glimpse into the kind of heroism our soldiers display in unthinkably hostile conditions and under grave provocation. The Army major who led the legendary September 2016 surgical strikes on terror launch pads across the LoC; a soldier who killed 11 terrorists in 10 days are some of the true stories of heroism in the book.

On The Dessert Trail

Monish Gujral is back with his scrumptious detail of signature recipes from his travels across the world. A cookbook author, chef, restaurateur and popular blogger, Gujral presents these recipes with his own blend of ingredients. He simplifies the processes so that you can make them at home, at your pace, and in your comfort zone. This book is a home cook’s delight and a must-have for those who crave to satisfy their sweet tooth.

SHOOT. DIVE. FLY

Read twenty-one nail-biting stories of daring in Shoot.Dive.Fly. Lend your ear to brave men and women, on their stories about what the forces have taught them-and to decide if the olive green uniform is what you want to wear too. SHOOT., DIVE., FLY aims to introduce teenagers to the armed forces and ignite the fire in them, come face to face with perils-the rigours and the challenges-and perks-the thrill and the adventure of a career in uniform.

Republic of Rhetoric : For Speech & Constitution of India

India got her independence long time back. The book explores socio-political as well as legal history of India, from the British period to the present. It sheds light on the idea of ‘free speech’ or what is popularly known as the freedom expression in the country. Analysing the present law relating to obscenity and free speech, this book evaluates whether the enactment of the Constitution made a significant difference in the Indian social fabric relating to the right to free speech in India.

The Boys Who Fought

Pattanaik’s new book is back with an illustrated retelling of the Mahabharata to illuminate and captivate a new generation of readers. ‘When you can fight for the meek without hating the mighty, you follow dharma.’ In the forest, the mighty eat the meek. In human society, the mighty should take care of the meek. This is dharma. A hundred princes should look after their five orphaned cousins. Instead, they burnt their house, abused their wife and stole their kingdom. The five fought back, not for revenge but, for dharma. What happened later? What came of the five’s battle against the hundreds?

The Last Vicereine

India was on the brink of civil war when Lord and Lady Mountbatten arrived in New Delhi. The reluctant Vicereine was a rebel, a rule-breaker. She was a perturbed soul, a great beauty, a firecracker but there was more to her than we could envision. The glamour was a façade; behind it was a highly intelligent woman of influence and power. The Last Vicereine is a heartbreaking story which witnesses the tumultuous phase of the birth of two nations, and of love, grief, tragedy, inhumanity and the triumph of hope.