Waiting For The Mahayajaya By Bharti And Karayi Character Analysis

In the beginning of 20th century India was imbued with the spirit of patriotism. The people were coming out of their houses; even the women were also taking active part in struggle for freedom under the influence of Mahatma Gandhi. He was a man of action. He practiced what he preached. When he asked the people to speak the truth, he himself became the embodiment of truth. He spoke the truth, whatever the cost. The acknowledged his weakness by writing “My Experiments with Truth”. He believed in The Bhagwat Gita. He led a simple life and tried to purge the Indian society of the evil of caste system. His dress was minimal, his requirements were the bare necessities and he preferred spiritual poise over materialism. He bore no ill will towards …show more content…
When R.K. Narayan and Raja Rao were writing, the struggle for freedom was at its peak. The people were participating in this struggle regardless of the consequences. To be imprisoned was no cause of the insult. It was rather a matter of pride. Women, children, old persons all participated in this “Mahayajaya’. The story of Waiting For The Mahatma delineates the struggle for freedom and through the heroine Bharti and Sriram, Narayan depicts the common persons taking part in freedom struggle which forms the backdrop of romance between the two. Bharti is involved in Mahatma Gandhi’s Movement. Sri ram loves her and join the movement in the course of time he comes in contact with anti British extremists and lands in jail, after coming out of the prison Bharti and Sriram are reunited. The revolutionary ideas of Mahatma Gandhi are contrasted with the conservative ideas of the locals. The locale is the same like his other novels i.e. Malgudi, the fictional …show more content…
Jagan is a man of high principles. He is proud of his son, Mali. He recites The Bhagwad Gita to his minions, spins the wheel. He goes by the word but not by the spirit. He thinks he is leading his life according to Gandhian principles. Later, he becomes aware of his shortcomings and tries to live by the méssage of The Bhagwad Gita. He says to his cousin “conquer taste and you will have conquered the self”, said Jagan to his listener, who asked ,”why conquer the self ?” Jagan said, “I do not know but all our sages advice us so.”(7). He tries to influence Mali to lead his life according to Gandhian philosophy but to no avail. He has to bear the consequences of his karma and he lands himself in jail for drunk driving. Jagan realizes that all his life he had been chasing false ideals. He realizes that his salvation lies in realizing the ultimate truth. Jayant.K. Biswal thinks that it echoes Rosie’s idea of karma and he must suffer for his Karma(27) . Jagan may not be successful in his goal but he starts his quest for the truth. The theme of attachment and its consequences is prevalent throughout the