II YEAR BCA - IV SEMESTER

TALKATIVE MAN BY R K NARAYAN

Introduction:
R.K. Narayan, one of India's most recognized novelists, wrote the entertaining
novel "The Talkative Man." The plot is set in the imaginary village of Malgudi
and focuses on a chatty and quirky guy named Sastri, who is frequently put in
intriguing and often funny circumstances. Narayan expertly tackles topics of
communication, human nature, and the complexity of small-town life via
Sastri's interactions and travels. Narayan delivers a gripping narrative that gives
insights into human behaviour’s quirks and storytelling's power with his
trademark humour and charm.

About the author:

R.K. Narayan was a well-known Indian author who significantly contributed to
English literature. He was born on October 10, 1906, in Madras, India, and died
in Chennai on May 13, 2001. Narayan's creative career extended six decades,
during which time he created an impressive body of snovels, short tales, and
essays. His distinct storytelling style, packed with wit, humour, and realistic
characterization, won him international praise and cemented his place as one of
India's most acclaimed authors.
Narayan's writing style is distinguished by its simplicity, grace, and ability to
convey the nuances of human emotions. Narayan's thorough observation of
human behaviour, along with his extensive knowledge of Indian culture and
society, enabled him to craft realistic and relevant stories.
The importance of R.K. Narayan in Indian writing is too much. His works not
only entertained but also informed readers about societal concerns, human
nature, and the complexity of life. Narayan's ability to infuse regular lives with
enchantment and his capacity to discover humour in ordinary circumstances
made his writings appeal to individuals from all walks of life.
Plot
The main character is a wealthy regular man who works as a journalist. His
daily pattern includes posting articles in the post box, conversing with folks at
the tea shop, and visiting the library and his residence. One day, he encounters a
man from "Timbuctoo," another of Narayan's inventions comparable to the
United States. The man appears to have arrived on an official UN assignment
and decides to stay for his job after seeing the peace.

Summary
The narrative opens with the introduction of Sastri, a self-proclaimed all-
knowing expert, and legendary gossip. He is well-known in Malgudi for his
outgoing personality and ability to tell interesting stories. Sastri is married to
Narsami, a calm and reticent woman frequently the target of his constant
speech.
Sastri's exploits begin when he builds a printing press in Malgudi to publish The
Talkative Man, a newspaper. The newspaper aims to capture and disseminate
the town's everyday activities, tales, and gossip. The locals are excited about
seeing their lives in print, but many are sceptical about Sastri's plan.
As Sastri begins to gather content for his newspaper, he becomes immersed in
the lives of the people of Malgudi. He becomes a confidante, hearing their
stories, rumours, and secrets. With each contact, Sastri receives more content
for his newspaper, and his reputation as the Talkative Man develops.
Throughout the story, Narayan introduces a colourful ensemble of people, each
with their quirks and stories. We meet Minakshi, a lady motivated to create a
book on her life experiences; Babu, an aspiring poet seeking advice from Sastri;
and Rangi, a little girl who believes a ghost torments her. With its rich social
dynamics, gossip networks, and lively individuals, Narayan deftly captures the
spirit of small-town life.
As a regular visitor to the Town Hall Library, Sastri often visits not to indulge
in reading but to eagerly check if any of his stories have been published.
However, most of the time, his visits end in disappointment.
During one of his visits, Sastri unexpectedly encounters a stranger at the library.
The man stands out due to his fair complexion and unfamiliar attire, indicating
that he is not from Malgudi. He introduces himself as Dr. Rann from
Timbuctoo, who claims to be on a United Nations mission. Interestingly, he
shares Sastri's talkative nature and reveals that he has come to Malgudi to
peacefully complete his book, which he believes will create a sensation once it
hits the market.
Sastri discovers that Dr. Rann, the talkative man from Timbuctoo, has been
illegally lodging in the station's waiting room, causing trouble for the station
master as extended stays are not permitted. Eventually, Sastri invites Rann to
stay at his house on Kabeer Street, and he quickly realizes that Rann is an
intriguing and striking character.
Rann possesses an air of secrecy and appears to be a knowledgeable scholar
dedicated to eradicating dangerous weeds that threaten humanity. However, he
also exhibits a restless nature, constantly moving from one place to another and
struggling to focus on a single project. Although he seems reserved and shy,
Rann effortlessly captivates women with his captivating stories.
Claiming to advocate for the theory of Futurology, Rann presents himself as an
orator. However, he resembles a wild weed, ready to spread and overtake
everything in his path. When Sastri publishes a story about Dr. Rann, complete
with his photograph, in a newspaper, a woman arrives in Malgudi from Delhi,
claiming to be Rann's wife. She reveals that Rann is not on any UN mission but
is, in fact, a womanizer who enjoys playing with women's emotions.
As the town gossips and Sastri delve into the matter, the true color of Dr. Rann
is unveiled. It becomes apparent that he plans to elope with, Girija, a student
and the granddaughter of the old librarian who admires Rann as a scholar and
believes he is guiding her toward a successful future. Just as Dr. Rann's plan is
about to fruition, Sastri writes a letter to Rann's wife, prompting her to come to
Malgudi and discreetly abduct him. After some time, Sastri receives a letter
from Rann's wife, informing him that Rann has run away with a nurse named
Komala. Rann's deceptive appearance, dressing style, and fair complexion
effectively ensnares unsuspecting women.

Theme
The theme of R.K. Narayan's "The Talkative Man" includes various interwoven
themes that provide readers with significant insights into communication,
human nature, and the complexity of small-town life. The following are the
novel's main themes:
• Communication and Miscommunication: One of the novel's primary
topics is the power and hazards of communication. The chatty man,
Sastri, is always engaged in talks and collects tales, emphasizing the
 importance of human interactions. The tale also shows how
miscommunication, misunderstandings, and rumors may cause turmoil
and unexpected consequences.
• The Nature of Truth: "The Talkative Man" challenges readers to consider
the nature of truth and the dependability of information. As a result of
gossip and personal opinions, Sastri's experiences demonstrate the
subjective and fluid character of reality. Narayan emphasizes the
significance of determining the truth in the face of rumors and
contradicting stories.
• The Influence of Storytelling: Narayan emphasizes the powerful
influence of storytelling in changing perceptions and affecting
relationships. The Talkative Man, Sastri's publication, becomes a forum
for exchanging stories and gossip, grabbing the attention and imagination
of the villagers. The novel emphasizes the importance of narratives and
how tales can both build and destroy bonds between people.

Conclusion
The conclusion of R.K. Narayan's "The Talkative Man" completes the narrative,
resolving the many stories and highlighting the implications of the chatty man's
deeds. The actual character of Dr. Rann is revealed in the closing chapters,
resulting in a chain of events that eventually end his fraudulent machinations.
Dr. Rann's devious motives become clear to Sastri as the tale develops. Rann,
acting as a scholar and orator, had charmed the villagers, especially the women,
with his enthralling stories. However, Sastri's investigation and Rann's wife's
arrival from Delhi reveal the truth about his actual character.
The concluding chapter of "The Talkative Man" warns about the dangers of
lying and the value of honesty and morality. It illustrates what happens when
people take advantage of others for their benefit. Narayan skilfully draws the
story to a close by revealing the reality behind Rann's character, serving as a
lesson in the perils of false personas and the need to take responsibility for one's
actions.
SARSA:
Sarasa is the: most dominant and domineering woman in the present novel. She
is modern, unconventional, educated, economically self-dependent, physically
tough and more masculine in her manners and assertiveness than men like her
husband, Dr. Rann, Madhu, the journalist, nick-named as Talkative Man and
diminutive personalities like the station master or the porter. Temperamentally,
she is built up to command whosoever comes her way. All these traits of
personality are cultivated in her by her position as Commandant of Home
Guards Women's Auxiliary stationed at Delhi. She arrives at the Malgudi
railway station by 7 Down train from Delhi. Her imposing appearance is very
startling and astonishing to the station master. In his embarrassment, he
persuades TM to meet the lady in the waiting room. Suddenly emerging from
the waiting room, she appears confronting TM unhesitatingly. Her striking,
imposing physical features and look are reported in these words:
HomeNovelSarasa: Character Analysis in The Novel - Talkative Man
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There are two major female characters in the novel, Talkative Man, namely,
Sarasa and Girija. Sarasa's mother, Girija's grandmother and the puny station
master's wife are minor characters. Besides these, there are references to
numerous women of various parts of the world who fall a victim to the
philandering and deceitful ways of Dr. Rann. Komal, a nurse in Matilda's, is
also one of these women who are caught into the predatory clutches of Dr.
Rann.
There are two major female characters in the novel, Talkative Man, namely,
Sarasa and Girija. Sarasa's mother, Girija's grandmother and the puny station
master's wife are minor characters. Besides these, there are references to
numerous women of various parts of the world who fall a victim to the
philandering and deceitful ways of Dr. Rann. Komal, a nurse in Matilda's, is
also one of these women who are caught into the predatory clutches of Dr.
Rann.
Sarasa

Sarasa is the: most dominant and domineering woman in the present novel.
She is modern, unconventional, educated, economically self-dependent,
physically tough and more masculine in her manners and assertiveness than
men like her husband, Dr. Rann, Madhu, the journalist, nick-named as Talkative
Man and diminutive personalities like the station master or the porter.
Temperamentally, she is built up to command whosoever comes her way. All
these traits of personality are cultivated in her by her position as Commandant
of Home Guards Women's Auxiliary stationed at Delhi. She arrives at the
Malgudi railway station by 7 Down train from Delhi. Her imposing appearance
is very startling and astonishing to the station master. In his embarrassment, he
persuades TM to meet the lady in the waiting room. Suddenly emerging from
the waiting room, she appears confronting TM unhesitatingly. Her striking,
imposing physical features and look are reported in these words:
".. a six footer woman (as it seemed at first sight), dark-complexioned, cropped
head, and in jeans and in T-shirt with bulging breasts, the first of her kind in the
Malgudi area. She strode towards us, and I knew there was no escape".
Her dress, her straight-forwardness and the unwavering initiative in
introducing herself to TM as Dr. Rann's "the only one regularly married and the
first" wife out of his possibly several wives make him rather feel stunned. Her
voice reveals a tone of command and exudes astounding self-confidence. She
means earnestly what she says. Holding a copy of the photograph of the
"Timbuctoo man" in her hand published in a newspaper, she enquires
authoritatively from the journalist where this man is. He feels a little cowed
down in her abrasive presence. and tries to avoid getting entangled into the
matter. He, somehow, manages to slink away from there after telling her
ambiguously that he does not know much about his whereabouts at present. He
just has had a chance encounter with him and adds that probably he has left for
some other place like Madras etc. She has an uncanny, intuitive, empirical
perceptive power which enables her to see through the false game that TM has
played upon her. However, she is discreet enough not to make an explicit
expression of her suspicion about his evasiveness.
The forceful impact of her personality is visibly noticed by TM when, on his
coming back home, he mentions to Dr. Rann that there is "A lady to see you" at
the railway station. Receiving this news, Dr. Rann is unnerved to the point that
he keeps standing in the bathroom, his face full of questions. He looks to have
become a little paler and shrunk a few inches into his Japanese kimono. Dr.
Rann is very curious to know about the features of the lady but TM knowingly
does not reveal much and enjoys his state of predicament. Dr. Rann's previous
posture of presumptuousness looks punctured and pathetic by a mere mention
about this lady.

She is persistent in her pursuit. One afternoon, to the dismay of TM, she
makes a sudden appearance at his house in Kabir Street. Luckily, Dr. Rann who
is putting up in a room in his house is away at that time and the journalist leaves
a message with Sambu to hold Dr. Rann back when he comes to return his
scooter. The facts of her commanding personality, outlandish manners and
deportment, confident and fearless behaviour, verve and modernity are totally
strange and startling for the inhabitants of Kabir Street who are traditional,
peculiarly localised in dress and manner residing in that part of Malgudi since
generations. Sarasa's uncommon, unwoman-like and non-traditional demeanour
is deducted like this:

"The neighbours viewing her from their pyols must have been startled: her dress
and deportment were so unusual in our setting. She was attired like a Punjabi
woman, Kurta or Salwar Kameez or whatever they call it, which seemed to
exaggerate her physical stature, which was already immense. She was a large
woman by any standard."

Her manner of dressing and toughness of physical body are in complete

contrast with women in Kabir Street who wear customary and conventional
dress like glittering silk sarees, gold and diamonds. Against this backdrop, she
looks "like a visitor from another planet. She wore around her neck white beads
in a string, like a gipsy and had round her shoulder a pink muslin wrap - the
total effect was startling really."

She is uninhibited and so loquacious that even TM feels defeated before her
despite his being nick-named as a talkative man for his habitual volubility by
the people of his locality. She describes Rann as a crook, a woman-killer, an
imposter assuming various aliases and a debauched who has seduced and
deserted numerous women all over the globe. She is hardy, sturdy and endowed
with determination somehow to catch hold of him. She has feeling towards him
alternating between wringing his neck on the one hand and fondness for him on
the other. The masculine resilience in her character is manifested by her
unalterable resolve to pursue her vagabond husband to any nook and corner of
the world. She has been to the capitals of the world, hunting for him with the
help of the Interpol and has met only the poor wrecks left behind by him after
his sudden disappearance. Her husband is a Casaniova-like character who seeks
pleasure in hunting women, ravishing them and then deserting them. Listening
to such a description of Dr. Rann by his own wife, TM is reminded of Adolphe
Menjou, a film actor in the thirties.

The central tenor of the novel delineating Sarasa-Rann relationship is

categorically stated by Narayan in the "Postscript" which reads thus:

"This is only the story of a wife's attempt to reclaim her erratic, elusive husband
who is a wanderer, a philanderer on a global scale, abandoning women right and
left."

Keeping this context in view, the very fabric of the present novel aims at
depicting a social or moral milieu which is at variance with Narayan's other
novels. Hence, Sarasa is projected as a woman with exceptional drive, energy,
dash and dominance. Daisy in The Painter of Signs comes doser to her to an
extent. Narayan's other prominent female characters such as. Savitri, Shanti,
Rosie, Grace and Susila etc. look unsnewyn, submissive and brittle vis-a-vis
Sarasa.
 Sarasa is born and brought up at Madras. Her home name is Roja. Her early
life is ordinary. Her father runs a carpentry shop, in the backyard of his house
manufacturing wooden stools, benches, furniture and other household articles.
She belongs to a conventional, average and common family. She has received
her school education at St. Evans in Egmore which is a locality in Madras. She
has passed the tenth class examination successfully.
Her association with Rann begins during the days when he is supplying
them at, home magazines, mostly film magazines on daily charges. He is a
delivery boy of a circulating library. His original name is Rangan who hails
from a southernmost village named Maniyur. He is a student of Loyala College
at Madras and supplements his income by serving part-time in that library. He
reaches Sarasa's house at the end of his round. Besides film magazines, he will
supply Some serious magazines also like the National Geographic and Will
recommend to her some special article to be read in such magazines in order to
improve her mind and knowledge. Moreover, he will come to collect racks,
stools and benches for his boss's shop from her father's worksheet. Whenever he
comes to their house during his daily round, both of them will sit close to each
other on a stone bench under a mango tree in their compound and he will
explain to her some serious articles from some serious magazine in order to
make her understand them. These intellectual discussions in soft whispers lead
to the inevitable result of their getting closely intimate with each other. She
grows fond of him and feels highly elated while in company with him.
Her association with Rann goes on thickening in due course of time. The
frequency of their meeting increases day by day. In addition to their meetings in
the evening at home, she is waylaid by him to and from school and taken on his
bicycle. She starts missing her classes happily and spending this time with him
at coffee house or ice-cream parlour. She is liberally entertained by him. She is
highly influenced by his knowledge about all sorts of subjects. She is taken to
the museum and feels thrilled by his descriptions about the eleventh century
bronzes or in another corner about the nomads or forest tribes and their cowrie
shell ornaments and so on. She is charmed by the explanations, he gives true or
false, of the stuffed animals, their habits and character. So, museum is their
nearest rendezvous. Sometimes, they go by bus to the beach, enjoy the ozone in
the air, the surf and the sand. He holds her arms and drags her knee-deep into
the waves. Such a thrilling experience makes her forget her home and parents.
They enjoy a matinee at the Elphinstone or Mount Road occasionally. She feels
highly flattered as her eyes have been opened to new horizons by him.
Whenever she gets late in coming back home, she will put off her father by
concocting some excuse such as she has to attend a special class, has gone on
some excursion with the teachers or doing joint study with a friend in some
difficult subjects. These explanations will satisfy her father who is, otherwise,
very busy in fulfilling his customers orders. But her mother sees through her
tricks and gives her occasional warnings. Consequently, she starts coming back
home in time. Her mother tells Rann not to visit their house as they no more
need magazines. Thus, the meetings between them become impossible. Sarasa
explains the void created in her daily routine by his absence in these words:
"I missed the warmth of his company and his enlightening talk, and above all
the timid pecking on the neck and hugs when none was looking."
The love-affair replete with wooing, though temporarily thwarted, continues
through the exchange of written bits of paper brought to each other by the maid-
servant who has been entrusted by her mother with the job of keeping
surveillance over her. Moreover on the days when her parents visit Avadi - her
mother's home and return by evening, she bribes the maid-servant who will
allow her to go out. She will go to the circulating library office. From there,
both of them go to Elliot's beach - an ideal retreat for lovers. They will stay in a
shack near the beach and enjoy there for hours together.

Sarasa's marriage with Rann is not traditionally arranged one. Subsequent to

her surreptitious meetings, she elopes with him on the day her parents have
gone to Avadi. She is taken away in a car brought to her house by Rann. The
maid-servant is given a gift of ten-rupee note. Both of them are blessed by her.
Thereafter, Sarasa is taken to a temple on the out-skirts of the city. Rann buys
two garlands of jasmine and chrysanthemum from a flower-seller on the way.
Their wedding-ceremony is solemnised by a priest who is already prepared for
the occasion in the temple. It is presided over by the priest himself. Thus,
Sarasa-Rann marriage instead of being conventionally arranged is one that
tallies the Western pattern of finalising the matrimonial knot preceded by a
protracted period of loving, wooing and courtship. The marriage-ceremony is
accomplished in a simple, brief and unostentatious fashion. Sarasa gives a
graphic description of this occasion thus:

"A priest had lit oil lamps all around the image of some god. He presided over
the exchange of garlands, asked us to prostrate before the god, lit a heap of
camphor, got a couple of his friends to witness, in addition to God, distributed
fruits to the gathering, lit a little flame we circled, and sounded a bell. He then
gave the bridegroom a yellow thread, and told him to tie it round my neck,
charged us fifty rupees for his service, issued a rubber-stamped: receipt, and we
were husband and wife"

The ritual of marriage is performed without the pomp and show of lights,
drums and pipes. Still, the minimum code of matrimonial-knot is fulfilled.

Their married life, after this brief ritual, passes together very joyfully. They
find an outhouse, a cosy one with a kitchen and bed-sitting room in Poonamalla
High Road and live there as happily as they can. Rann continues working in the
library now in a senior position with a lot of responsibilities. Sarasa joins the
service in a travel agency as a receptionist. Each of them leaves at nine
everyday with a packet of lunch. She cooks food getting up early in the
morning. As she returns late in the evening, they take the left-over cold food
and go to bed. But, this merry state does not live long.

The blessed state of their wedded life is suddenly upset by the events that
follow. On his arrival back from Avadi, her father is furious to find her missing.
The maid-servant, in self-defence, tells him that Sarasa has been forcibly carried
away by two young men in a car. Hence, her father files a report of kidnapping
at the Egmore Police Station. The Police Inspector, known to her father,
alongwith two policemen discovers them when they are enjoying their lunch on
the sea-shore, trying to live all the romantic poetry one has read in one's life.
The Inspector seizes her husband's hand and puts fetters on it. Thereafter, Rann
is handed over to a sergeant and she is ignominiously brought back home. He is
charged with kidnapping and abducting a minor girl and is sued against in the
Presidency Magistrate's Court. The lawyer gets Rann bailed out after three days.
Sarasa is forcibly made to sign an affidavit that she had been kidnapped. The
maid-servent puts her thumb impression on the affidavit as a witness to the
kidnapping part of the episode.

Rann's lawyer takes old record of her birth from the Government Maternity
Hospital. He proves that they were married at 3.30 in the afternoon of 18th
May, 1978 and her birth's date and hour, according to the hospital register, is
1.30 a.m. and so it is confirmed that at the time of her marriage she is eighteen
years and three hours old. Since she is a major girl, she has full power to decide
her course of life. The defence-case is established in the cross-examination. The
court acquits Rann and declares them duly married.

The court-trial leaves an indelible feeling of bitterness in Rann's mind. The

spontaneity of love-feeling exists no more in their married relationship. Rann
remains cool, reserved and pensive despite their living together again. The
police case and all its ill-feeling are gone in due course of time. Her parents also
get reconciled with them. They visit them at their house with gifts of fruits etc.
But, there has come a transformation in Rann. He never tastes anything brought
by her parents and does not speak to them. Moreover, his faith is also shaken in
her because of the affidavit she has given against him in the court. He rather
becomes firm and hardened in his outlook. She describes their post court-trial
life thus:

"He brooded a great deal and seemed to nave undergone a change of

personality. It was not the trial and the prosecution but my sworn statement read
out at court that seemed to have shattered his faith. I could never forget the
expression on his face when the lawyer read it out and I had to confirm it in
public."

There is no more joy of the past days in their wedded life. It becomes a dull
routine affair of a fifty-year old couple. She does her best to cheer him up and
attributes his dullness to his physical fatigue. But actually, it is not so. Their
married life suddenly ends one day, as, "He did not come home one evening -
that was the end." Since then, she is not able to find a clue about him despite the
best of her efforts. Only once, she got the information from some known person
that he had been seen at the Kuwait travel agency. But, she failed to get any
further information thereafter.

Sarasa's steadfast perseverance and indomitable determination compulsively

hold back TM to listen to her past conjugal life in full details. He tries to go
away on the pretext of keeping up some previous engagement. But she, like the
Ancient Mariner who holds back the wedding guest to listen to his story of
shooting the Albatross, does not let TM go till her full story is related to him.
She leaves her visiting card to him on the promise that he will inform her the
moment he gets any clue of Rann's whereabouts. The comparison of Sarasa's
compulsive manner with that of the Ancient Mariner evokes the suggestion of
mysterious and enchanting powers emanating from her personality.

She is shrewd and practical-minded. She manages to stay in the waiting

rooms of the Malgudi railway station for days together by the application of her
common sense. She gratifies the station master by giving him a five-rupee note
everyday and the porter as well by giving him two rupees daily. She is provided
food by the station master's wife. In this way, she cultivates human personal
relations with the station master's family and the porter. They are sentimental at
the time of her departure for Delhi. This trait of her character is just contrary to
her husband's who keeps himself shut and aloof from the station master and the
porter while putting up in the waiting room. The station master is always
approaching TM to get him away somehow. His departure from there in the
company of the journalist comes as a great relief and a good riddance to the
station maste.

Sarasa's sincerity and consistency towards Rann vis-a-vis the latter's

unending profligacy and disloyalty heighten the moral stature of Sarasa. Rann's
insincerity is par excellence. He observes no taboos of age etc as far his desire
for quenching his lecherous thirst is concerned. On the other hand, Sarasa is
consistent and remains faithful to him. The dichotomy between his outward
pose and his internal, unsuspected intentions, makes Dr. Rann a ludicrous
figure. His externals consisting of his polished, Western way of dressing
himself in "a blue three piece suit, tie and shining shoes and holding a felt hat in
hand" coupled with his stance of an academician working on a UN - sponsored
project give an impression about him of his being an 'educated, well mannered
gentleman. He exploits such exterior show as a trick to snare a woman and
ultimately uses her for the satisfaction of his insatiable sensuality. Sarasa is
totally a different personality who follows the traditional norms of loyalty and
fidelity in wedlock despite her husband's known vagrancy and his "unsuspected
depths of duplicity." In view of human qualities, she is much above this "callous
and indiscriminate lecher."
In the "Postscript" to the novel, the author states about the exit of Dr. Rann
from Malgudi. He says:
"I have told you his story as far as I could confine and observe him as a curio in
Kabir street, but I had to manoeuvre to get him out of Malgudi hurriedly, when I
found that he was planning to seduce and abduct a young, innocent school girl
known to me."
In this way, the nemesis befalls Dr. Rann leading to the reunion of Sarasa
with him and his ejection out of Malgudi. Further turn of events brings in focus
Sarasa's success in her mission of relentless search for her vagrant husband. She
is entrusted with heavy responsibilities of her high official position as
Commandant of Home Guards at the headquarters at Delhi. The demands of her
job are urgent and exacting. She has to move about a lot. She has to visit the
neighbouring towns and places which come under her control. Notwithstanding
the burden of official duties, she remains equally alert and acts smartly
whenever any hint is given to her about her erratic husband. The circumstances
come to a pass when TM, who shields Dr. Rann from her in their first encounter
is now forced to get the poisonous and annihilating weed-like (this weed being
the subject of his research study) Rann ejected out of Malgudi so that his
lecherous, devious ways do not succeed in polluting and defiling the virtuous
and the human norms of Malgudi life. Gaffur's disclosure to him of Rann's final
plan of seducing and abducting the sweet seventeen year old Girija acts as a
catalyst in ensuring the execution of a strategy of Dr. Rann's exist by TM.

The celebration of its Silver Jubilee by the Lotus Club of Malgudi with a
bandobast of high publicity and by handing out a large number of invitation
cards provides an opportunity to TM. Dr. Rann is persuaded by him to read out
a paper on the subject of his UN - sponsored project. The lecture is entitled,
"Futurology" in which he deals with a small grass-like weed spreading all over
the planet earth. By 3000 A.D., this weed will grow into a giant-size and its
peculiarity lies in annihilating all other vegetations with a foreboding for the
total extinction of human race and other forms of life from earth as there will be
nothing to eat and this grass in itself is poisonous. To synchronise his capture by
Sarasa with the conclusion of his lecture, TM sends a telegraphic message to
her:

COME IMMEDIATELY. YOUR HUSBAND FOUND. COME BEFORE HE

IS LOST AGAIN. YOUR ONLY FINAL CHANCE TO ROPE HIM. STAY
RAILWAY WAITING ROOM. I'VE FIXED IT. TAKE CARE NOT TO BE
SEEN IN TOWN. WILL MEET AND EXPLAIN FURTHER PROCEDURE.
 Sarasa is prompt and strategically practical-minded in carrying out the
action. She has learnt to cope with emergency situations from the nature of her
profession. She comes by air to Trichy and from there she hires a car for
Malgudi. She waits at the railway station for a final word from the journalist.
She is given a VIP invitation card for the function.
The alarming thrust of Dr. Rann's lecture about the impending extinction of
human race from earth terrifies women in the big gathering in the Town Hall
auditorium. Moreover, some miscreants play a mischief by announcing that a
cobra is creeping about in the hall. The result is a stampede of people hurling
chairs hither and thither and at the podium where Dr. Rann is seated, unfazed, in
a chair feeling amused by the fun of the effect of his lecture. TM gets him out of
the hall into a dark corner to save his life. Two persons, already stationed there,
push him inside the waiting car in which Sarasa is already seated. Thus, the
prodigal husband is taken over by his dauntless, adventurous wife. He does not
resist. The incident proves the reversal of roles of man and woman. The general
male-dominated ethos of Malgudi depicted by Narayan in most of his novels
pushes woman into the background, occupying second position to man. But
here, like Daisy in The Painter of Signs and Bharati in Waiting for the
Mahatma, woman occupies a pre-eminent position and the male counterpart is
dwarfed into a weak, timid, submissive and ineffectual figure. The characters
like Daisy and Sarasa are the embodiment of a resurgent, self-confident and
self-supporting Indian woman in the post Independence period. Modernity
exerts its natural influences on the ambience of the Indian society and changes
the pattern of old, archaic, traditionally-followed norms and values. Woman is
not lesser than man in any field of acitivity. Sarasa does not wail and sulk like
Savitri in The Dark Room. She accepts the challenge thrown by her wayward
husband. Unlike Savitri, she does not feel helpless like a bamboo pole without
the support and shelter of her husband's house.
Sarasa succeeds in roping in Dr. Rann on account of her determination,
fortitude and the capability to fight and struggle against the heavy odds and
adversities of life. After their arrival back to Delhi, they live together. The
moments of joy of their past life return. She describes the period of their
reunion as wife and husband like this:
"As far as we were concerned, we were back in the days of my father's
carpentry, on the bench under the tree, whispering to each other. Such revived
moment made one forget the present condition. The joy in each other's company
and the sense of fulfilment were complete and indescribable."
 The period of reinvigoration and revival of happiness lasts for a few months.
Overtly, Dr. Rann gives impression of feeling fully satisfied with the co-
existence with her. He expresses a sense of regret for his past disorderly
behaviour. Sarasa's initial doubts about his movements are cleverly removed by
him through his regulated routine of enjoying company with her in her off-
hours, keeping himself occupied with studies while alone and by following a
normal routine of jogging in the park in the morning and a stroll on the market
road in the evening without anybody's company. The heavy duties of Sarasa
keep her pre-occupied from six o'clock in the morning at the Parade Ground till
late hours in the evening. Still after her return home late in the evening, both of
them share with each other the scintillating hours of conversation and
companionship. Sarasa details such hours like this:
"We found time to sit and talk only late in the evening after I had shed my
official uniform and changed into a saree. We had chairs put out in the garden
and sat there till late at night, even carrying our supper out under the stars."
Being convinced of the change reflected in his outward behaviour, Sarasa
relents her watchfulness and surveillance over Dr. Rann. She does not bother to
know about the correspondence that he receives. Moreover, her engagement
with her official duties keeps her away from him for the larger part of the day.
The constraints imposed on household life by the modern style of working
women are evidently illustrated by Sarasa's daily routine. Its inevitable
consequence leads to long hours of separation and dissipation of physical
energy in professional pre-occupations at the cost of mutual closeness in marital
relationship.
The disastrous occurrence takes place again when Sarasa has to go to Jaipur
for three days on some official assignment. On her return, she is shocked to
know from her cook that Rann has gone away with a woman in a car soon after
his breakfast taking his trunk and suitcase on the day of her departure for Jaipur.
After enquiries, she discovers that the woman with him is a nurse named Komal
from Matilda's since she has resigned her job and has disappeared. Moreover,
this information is confirmed as he, alongwith the nurse, has taken a flight to
Rome the same day under the name, Dr. Rann of Malgudi. Before leaving the
house, he has left a written slip of paper which is handed over to Sarasa by the
cook. It reads like this:
"Good-bye dearest. I have to be off again. It was lovely while it lasted-thanks."
 The incorrigible disloyalty and duplicity, the errant and dubious behaviour
of her husband in winning and cheating any woman of the world deal a
crumbling jolt to a woman's heart in Sarasa. She breaks down and sobs
uncontrollably before TM on her another visit to Malgudi, hoping against hope,
that Rann may be there again. She regrets having noticed the news item about
the 'Timbuctoo man' in the newspaper and also for not having accepted her
father's advice to keep away from him. Her pathetic state of mind moves TM to
tears. He says:
It was distressing to see a mighty personality, generally self-possessed,
crumbling down.
To avoid further discomfiture, Sarasa rushes back abruptly into the waiting
room. Her heart is broken, with no hope of revival, by the heartless, deceitful
and lecherous Rann. She fails to cure him of his elusive, duping tactics of
woman-hunting.
The persistent hot pursuit undertaken by Sarasa for recovering her
philandering, wandering husband is comparable to Savitri's dogged effort in
following Yama, the god of Death, with unyielding pleadings to revive the dead
body of her husband, Satyavan. Ultimately, Yama has to accede to her
persuasion and her husband's corpse is put to life again. In the same way,
Commandant Sarasa also succeeds in capturing her elusive husband but again
loses him with no possibility of recovery for the second time. She, in the end,
bows down to the inevitability of the situation.
Sarasa's conspicuous qualities of sincerity, scrupulousness, love,
tegardfulness and human warmth towards her reclaimed husband despite his
past global cheating, impostor's behaviour add lustre to her personality. She
embodies in her a hormonious combination of a wife's loyalty and faithfulness
with sangfroid, self-dependence and tenacious struggle someness of a modern
educated woman. Her towering and commanding personality is much above the
crook, stealthy, coward, immoral, feeble, treacherous and debauching Rann. He
represents a poor, worthless portraiture of a hypocrite who remains
irredeemably an incorrigible womaniser and defiler by beguiling men and
women with his assumed outward show of false superiority reflected in his
westernised dress and pose of an academician working on a UN - sponsored
project at an international level.
Girija:
Girija, whose home name is Baby, is the grand daughter of the Town Hall
librarian who is old and has joined this job after his retirement as sheristedar in
the court. She is a sweet seventeen year old girl. She is tall. She is studying in
the final year of B.A. in a college in Malgudi. She has been brought up by her
grandparents at Malgudi away from the house of their son-in-law who is
always, occupied with agricultural operations, animals and 'gobar' gas plant.
Their daughter also behaves and lives in the way of her husband. Both of them
are settled in the librarian's son-in-law's ancestral home in a village. Girija has
been taken to the town so that she may receive proper education and can be
saved from the cowdung mindness of her parents.
She is a gentle and innocent girl. She is serviceful to her grandparents. As a
daily routine, she brings a flask of coffee and tiffin in a brass vessel for her
grandfather at three o'clock in the afternoon. The old man will feel supremely
satisfied at the sight of the girl with refreshments. He will vacate his chair, take
the tiffin and flask of coffee to the inner room in order to relish the delicacies in
isolation. The girl will take the chair of her grandfather and keep a watch
around during his absence. After taking refreshments, he will lie in an easy
armchair inside that room for some fifteen minutes in order to relax his old
limbs. Thereafter, he returns to his usual seat with a refreshed and satisfied look
and Girija is allowed to go back home.
Girija in her innocence and simplicity falls a prey to the devious ways of Dr.
Rann. One day when Girija is sitting in the librarian's chair, Dr. Rann happens
to come over there. Finding a young girl in the place of the old man, he feels
irresistibly drawn towards her. He stands beside the table and starts, talking to
the girl. He introduces himself as a man from Timbuctoo. Girija feels amused
by the name of the place and gets interested in his talk. She is impressed by the
manner of his conversation and by his look of a well-dressed educated person as
well. His lechery comes into full play as he looks upon her like a new victim to
be knotted into his snares. He approaches the table and halts his steps "with all
his faculties alert and tense like a feline coming upon its unsuspecting prey."
The girl is greeted by him with an effusive, ceremonious bow in a very
winsome manner. Seeing this spectacle, TM feels an urge to call aloud to Dr.
Rann warning him to keep away from the girl as she is too young and of his
daughter's age. He thinks of this lecherous demon as one who will not mind
even if she were a grand-daughter. Girija is caught into his devious ways of
influencing the fair sex. He draws up a map with a stylish slim gold pen on a
piece of paper in order to make her understand where the place named
Timbuctoo is located. TM expresses how the girl comes closer to him and gets
into the charmed circle of his crafty manners. He says:
"- the girl brought her face close to his. I'm sure he was casting a spell
at that moment, for it seemed to me that the girl was relishing the
smell of the after-shave lotion and hair-cream, which, I suspected,
made him irresistible to women. He knew it and turned it in fully."
Dr. Rann continues explaining to her historical, topographical and economic
matters of Timbuctoo in detail and holds the girl in thrall. Thus, the very first
meeting with Girija paves a way for him to come closer to her. The intimacy
aroused in her makes her feel at home with him later on. She is exploited by this
unscrupulous knave. She has already fallen a victim to him to be taken orn by
him as and when he desires to do so. The stylish, knavish and cunning ways of
Dr. Rann are summed up by TM in these words:
"I noted how accomplished an act he was putting on. He was versatile - one
moment to impress the girl and patronise her and take her under his wing - so
solicitous, kindly in tone - the world of the fairy-tales, the next moment the
international scholar academician adopting his manner to impress the old man -
on whose good-will he would have to depend in order to get closer to the girl."
This is how craftily he makes inroads into the heart of a woman invisibly
and unnoticed and ultimately draws her inextricably into his vicious Octopus-
like claws.
Girija, with all her unripe age, simplicity and innocence, comes completely
into Dr. Rann's vile clutches. This is confirmed by the reports given to TM by
different persons like Gundu Rao - the Municipal horticulturist, Jayaraj - the
photographer at the Market Arch and Nataraj, the owner of the Royal theatre.
Gundu Rao notices Girija and Dr. Rann sitting on a bench close to each other in
a remote corner in the Protestant Cemetery far out on Mempi Road. He goes
there to trim hedges as ordered by the Collector. He notices a scooter parked by
the side of the cemetery which is some five miles away from the town. Dr. Rann
is using Sambu's scooter for such amorous visits with the girl. Jayaraj reports
the daily routine movements of the girl with Dr. Rann. He tells TM that at 10:30
a.m., Dr. Rann is ready behind the Town Hall compound and the girl reaches at
10:30 a.m. and mounts on the pillion of Sambu's Vespa. They reach Kismet Ice-
cream Stall at New Extension by 10:45 a.m. He leaves her at the level-crossing
at 10:58 a.m. from where she goes to the Albert Mission College alone to give
the impression that she has come by herself. After the college, she is met again
at the level-crossing and thereafter they go to some unknown place for their
love-making and flirtation. Nataraj, the owner of the Royal Palace talkies also
conveys to TM the report that the occupant-gentleman in his house has got two
sofas reserved in balcony for a show with a girl.
Girija's movements with Dr. Rann remain unknown to the girl's
grandparents. She no more brings tiffin and coffee for the librarian in the
afternoon. She befooled them for her late-coming by fabricating excuses that
she has to attend extra classes or has to do joint studies with some friends as this
is her final year of B.A. class. The old man feels happy and satisfied with the
serious attention that Girija is giving to her final year studies. He gets lost into
the future prospects of the girl like marrying her with a good boy after her
graduation and at a place which is not very far off so that they are able to
maintain regular contact with her. Thus, the surreptitious movements of the girl
with Dr. Rann defile and pollute her innocence and simplicity. She grows
crafty, cunning and an adept in duping her grandparents on false pretexts.
However, one evening she brings Dr. Rann to her house. The shameless wretch
entertains Girija's grandmother with conversation and good manners. The
grandmother is worshipful to him for his modesty and gentleness in agreeing to
share their simple food with them despite his superior up-bringing and status.
TM also becomes suspicious. He notices how his movements are based on
Girija's time-table. One day, in his absence, Madhu unlocks his room with a
duplicate key and examines his briefcase and a portfolio of letters. He comes to
the conclusion that the man has been touring different parts of the world under
different assumed names and has been hunting women everywhere and
deserting each of them elusively. All the letters have a commori feature - "the
cry of desertion." Hence, TM starts apprehending the imminent doom going to
occur to Girija for the avoidance of which he works out a strategy.

Girija is flattered and cuddled by Dr. Rann into future fantastic visions. She
must have been told not to mind her studies as he can procure her a degree from
any place of the world. His fabulous plan regarding her is exposed to TM one
day by Dr. Rann himself. He calls Malgudi a backward place, not fit for a
growing, aspiring young mind. He puts it like this:
"- but for a young mind starting in lite, a more modern, urban, cultural feedback
will help. My private view is, don't quote me, from what I have seen, she should
not grow up with her grandfather. A hostel would be preferable-where she can
compare and compete with her age-group. Anyway after final exam. In March,
she should decide her future."
Girija is inexperienced and raw-minded. She is easily taken in by evil
designs and allurements offered by Dr. Rann who is a hardened, callous
debauched and a breaker of innocent hearts. Now, their flirtatious movements
are undertaken by hiring Gaffur's taxi. Gaffur is happy that the taxi-hirer pays
him ungrudgingly according to the meter. His daily income has gone up. His
mind gets catapulted to the flattering vision of replacing his present old model
taxi by a Rols Royce one day if this gentleman continues paying like this.
The stage is finally set by Dr. Rann to elope with Girija and seduce her and
leave her to, her fate like many other women who have been his victims. Gaffur
confides in TM the catastrophic conclusion of Girija-Rann love-affair as
planned by him for the day of the Silver Jubilee celebration of the Lotus Club.
Dr. Rann is to deliver a lecture entitled, "Futurology" to the audience in the
Town Hall auditorium. The topic concerns his subjects of research about a
grass-like weed which will spread all over the earth annihilating all other
vegetations and grow up into a giant-size. All forms of life including human and
animal will perish as there will be nothing to eat and this grass-like weed cannot
be eaten because of its being poisonous. After the conclusion of his lecture, as
pre-planned, Girija will elope with him in Gaffur's taxi to the Peak House up the
Mempi Hills. Dr. Rann has promised her to marry and take her to America.
Gaffur, with his packed baggage in his car, will wait for him at a spot not far
away from the Town Hall and the girl will wait for him at the school verandah
with her belongings packed in a trunk.
TM feels stunned at the prospect of an innocent girl's getting victimised and
seduced by this incorrigible lecher. To avoid this catastrophe, he sends a
telegraphic message to Commandant Sarasa - Dr. Rann's first and ritually
married wife - to come immediately in order to capture her loafing husband. A
plan is meticulously made between TM and Sarasa so that she is able to catch
hold of the man without upsetting the programme of the Lotus Club's Silver
Jubilee celebration. After a melee created in the hall, Dr. Rann is escorted out
into a dark corner from where two men, deployed by Sarasa push him inside the
waiting car where she is already seated. He is whisked away successfully in his
wife's conpany. TM goes to Gaffur's taxi and takes him along to pick up the girl
back to her grandparents house.
 The intensity of Girija's association with Dr. Rann comes in open expression
for the first time when, seeing Guffur's taxi arriving towards her, she exclaims
with extreme gaiety and gusto:
"Ah! The meeting over? How I wished I were there to listen to you and watch
your triumph in public." She blurted out: "Oh, darling, how happy you must
be...now we are free and checked herself".
Girija's depth of association with Rann is explicit in her embarrassment
when Gaffur gets out of the taxi and informs her about the changed situation.
She is not prepared to believe all this. She becomes hysterical and speaks
against them all as they are inimical to Dr. Rann. She bursts out into admiration
for him saying, "He was so good, oh, he was kind and generous and loving. You
don't understand him, nobody understands him. Take me to him, wherever he
may be, let me know the truth from his own lips." It takes a long time for TM
and Gaffur to control her and to make her regain her balance to some extent.
They push her inside the taxi, which she does not resist as she is dead-
exhausted. The transformation brought about in her is amazing to both TM and
Gaffur. They leave her near her grandparents house. She is, thus, saved from
being seduced and ravished by a womaniser and ravisher of all good values of
human society. After this mishap, Girija remains gloomy. She is taken to a
doctor by her grandfather for treatment. Thereafter, she keeps herself occupied
with studies and shuns all company. TM is happy to know that the girl seems
"to come through her escapade unscathed." Her honour is saved.