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The Bachelor of Arts
Mar 17, 2004 06:10 PM 29409 Views
(Updated Mar 17, 2004 06:10 PM)

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There are books and books but there are a few books, which make you empathize with the protagonist so much so, that you feel that the incidents, which have been delineated in the book, have actually happened with you. The '' The Bachelor of Arts'' is one of those books which does this to you and more.


The peerless RK Narayan, who needs no introduction to anyone interested in literature, authors the book. I can say this without any fear of contradiction that RK Narayanan ranks among the finest Indian writers, writing in English. This book only furthers this assessment of mine. I think a word or two on his literary works would not be out of place. His stories are set in Malgudi, an imaginary small town that is loosely modeled upon Mysore where he spent many years of his life.


Malgudi is a quintessential small Indian town, the likes of which most of us are familiar. He populates this town with slightly eccentric people who are gullible and are still untouched by the winds of change sweeping over India.


The characters created by Narayan are colourful and almost real, the most popular among them being Swami, Jagan, The Talkative Man, Nagaraj etc. One of the striking features of Narayan's craft is his characters stand out and are not endowed with heroic features, all his writings are not pessimistic or cannot be said to be a insight into society where he bases his stories. There are no newfangled literary devices like ''magic realism '' which present day writers so liberally sprinkle their writings with, just the pure craft of old fashioned story telling which entertains the reader and occasionally educates him too.


It is characteristic of Narayan that he wrote unassumingly in English without fancy signing amounts, interviews in page 3, photo-ops with celebrities and without any pretensions to political activism which is the latest fad among writers of the present generation.


Returning back to the book, ''The Bachelor of Arts'' can be called as a sequel to ''Swami and his friends'', but of course the difference being Swami is the hero of '' Swami and his friends'' whereas Chandran is the hero in this book. In a way, it can be said that Chandran is the adolescent version of Swami.


This book is set in Malgudi, like all the books of Narayan and concerns itself with the last year of college and thereafter of Chandran. Chandran, in his last year at college is faced with the ageless dilemma we all have faced in our lives- that is of the future. The indecisiveness, which characterizes this period in life, has been beautifully depicted. This book brings out all the facets of life, which is peculiar to that period.


Chandran enters a magical phase in his life- he falls in love. His attempts at trying to communicate to the girl he loves, Malathi are amusing and have an element of pathos in it. His approaches to his father regarding his marriage, the astrological complications which ensue, the reaction of his parents to the news of his love affair, the war of wills between him and his parents which follows and the subsequent happenings are very touching and are most likely to ring a bell in the reader's mind.


The incidents and the structuring of the story are so well done that you feel that the story is autobiographical, which it is. The plot can be interpreted as a clash of generations, the older generation, which is inevitably scandalized when the younger generation shows the smallest sign of independence. This aspect has been very subtly enmeshed into the narrative.


Narayan manages to grip the reader with his gentle prose, flawless and smooth narrative and I would go far as to say that it is one of the best coming of age genre novels of its kind in English. It would undoubtedly take its place besides JD Salinger's '' Catcher in the Rye''.


How Chandran grapples with his marriage plans and decides his future form the latter part of the novel. You are advised to get yourself a copy of this book and find the rest of the plot for yourself. I can guarantee that it will be well worth the effort and this book would be a beginning of your long association with the world of Malgudi. Happy reading!


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