Childhood days of Raju
Raju lives in a small house opposite to Malgudi station. His father was a shopkeeper who sold peppermint fruit, tobacco, betel leaf, parched gram and such other petty particles. Raju helped his father in the shop keeping while sitting at the shop selling peppermints and eating them was easy for Raju. But he did not like to be wake up at the shattering cry of the eccentric cockerel every morning. He hated learning alphabets and simple arithmetic from his father. Whenever he as free he played under the tamarind tree. Raju had no company and enjoyed looking at the scene and men who visited his father’s shop.
One day Raju noticed much activity in front of his house. Later he learned that a railway truck and railway station were to be built there. There was a great excitement. When the truck were parked under the tamarind tree Raju went on playing on the mud and construction materials. One day his father’s friend heard Raju using bad language. He complained to his father and Raju’s father was very angry at this.
So he decided to send him to school. His father admitted Raju to the pyol school thought Albert mission school was nearer his father did not send him there, because his father believed that 
there the boys were converted to Christianity. The Pyol School was run by an old teacher. All the classes were held at the pyol in front of his house at the same time. The teacher made the students ready loudly from their book and copy down the letters on their slates. The teacher was a very abusive man. The teacher was pain one rupee per month for each boy. However the boys brought presents and eatables frequently. Whenever the teacher is short of articles he would ask the boys to bring it out to him from his home.
The boys made a lot of noise. They were very mischievous. Raju’s mother made much fuss on his first day to the school. Raju was very happy at the attention given to him. Later he was bored with all the activities. He took his own time to reach the school. The teacher was always busy with the household works. The students followed the teacher, the moment his back was turned. One day the students found him cooking in the kitchen. All the boys giggled and the old master was very angry. He frightened them to hand over to the police if they followed him. That day onwards their attention diverted to the drain running beneath the pyol. They made paper boats and floated it in the drain water.
Raju was intelligent, though the teacher was abusive he could learn much very soon because within a year he was found fit to be admitted to the first standard in the Board High School. The teacher himself took Raju and two others there and blessed them before leaving. Here the writer speaks about the kind hearted teacher though he was abusive. In this was R.K.Narayan gives a detailed account of Raju’s early life.




Describe Raju as a guide of tourist
After the railways come to Malgudi Raju’s father opened a shop at the station and Raju was asked to look after the shop. The business was very brisk but Raju’s education came to an end. After his father’s death he was completely incharge of the business. He was always giving guidance to tourists who came to Malgudi. Gradually he involved into a part time shopkeeper and full time tourist guide.
Thereafter he came to be called as “Railway Raju”. As a result of his constant contact with tourists he developed the habit of taking them to historical places, temples and places of scenic beauty. The tourists were pleased with his service and his fame spread far and wide. He was intelligent and eager. He learnt to recognize a tourist and a customer as soon as they step on to the platform. Slowly he became an expert guide as he could guess the economic condition of a tourist and prepared himself to cater to their needs.
Sometimes he arranged for the tourists to watch the trappings of elephants or bears. He was in constant touch with the forest department. If someone wanted to see a tiger or shoot one he could arrange it. In the same manner Raju also arranged a cobra dance for Rosie.



Describe the meeting between Raju and Velan
After his release from the prison Raju comes to Mangala Village and decided to settle in an old temple on the bank of a river. The man named Velan come and sit with Raju. He tells him about his domestic problems especially about his youngest sister. Raju ask Velan to bring the girl to him. He talks to the girl and results in miraculous changes. She consents to marry the boy chosen by the family. Velan is very happy and he starts to respect Raju as a holy man. Soon the news spreads in the village and people start visiting the old temple where Raju was staying. They brought with them food and fruits. They look upon Raju as a great man who could work miracles. The episode of Velan projects Raju as a saint. Towards the end of the story Raju narrates his past to make Velan understand that he was only an ordinary man, but Velan never stops to respect him. So Raju continues to live as a saint in the eyes of the villagers.
The guide is a story of a man who deceives society by passing for a spiritual man. Discuss
Raju in The Guide saint accidently. He fights himself in the role of a holy man. He performs with great interest, partly for the sake of self preservation and also because it suits his personality. It is Raju’s habit to perform whatever role is assigned to him by fate. He learns that the essence sainthood seems to be once ability gives mystifying statements. Once he accepts the part of a saint Raju with characteristic thoroughness pays attention to details like his appearance, his beard etc
Another act that confirms Raju’s career as a saint is his establishment of a night school in the temple. This school becomes the center around which the village people gather every evening to listen to Raju’s discourses and stories. These evening sessions grow in popularity until Raju became a public figure, but the idea of a school originates quite by accident. Even the final episode of fasting originates in a similarly insignificant manner. During the prolonged drought the villagers are tense and a minor quarrel develops into a fight. This news upsets Raju not because he is genuinely concerned about the welfare of the village people, but because he is afraid that the disturbance might attract public notice to the village and if the news paper reports and policeman arrives Raju’s identity might be disclosed. It is a purely selfish reason that makes him announce that if the people continue such foolish acts him would stop eating food. Velan’s brother who carries this message delivers it in a wrong manner. Hence the villagers believe that Raju, the saint, is going to fast waiting for the rain.
The villagers who believe the message stop bringing him food. The purpose of accepting the role of a Swami was free supply of food but now the supply has stopped. Playing the part of a 
saint has reached the situation was no longer under his control. Raju himself had said in his discourse that a saint would undergo sacrifice and suffering to purify the sins of others, but it was the faith of the people that compel him to act as Swami. There is a moment of illumination in which he acquires power to go beyond himself. The Swami in a saffron robe is a symbol in Indian literature and Narayan uses this symbol to reveal a great deal about them and their art.