American Research Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

The love of Bharati for India is greater than her love for Sriram. Normally there should have been a conflict in her mind between these two alternatives. But in the novel there is no such clash because for Bharati love for Sriram can come only after her love of India is fulfilled. That necessitates the introduction of a character who can embody that principle of the Nation. Hence the presence of Mahatma Gandhi. Once Gandhi is introduced as a character in the novel, not marginally by centrally important to the theme, it becomes necessary for a critic to trace the emotion embodied in the Mahatma. But Narayan has not made of Gandhi, either. As a matter of fact Gandhiji as a character mixes unobtrusively into the plot of the novel not as a fictional character but as one who is known to all of his contemporaries in real life. However for my seminar presentation I have chosen the title called “The Passion of Love for Nation in R.K. Narayan’s novel “Waiting for the Mahatma”- A Romantic Perspective which explores the love of Sriram on his love for Bharathi which embodiment of Bharatha Maatha who sacrifices all his valuables for the sake of her children by the call of the Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi whom Sriram waited a lot for his call for the patriotic movement.