• Full Title: The Guide 
• Author: R. K. Narayan (1906–2001)
• Language: English
• Country: India
• Written Date: Around 1956
• Published Date: 1958 ✪✪✪
• Publisher: Indian Thought Publications (Madras)
• Genre: Philosophical Realist Novel ✪✪✪
• Form: Modern Indian Fiction
• Narrative Style: Third-person omniscient with flashbacks and a confessional first-person voice (Raju narrates his past to Velan)
• Structure: Divided into two narrative planes – Raju’s past as a guide and his present as a saint 
• Chapters: 11
• Tone: Realistic, Humorous, Reflective, and Philosophical
• Climax: Raju undertakes a fast to bring rain to the drought-stricken village. In the final scene, he faints at the riverbank. It symbolizes both his death and spiritual rebirth.
• Famous Line: “Velan, it’s raining in the hills.” ✪✪✪
• One Line Summary: A tourist guide named Raju rises from an ordinary man to a false holy man and finally attains true spiritual awakening through suffering and sacrifice.
• Point of View: Third-person narration and first-person flashback (Raju’s confession to Velan).
• Setting:
• Time Setting: Post-Independence India (1950s)

Place Setting:

• Malgudi – a fictional South Indian town (Raju’s birthplace and youth)
• Mempi Hills – village where he becomes a “saint” and fasts for rain
• River and Temple – central symbolic places of his moral and spiritual journey 

Key Notes- English

• Original Title: The Guide – The word “Guide” expresses the central idea of the story. It not only refers to Raju, the tourist guide, but also symbolizes the journey of life, the soul, and spiritual awakening. In the story, Raju first guides others, but later he discovers the path to his own soul. The title symbolically represents the inner journey of human life, from ignorance to knowledge, from selfishness to sacrifice, and from illusion to freedom.