Book Review – Grandmother’s Tale, R.K.Narayan

There are many types of authors. Some of them, like the great Kahlil Gibran, teach us the basic truths of life with great eloquence. Some others, like the equally great Marcus Aurelius, teach the greatest of philosophies in the simplest of languages. And, then there are authors like R.K.Narayan, who have the knack of telling simple things in simple language and yet making it interesting enough. ‘Grandmother’s Tale’ is a sample for that talent of R.K.Narayan, who is famous more for his manner of telling a tale, than for the eloquence with which it is told. But, this book is a simple sample, though.

Said to be the last book of R.K.Narayan, and set in the era of British Empire in India, this book recounts the life of his great grandmother Balambal (mother of his maternal grandmother), as told by his maternal grandmother. Balambal, his great grandmother, gets married at the young age of 7 to a boy from her neighbourhood, Vishwanathan, who was 10 years old at the time of their marriage. After a bit of initial interest in his wife, an innocent pre-teen curiosity about her, Vishwa leaves the town with a group of pilgrims headed to the northern parts of the country, without informing anyone, except Bala.

Within a week’s time, the whole town sets in search of Vishwa, fearing the worst about his fate. Soon the dust settles and everyone comes to his/her own conclusion about Vishwa’s fate. Bala, being aware of her husband’s decision, remains confident though. But, when she starts growing up and turning into a woman, tongues start wagging about the possibilities of her having become a widow and thus being ineligible to visit the temple or lead a normal life as she has been doing. Infuriated, Bala leaves the village, vowing to come back with her husband.

After going through a lot of ordeals, she at traces her husband at last in Pune and manages to bring him back to her native village by cunning behavior and feminine obduracy. Then she goes on to lead a long, peaceful life with her husband and their offspring, till her death due to old age. The tale goes on to tell us about Vishwa, who lived for some more time with all the troubles related to old age and loneliness that plagues one after the demise of one’s companion of such long time, before meeting his death at the hands of a conspiring servant. 

A simple tale overall, the book is filled with the wit, twists and uncanny knack of RKN to make even the most ordinary of events seem interesting. What more, the book is embellished with lovely drawings by his famed sibling, R.K.Laxman. A worthy read, if you are looking to pass an hour of your time by reading a book that will be simple and yet riveting enough to be un-put-down-able.

'Grandmother’s Tale' – as interesting as only the grandmother’s tales can be!