R. K. Narayan (1906-2001), one of the most important Indian writers of the 20th century, set almost all of his novels in the fictitious South Indian city of Malgudi. Among these is Waiting for the Mahatma (1955), the story of Srinam, a feckless young man who lives with his grandmother. Srinam seems to be living his life in a trance when suddenly he falls in love with a beautiful young woman who is a follower of Gandhi. To be near her, Srinam joins the movement without really understanding the Mahatma's message. He violates the principle of nonviolence by indulging in certain acts of sabotage for which he is jailed. While in prison, he begins to sympathize with the plight of his fellow prisoners, the first step in his transformation from self-centered individualism to a genuine commitment to others. After his release he rejoins his beloved, and the two appeal to Gandhi for permission to marry. After some subtle questioning of Srinam, Gandhi approves the marriage and promises to perform the ceremony. A moment later Gandhi experiences a strong intuition that he will not be present at the wedding, but he blesses the couple and advises them to marry even if he is unable to be there. Moments later, he goes out to address a prayer meeting and is shot dead. In his valedictory, his disciple Jawaharlal Nehru summarizes his death: "A light has gone out of our lives."

Stanley Wolpert's (1927- ) Nine Hours to Rama (1962) focuses on the assassination of Gandhi on January 30, 1948. The central figure is the assassin, Naturam Godse, a journalist and member of an extreme Hindu sect that sees Gandhi's tolerance of Muslims as a threat to India. In a series of flashbacks interpolated into the events of the day, the author reveals the shaping of Godse's character--his rejection by the British when, as a young man, he attempts to join the army, and his passionate relationship with a beautiful married woman. Despite his deep attraction to this woman, he cannot overcome his traditional view of the proper place of women in society. He is both attracted and repelled by her free spirit. In the last seconds of his suicide mission, he becomes fully conscious of the loss of this love, but the realization arrives too late. He kills Gandhi while hallucinating that his victim is his father. Among the other characters is a police inspector, aware of the threat and anguished over the refusal of the Mahatma to cancel the prayer meeting where the assassination will take place. Of the interior life of Gandhi himself, Wolpert, perhaps wisely, limits himself to a description of the saint revered by all.

The success of the novel stands and falls on its ability to render Godse as a believable human being. In this effort, Wolpert is not entirely successful. Godse's conversion to extremism is not convincing because never shown, and the picture we have of him does not add up to that of a fanatic. Nevertheless, Nine Hours to Rama is an exciting, suspenseful adventure story.

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