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Under The Banyan Tree -R. K. Narayan

Question- What is the summary at the story 'Under The Banyan Tree' by R. K. Narayan?

Ans-

"Under The Banyan Tree" the title story in R. K. Narayan's collection "Under the Banyan Tree', and other stories (1985), appeared originally in his earlier volume, 'As Astrologer's Day and other stories (1947).

The story begins in a small village, Samal, with a population of less than three hundred; it was very filthy. It was so much caught up in dirt and was so ill-planned that even social reformer could feel depressed on looking at its hopeless condition. Its tank would provides water for drinking, bathing and washing the cattle but at the same time it was the mother of numerous serious diseases like malaria and typhoid. The village nad crooked and winding lanes and the backyard of every house had puddles of stagnating water. People were insensitive to their surroundings, perhaps because of Nambi, the prepetual enchanter who made them forget about their sordid reality by transporting them to a colourful world of adventures and wealth through the stories he told them. He was an extraordinary story teller whose age was very difficult to estimate. If anyone asked him about his age, he would refer to some old famine or an attack from outsider or the buildings at a bridge. Although he was illiterate, he had the gift at creating fabulous and entertaing stories that could fascinate anybody.

The front part of a little temple was the humble abode at this story teller Nobody knew how he came to make that temple his home and his place of worship. He did not have many belongings. He had a couple of dhoties and upper clothes and a broom to sweep the temple. There was a banyan tree in front of the temple where Nambi used to spend most of his time. People would come in large numbers at this banyan tree in the evenings and got entertained by Nambi's observations and anecdotes. Sometimes he would say that he had to meditate and contemplate so that the Goddess could bless him with a new story to tell. He assured the people that his stories were a gift from the Goddess and did not float in air.

The villagers used to worship at the temple on Friday evenings Nambi would lit several mud lamps and arrange them around the inner part of the temple where the idol at the Goddess was placed. He would decorate the idol of the Goddess Shakti on these occasions he would act as the priest and after fruits and flowers to the Goddess. When Nambi had a story to tell, he would lit a lamp and place it in a hollow space in the trunk at the banyan tree. The villagers would notice the lamp and know that their enchanter had another story to entertain them with. They would hurry up with their meals and gather under the banyan tree. The story teller would come after his contemplation, forehead smeared with ash and vermillion and sit on a stone platform in front of the temple. Nambi used to start his story in an interesting way by pointing towards a vague and distant spot. He would begin his story by asking a question. He would talk about the great Kings and their palaces,capitals etc. He would describe in details the pictures and trophies hung on the walls of the palace and sing the songs sung by the musicians of the Kings. He used to build the story on an extened scale which required many days to tell it fully. The first day was usually taken up in describing the setting of the story. In the next sessions Nambi's voice would rise and fall while narrating the rest of the story where common and aristocratic people, heroes, villains and supernatural powers justled with one another in the fantastic world created under the banyan tree. The simple villagers would get swayed emotionally with the incidents of the story. After the story session, the whole audience used to go inside the temple and prostrate themselves before the Goddess.

Usually, with every new moon Nambi was ready with a new story. He never repeated the same type at the story. This process went on smoothly for years. But one day an unusual things happened. He lit the lamp and his fans gathered to listen to him. He started telling the story of King Vikramaditya and one of his ministers when all of a sudden to paused, repeated the same sentence but found his words turning into unclear sounds. He thought for a while and prayed to the Goddess that he should not fumble and waver in his art. He could not understand why all of a sudden he forget the story. It was an experience which was humiliating and painful for Nambi. The villagers who were eagerly waiting for his next words were also greatly puzzled. As the time passed they started chattering and after sometime silently slipped a way

Nambi was dumbstruck. He realized that he had grown old. He found that Mari, his old friend, was still sitting there while others had left Nambi told him in a disappointed strain that his head had refused to be his servant and had become disobedient and disloyal.

Next day he lit the lamp again and villagers assembled faithfully. Nambi had prayed the whole day to the Goddess not to leave him in lurch again. He started the story and went on for an hour. He thanked the Goddess for not deserting him and continued his story. But after a few minutes, he paused and groped for words but failed to start again. The audience got up silently and went home. Nambi did neither curse nor blame the villagers as they would not wait for hours for the story. After two days he started another story which lasted only for a few minutes and the gathering again with drew people started ignoring the lamp and Nambi wished that he would have died earlier. However he shut himself into the inner part of the temple, ate little food and meditated in a motionless manner.

When the next moon appeared Nambi lit the lamp again. Only a handful of the villagers turned up. They waited for others and finally the story teller refused to narrate the story till the whole village gathered. On the next day Nambi personally went around the village to tell the people that he had a wonderful story to tell and everyone should hear it. The villagers felt happy to know that the enchanter had regained his powers and a large crowd. assembled under the banyan tree. But instead at telling a story, Nambi announced that he had became a dull and foolish old man who had lost his gift of storytelling. He added that the Goddess was the giver and taker of this gift. He told them that the jasmine was useless without its smell and there was no use of the lamp when all of its oil was gone. He told that these were his last words and that was his greatest story. After that the storyteller got up and went inside the sanctum.

The surprised villagers could not understand it and when some of them entered the temple and asked him if he had nothing more to say, Nambi remained silent and indicated through gestures that he had spoken his last words. After this, he would walk into any cottage he liked and sit silently for food and walk away as soon as he had finished his food. He did not demand anything more from them. There was an utter silence in the rest of the life of the storyteller. The writer, thus shows how the artist loses is powers one day and his art becomes stale and lifeless. A wise artist should stop when such a point is reached in his career.

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