Thematically, too, Rao is somewhat different from the other two major Indian English novelists, Anand and Narayan. Rao is a metaphysical novelist whose concerns are primarily religious and philosophical. Kanthapura, for example, shows a strong Gandhian influence as it documents the progress of a non-violent agitation against the British in a remote south Indian village. The Serpent and the Rope and The Cat and Shakespeare are expositions of the ancient Indian philosophical outlook, vedanta. Comrade Kirillov is an evaluation of the efficacy of communism.

The Chessmaster and His Moves, the first novel in a trilogy, in fact, surpasses all his earlier works in its sweep. It is nothing less than an examination into the entirety of the modern human condition. Its highlight is an intense and revelatory dialogue between the Brahmin and the rabbi, not only as individuals but as representatives of two ancient and contrasting civilizational perspectives. Even his short fiction and non-fictional prose is imbued with this spirit of inquiry into the meaning of things. It is both playful and serious, creating and not merely discussing philosophy. Thus, in Rao’s works, there is an ongoing discussion of major systems of thought, chiefly of India but also of the West.

Both stylistically and thematically, then, Rao succeeds in capturing the spirit of India in his works. His formal and stylistic innovations have expanded the expressive range of English and have influenced other writers who share Rao’s predicament: the task of writing about a culture in a language that is not native to it.

Although Rao’s oeuvre seems limited, his reputation is secure. Indeed, despite the appearance of dozens of talented new writers in the last few decades, it would be safe to assert that there is no one else who has even attempted to do what Rao has accomplished: to portray and justify the wisdom of traditional India to the modern world. No one, moreover, has even approached, let alone reached, his heights of spiritual illumination. The aesthetic delight that obtains in his works is as rare as it is authentic. All told, C.D. Narasimhaiah’s claim that Raja Rao is the greatest Indian English novelist is as true today as when it was first made, some fifty years ago.

An understanding of Raja Rao’s art is enhanced by contextualizing his novels. Although Rao admits to several Western influences, his work is best understood as part of the Indian tradition. Rao regards literature as sadhana; for him, writing is a consequence of his metaphysical life. His novels, hence, essentially represent a quest for the Absolute. From Kanthapura to Comrade Kirillov, Rao’s protagonists grapple with the same concern: ‘What is Truth? How is one to find it?’