Their methods vary, as do their results, but they share the same preoccupations. The novels thus become chronicles of this archetypal search. Formally, too, all four novels share certain features. The plot is de-emphasized; the narrative, generally subjective, is not linear, but circular; in the Puranic manner of storytelling, which Rao adapts to the form of the Western novel. There are digressions, detours, stories within stories, songs, philosophical disquisitions, debates and essays. Characters, too, are frequently symbolic figures; often, the motivations for their actions might seem puzzling or insufficient. Finally, because the narration is subjective, the language of the narrator, too, tends to be unique, reflecting his or her social, regional and philosophical make-up and peculiarities.

Raja Rao’s stories were first collected in the book The Cow of the Barricades (1947). Later, these and three others were published in The Policeman and the Rose (1978). Rao is thus not a very prolific writer of short stories. Most of these stories, moreover, can be divided into two groups. The first are stories written chiefly in the 1930s and reflect his interest in social and political problems. ‘Javni’ and ‘Akkayya’ are good examples. Both comment not only on the caste system and on the position of women in Indian society, but also show the heroism, courage, wisdom and loyalty of the common folk of India. The second set of stories uses a great deal of symbolism and is essentially metaphysical in its orientation.

A good example is ‘India—A Fable’, included in this volume. Here, Pierre, the European child, is at first fascinated by the camel of the desert and but later switches his loyalty to the majestic elephant of India. What is suggested is that India offers non-duality, which is preferable to the monotheism of Semitic religions. There are, of course, other ways of reading the story. ‘The Policeman and the Rose’ is the story of a beautiful woman who cannot find release until she meets the Guru in the form of the policeman. It is, as its subtitle ‘A True Story’ suggests, a deeply personal tale, narrated in an elliptical, allegorical manner. Another story, ‘Companions’, hasn’t been discussed or appreciated much. However, I think it is a powerful allegory about Hindu–Muslim unity. Only when Islam gets truly Indianized does its spiritual force manifest itself fully. In this story this is illustrated in the transformation of an ordinary snake charmer into a Sufi with healing powers, all because of the advice of his serpent, who is the reincarnation of a fallen Brahmin.