What is the plot in"kim"by rudyard kipling?

"Kim" is an adventure novel set in late 19th-century British India. T.S. Eliot considered it Kipling's greatest work. Kimball O'Hara, the young hero, is the orphaned son of Irish parents. As the story begins, he is living by his wits on the streets of Lahore.

From Street Urchin to Chela

Kim encounters a Buddhist lama in Lahore who is searching for the Holy River. The ancient lama needs a personal servant, a "chela," to accompany him. When Kim tells his friend Mahbub Ali his plans to become a chela, Ali asks him to carry a document to an English colonel in Umballa. Kim delivers the document and then overhears the colonel talking about an impending war.

Kim uses his knowledge of the war to fake a prophecy and impress a retired Indian soldier. The old soldier joins Kim and the lama on their journey on the Grand Trunk Road. Kim meets a rich widow from Kulu, who receives blessings from the lama.

The Red Bull

Kim sees an English regiment carrying a green flag with a red bull. Kim follows the flag and is detained by two regimental chaplains, who discover he is the son of a soldier. He is prevented from going on with the lama and is introduced to the life of a English boy.

Kim manages to get a letter to Ali. He and the colonel from Umballa get Kim into a school in Lucknow. The colonel decides that Kim, because of his language and cultural skills, is suitable to join the Great Game, the contest between England and Russia for the allegiances of the northern border states. Kim accompanies Ali and learns that Ali is a British agent.

Espionage Training

Kim is sent to Lurgan Sahib for further training in observational skills. He is introduced to Hurree Chunder Mookerjee, who approves of Kim's skills and character. Kim returns to school until he is 16, while spending his holidays working with Ali.

Alias Buddhist Priest

Kim is sent to the blind woman Huneefa, who trains him in disguises and gives him the look of a Buddhist priest. Kim also receives the tools of the spy trade and a secret code. He is now officially part of the espionage system.

Kim rejoins the lama and, as they travel, Kim rescues a fellow agent by using his skill at disguises. Kim and the lama meet up with Mookerjee, who persuades Kim to go north with him, and the lama, happy to escape the heat, goes with them.

Getting the Secret Documents

Mookerjee's mission is to obtain secret documents from a Russian and a Frenchman, who are carrying them to the Rajah of Rampur. Mookerjee poses as a guide sent by the rajah.

The lama has drawn an elaborate picture of the Wheel of Life. When one of the spies wants to buy it, the lama refuses. The spy rips the drawing, the lama gets angry, the Russian spy punches the lama, Kim tackles the Russian, the Buddhist porters drive off the Frenchman and take the luggage. Kim ends up with the documents. Kim and the lama stay with the Woman of Shamlegh.

The Cause of Things

The lama becomes ill because of regret over his anger concerning the Wheel of Life. After meditation, he tells Kim he has seen the Cause of Things and realized his desire for the hills had caused him to abandon his search for the Holy River and brought on the bad things that happened.

Kim takes the lama back to the widow of Kulu and then becomes ill himself. The widow helps him recover. Mookerjee comes and takes the secret documents. Relieved of his uncertainties about who he is, Kim comes to understand himself as belonging among all peoples. The lama attains Enlightenment and learns the Holy River he was seeking is found in his concern for Kim, his beloved chela.

Source:

"Critical Survey of Long Fiction"; Carl Rollyson, ed.; 2000

More Information:

"Kim"; Rudyard Kipling; 1901

"Kipling: A Selection of His Stories and Poems"; John Beecroft; 1956