2. R.K. NARAYAN
R. K. Narayan (10 October 1906 – 13 May 2001), shortened from
Rasipuram Krishnaswami Iyer Narayanaswami was an Indian
author whose works of fiction include a series of books about people
and their interactions in an imagined town in India called Malgudi.
He is one of three leading figures of early Indian literature in
English, along with Mulk Raj Anand and Raja Rao. He is credited
with bringing Indian literature in English to the rest of the world, and
is regarded as one of India's greatest English language novelists.
The setting for most of Narayan's stories is the fictional town of
Malgudi, first introduced in Swami and Friends. His narratives
highlight social context and provide a feel for his characters through
everyday life.
Narayan's short story writing style has been compared to that of Guy
de Maupassant, as they both have an ability to compress the
narrative without losing out on elements of the story. Narayan has
also come in for criticism for being too simple in his prose and diction.
In a writing career that spanned over sixty years, Narayan received
many awards and honours. These include the AC Benson Medal from
the Royal Society of Literature and the Padma Vibhushan, India's
second-highest civilian award.
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4. WHAT IS THE BOOK ABOUT?
The book Swami and Friends is the story of ten-year old
Swaminathan. He is a quite different child than the present day
children, a boy full of innocence, wonder, and mischief, and his
experiences growing up in the fictional town of Malgudi. His fate
lands him in trouble in whatever he does. He is a student at the
British-established Albert Mission School, which stresses Christianity,
English literature, and the value of education. He has his own
perception of the world and tries to be the conqueror in spite of his
own shortcomings like fear, innocence, etc. Circumstances make him
an un-fit to any school in Malgudi. Life changes dramatically for
young Swami when Rajam - a symbol of colonial power - joins the
school, and becomes his close friend. This novel narrates Swami‟s
experiences with his parents, grandmother, friends, residents of
Malgudi, and even his new-born brother when he is in second class.
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5. DID YOU LIKE IT?
Yes, I liked it very much. One of the reasons why I enjoyed „Swami
& friends‟ is the simplicity of Narayan‟s fiction, in the terms of
literary theory and techniques. He is known for a lean, lucid,
undecorated style, but wonderfully expressive and full of
understated surprises. I also got a glimpse of the many gray shades
of Swami‟s character also. His behaviour with his grandmother,
his running away from home oblivious of his parents‟ pain and the
careless way in which he thanks the forest officer who took care of
him while lost, all point towards a very believable and real
character. Generally boys of his age do behave in a similar manner.
One cannot forget the typical Indian family, for example; a loving
yet authoritarian father; a supportive and doting grandmother
who just showers her love on Swami without any selfish motives,
even when Swami bluntly tells her that her being so old
embarrasses him in front of his friends. His mother Lakshmi, is
more or less a secondary influence and has a shadowed kind of
existence in his life and this too is pretty common for a boy his age
for whom the mother‟s existence is m0re or less related to food and
kitchen.
The book is an amazing amalgamation of the kids‟ world and the
adults‟ world. Swami & Friends truly represents the literature of
young adults and I strongly feel that it would be an interesting
read for years and generations to come because it talks about
something that is basic to the nature of children – affection,
friendship, belongingness, security, rebellion, etc.
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6. Main Character of the Book
Swami and Friends revolves around the everyday life of ten-year old
Swaminathan, or Swami as he is known by other characters. Swami
portrays the growing up pangs of a boy who despises school, as he
makes excuses and roams around Malgudi with his friends. Swami
belongs to a middle class family. He has a grand mother, father,
mother and a little brother. His father is Lawyer by profession and his
mother is a housewife. At home, Swami shares his adventures with his
aged granny, who lovingly addresses him as "Chamy." Like all other
boys of his age he loves to be in the company of his friends. Swami has
two close friends: Mani and the son of the Police Chief Superintendent,
Rajam. He likes wandering and playing with them. He is a very
innocent boy. When his father gives him a very simple to solve,
instead of doing calculations he is thinking about the nature of the
mangoes and the mango sellers which shows his innocence.
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7. FAVOURITE CHARACTER
Swami is my favourite character. It is because his character
represents the normal village boy of about 10 years and the dilemma
faced by him. The situations put in front of Swami are very genuine
and almost everyone faces problems like those in their childhood. In
Swami the author has portrayed the childish nature and a very
practical opinion about a child's reaction to situations. Swami likes to
spend his time with Mani and Rajam. Since Swami is so much in awe
of Rajam and follows him everywhere, he earns the name as “The
Tail” of Rajam from other classmates.
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8. NAME OTHER BOOKS WRITTEN BY THE SAME
AUTHOR.
Malgudi Days
The English teacher
The Man-eater of Malgudi
The Dark Room
The Financial Expert
Waiting for the Mahatma
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