RK Narayan's Malgudi Days

RK Narayan's Malgudi Days
R.K. Narayan: The man who made Malgudi

Born: October 10, 1906
Died: May 13, 2001
Achievement: Felicitated with Sahitya Akademi Award and Padma Bhushan. 

R.K. Narayan is one of the most famous and widely read Indian novelists. His stories were grounded in a compassionate humanism and celebrated the humour and energy of ordinary life.

R.K. Narayan was born on October 10, 1906 in Madras. His father was a provincial head master. R.K. Narayan spent his early childhood with his maternal grandmother, Parvathi in Madras and used to spend only a few weeks each summer visiting his parents and siblings. R.K. Narayan studied for eight years at Lutheran Mission School close to his grandmother's house in Madras, also for a short time at the CRC High School. When his father was appointed headmaster of the Maharaja's High School in Mysore, R.K. Narayan moved back in with his parents. He obtained his bachelor's degree from the University of Mysore.

R.K. Narayan began his writing career with Swami and Friends in 1935. Most of his work including Swami and friends is set in the fictional town of Malgudi which captures everything Indian while having a unique identity of its own. R.K. Narayan's writing style was marked by simplicity and subtle humour. He told stories of ordinary people trying to live their simple lives in a changing world.

R.K. Narayan's famous works include The Bachelor of Arts (1937), The Dark Room (1938), The English Teacher (1945), The Financial Expert (1952), The Guide (1958), The Man-Eater of Malgudi (1961), The Vendor of Sweets (1967), Malgudi Days (1982), and The Grandmother's Tale (1993).


R.K. Narayan won numerous awards and honors for his works. These include: Sahitya Akademi Award for The Guide in 1958; Padma Bhushan in 1964; and AC Benson Medal by the Royal Society of Literature in 1980; R.K. Narayan was elected an honorary member of the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters in 1982. He was nominated to the Rajya Sabha in 1989. Besides, he was also conferred honorary doctorates by the University of Mysore, Delhi University and the University of Leeds.

“Do you realise how few ever really understand how fortunate they are in their circumstances?”

Such simple words, yet such a profound effect! There are very few people who can do as much justice to words as R. K. Narayan. Born on October 10, 1906 in Chennai, Rasipuram Krishnaswami Iyer Narayanswami was the eldest boy among six brothers and two sisters. Narayan spent a huge part of his early days with his maternal grandmother, Parvati who taught him arithmetic, Sanskrit, mythology, and Indian classical music. Kunjappa, as his grandmother fondly called him, had two best friends during this period; a peacock, and a mischievous monkey.
Narayan developed a taste for English literature since his early days. His whole family used to converse in English, and being a voracious reader only made him grow fonder. Narayan studied in many schools while living with his grandmother, some of which included the Lutheran Mission School in Purasawalkam, C.R.C. High School, and Christian College High School. When his father was transferred to Mysore, Narayan started reading even more passionately. The library at the Maharajah’s College High School fuelled his passion for books. It was then that he began writing. And it was then that he fell in love. His first novel, Swami and Friends, was rejected by multiple publishers before finally being published in 1935, the year after he got married to the love of his life, Rajam.

After a short period of working, without success, as a teacher, an editorial assistant, and a newspaperman, Narayan gave up, and started devoting all his time towards writing. He first caught public attention with his second novel, Bachelor in Arts (1939), when novelist Graham Greene called him “the novelist I most admire in the English language”. His subsequent books saw more success all around the globe. One of his finest works is The English Teacher (1945), which was partly autobiographical and dealt with the struggles of a teacher, along with the pain that came with the death of his wife.

Narayan was a dedicated writer. He usually wrote for about a couple of hours a day, composing upto 2000 words within that time frame. He rarely rewrote or corrected what he wrote. Narayan’s style of writing has been tasteful, dramatic, and captured the reader right from the beginning. With a slow, simple start, the characters would be introduced, and then, by chance, or misfortune, or carelessness, tragedy would befall the protagonist. Mundane events would transform into preposterous disasters. Humour would find its way into the stories in the most unexpected ways. And the most beautiful thing that was imbibed in every story was the humility with which every hero would accept his fate, and the gradually, everything would turn out to be well, and thus, a happy ending.

With over 45 books published, The Malgudi Days, Waiting for the Mahatma, Grandmother’s Tales, The Man Eater of Malgudi, and The Vendor of Sweets are considered to be Narayan’s most popular works. His books are enjoyed by children and adults alike. Many of his books have been adapted into movies, the most famous being Guide (1958), which became a movie in 1965. Narayan won several award for his contribution to English literature. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan, Sahitya Akademi Award (for Guide), Filmfare Award for Best Story (also for Guide), and AC Benson Medal to name a few. He was nominated multiple times for the Nobel prize, but he never won.

His most popular novel, Malgudi Days, is based in an imaginary, semi-urban town called Malgudi, in south India.The town was created with a history dating back to the times of the Ramayana. Narayan, in an interview, once stated that he first created this town on the auspicious occasion of Vijayadashami. The first image he had of the town was that of a railway station. The name Malgudi came gradually to him. And what followed is there for us all to see. There were so many characters, each so different from the last one. R. K. Narayan never failed to amaze us.
As he himself says, "Novels may bore me, but never people."

Santoshkumar B Pandey at 1.50PM.