Hello everyone! Welcome or welcome back to my blog. Today, I am back with another book review. The last one I had posted was about The Satan Bug by Alistair MacLean. It was an excellent action thriller. Today’s review is about a book called Malgudi Schooldays, written by R.K. Narayan, one of the most influential modern-Indian authors. This book is one of my favorite book ever, and I sincerely hope that all of you will enjoy it too.
About the Author:
Rasipuram Krishnaswamy Iyer Narayanaswami, better known as R. K. Narayan was an Indian writer known for his work set in the fictional South-Indian town of Malgudi. He was born in Madras in 1906, and educated there and at Maharaja’s College in Mysore. His first novel, Swami and Friends, and its successor, Bachelor of Arts, are both set in the enchanting fictional territory of Malgudi and are only two out of the twelve novels he based there. In 1958, Narayan’s work The Guide won him the National Prize of the Indian Literary Academy.
Apart from his novels, Narayan has authored five collections of short stories, including ‘A Horse and Two Goats’, ‘Malgudi Days’, and ‘Under the Banyan Tree’, two travel books, two volumes of essays, a volume of memoirs, and the retold legends, Gods, Demons and Others, The Ramayana, and The Mahabharata. In 1980 he was awarded the A.C, Benson Medal by the Royal Society of Literature and in 1982 he was made an honorary member of the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters. Narayan died in 2001.
Review – Malgudi Schooldays:
Malgudi Schooldays is and abridged version of Narayan’s most celebrated novel, Swami and Friends. In this book, we arrive at the famous, picturesque, fabled town of Malgudi. The simple language, and compelling narrative of the author, draws us into his realm; of his imagination; of Malgudi. And it allows us, to take a close look at the interesting life of a common village lad.
The story is based around a boy called Swaminathan, better known as Swami. Swami is like any ordinary boy. He hates Mondays, going to school, loves loafing around with his friends, is impulsive, and, like most young Indian boys, extremely terrified of his father. This book follows Swami’s life through some of the most exciting events that take place in his life.
The book also gives us a glimpse into the traditional Indian household system. Swami’s father, mother, and grandmother, play a small, but important role in the events that shape Swami’s life and experiences. Swami’s father, a lawyer, is the one person he is genuinely scared of. His mother loves him, but most of the time is too busy to support him when his father is busy scolding him. The boy’s grandmother loves Swami the most, and does not hide her love for him. This love, unfortunately, is not understood by Swami, who thinks she is being childish. Although he loves to cuddle up and sleep with his granny at night, he usually avoids speaking to her when his friends come over, lest her apparently childish antiques make his friends laugh at him.
The story is set during the last years of the British Raj. There as mass demonstrations, protests, and hartals. Even in a small village like Malgudi, these this has created a big uproar. And before he knows it, Swami is taking part in the demonstrations, shouting slogans, and throwing stones at his school windows. He did this on the spur of the moment, hardly realizing the consequences. But little does he know, that his seemingly nonsensical actions will set in motion a chain of events, that will toss his life in the air, and will end with almost fatal consequences.
Despite some of the more serious settings, the story on the whole maintains the atmosphere of a well thought and even well executed comedy. Malgudi Schooldays shows the power of Narayan’s writing and imagination. One of the other reasons this book has become so famous is that everyone can relate to the little hero and can understand his actions; everyone who knows what it is like to be a kid, that is.
I usually end my reviews by mentioning either the type of people who will enjoy reading this, or by giving reasons as to why this will make a good read. But in this case, I am sure that the book will more than speak for itself. I only ask you to go through the trouble of obtaining this book, and then see for yourself.
So, that’s it for today, guys! I really love this Malgudi Schooldays because it give an interesting and positive outlook towards life, something that we need a lot nowadays. It really appeals to me as a stress buster, and something that can easily entertain you and take you mind off things. I hope that all of this inspires you to take up this book. I will keep posting many such reviews on the most interesting books. If you haven’t already checked out my other posts, please do so. Please subscribe to my blog. It’s fun, and it’s free and you will get notified each time I post something. If you liked this post, stay tuned for more; if you didn’t, still do the same. Who knows? Maybe you will like the next one. Goodbye!