R.K.Narayan's Malgudi days

Author – R.K.Narayan
Book Title – Malgudi Days
Publication Date – 1943
Genre – Fiction (Short Stories)

There are lot of stories that hold a special place in my heart and R.K.Narayan’s Malgudi days is one of them. The short stories of malgudi days were adapted for a small screen during late 80’s and were enjoyed by television viewers. As a little kid, I used to enjoy some of the episodes of ‘swami and friends’, a small collection of swami’s adventures. I really appreciate the simplicity, humour and light heartedness in Narayan’s writings which highlight the struggle of common masses staying in Malgudi.

Using ‘Malgudi’, a fictional place in South India as a backdrop, Narayan succeeds to win the hearts of readers in just one read. The 30 short stories written by R.K.Narayan are completely unique, refreshing and inspiring in their own, giving us a valuable lesson of life in a humorous way. The stories in Malgudi days are about everyone – a blind beggar, dog, accountant, servant, talkative man, loyal maid, food stall owner, swami and many more characters which have a slice of reality. Every character in these short stories are struggling with their circumstances, difficulties and through these characters, R.K.Narayan brings us more closer to harsh ironies of life and how the characters triumph over the complexities of life. As a sensible person and a reader, when I observed the heart breaking struggles of human race in the stories of R.K.Narayan, I truly realized the insight moral behind every story. As you complete reading each story, you will feel an urge to read the stories once again to relish the delicacy of the simplicity hidden in the story.

If you have penchant for reading short stories, then R.K.Narayan’s Malgudi days is a must read for readers of every age, young and old. Through Malgudi days, R.K.Narayan has beautifully shown the ethos of India and displayed the colourful characters of people coming from different walks of life. Once you enjoyed reading this book, you will also enjoy ‘Under the banyan tree & other stories’, ‘Swami & friends’ , ‘The man-eater of malgudi’, ‘Guide’, ‘Vendor of sweets’ and grandma’s stories penned by R.K.Narayan, the great story teller of India. It’s a great privilege for me to write my first article of 2014 on R.K.Narayan’s Malgudi days the book that has been on the bookshelf of every reader worldwide for several generations. I am looking forward to write my thoughts on ‘Swami and friends’ soon on my blog. Hope you all have enjoyed reading my thoughts on Malgudi days. Do comment.
Thanks
Prashant Badiger