RK Narayan birth anniversary: Immerse in these beautiful literary works by the Indian writer

RK Narayan

Swami and Friends

Ten-year-old Swami studies in the Albert Mission School in Malgudi. When a new boy Rajam enrolls in the school, Swami's best friend Mani's position is threatened, though the three later become close. Swami and his friends have many adventures, including the ones that take place against the background of Gandhi's Non Cooperation Movement, participation in which has consequences for Swami. They also form a cricket club, ‘the MCC' (Malgudi Cricket Club), where Swami often arrives late for practice.

A scene from the television series, Malgudi Days, an adaptation of Swami and Friends. Pics Courtesy/Wikipedia; Amazon

The English Teacher

Narayan dedicated this novel to his wife Rajam, who passed away a few years after their marriage. The protagonist Krishna is an English teacher who lives a dull life, teaching at Albert Mission School, until he is joined by his wife and daughter. However, his wife's death leaves him dealing with grief. One day, he receives a letter from a stranger announcing his wife's attempts to connect with him. Krishna undergoes a spiritual journey to connect with his wife and to make sense of his life.

The Guide

The novel won Narayan the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1960. The protagonist ‘Railway' Raju is a crooked tour guide, who falls in love with Rosie, a woman married to Marco. While Marco stops Rosie from becoming a dancer, Raju encourages her. This pushes Rosie to spend more time with Raju; eventually, Marco leaves her. Raju becomes Rosie's stage manager but engages in an act of forging her signature. The book traces Raju's transformative journey thereon.

The Man-Eater of Malgudi

Nataraj is a printer in Malgudi and his friends include a poet and a journalist. Their lives are interrupted when a taxidermist, Vasu, moves into the attic of Nataraj's printing press, with his ‘stuffed' animals, and makes their lives difficult. Vasu invites dancing women up to the room. One day, Nataraj gets wind of Vasu's interest in the friendly temple elephant for taxidermy purposes and chaotic events ensue.

My Days

RK Narayan and his wife Rajam

Narayan's only memoir begins with his childhood days spent in his grandmother's garden in Madras (now Chennai) with a peacock and a monkey named Rama. From spending time learning from his grandmother, paying visits to the street shops with his photographer uncle, training grasshoppers and scouts, and beginning his journey with fiction, Narayan pours his heart out. The book is written in his typical humorous and endearing style.

Available At leading bookstores and e-stores

Also, check out

. My Dateless Diary: A rare RK Narayan book that chronicles his visit to America.

. A Writer's Nightmare: RK Narayan's essays about caste-system, love, monkeys, and Nobel Prize winners.