Malgudi Days by R.K. Narayan; Book Review, Recommendation

 A man going to marry just to please his mother; another with a heartache, finding solace and joy with a lost child; an engine won in a lucky draw that proves to be great trouble; and a child’s forever changing views of his teacher; these are some of the many anecdotes in R.K. Narayan’s Malgudi Days.

Malgudi Days is a collection of 30 stories all set in Malgudi, a small town in South India in the 1940’s. Each story deals with one or the other aspect of the day-to-day life of the common man.

Narayan, in his introduction, says,” I have named this volume MALGUDI DAYS in order to give it a plausibly geographical status. I am often asked,’ Where is Malgudi?’ All I can say is that it is imaginary and not to be found anywhere on any map…If I can explain that Malgudi is a small town in South India I shall only be expressing a half-truth, for the characteristics of Malgudi seem to me universal.”

Narayan talks about the small problems and confusions that thrive in the lives of the innocent small-town residents.

The common man’s attitude of experiencing happiness in the smallest of things is indeed infectious. All the stories exhibit, with gentle irony, the small follies we commit, our small endeavors, and misendeavors just to see a smile on the face of someone.

The way Narayan has studied human character, and has woven stories around the commonest of men with the commonest of incidents is indeed artistic. The habits, way of talking, and being of the common people are brought out with intricate detail.

Narayan brings out quite wittily the many situations where the common man proves to be a blundering idiot but is lovable all the same. The vitality of our belief system and thought process is brought out to us, the stories remarkably depict how it can be both- our best friend and our greatest foe.

SO, what are you waiting for??

Find a cozy nook, pick up your copy of the book and delve into the lives of Malgudi people surprisingly very much like us.

Happy Reading!!