Malgudi Days: Short Stories By, R.K Narayan aka Rasipuram Krishnaswamy Narayanaswamy, addressed as Shri.RKN in my review.
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Shri RKN evokes the kind of respect and awe for his writings so unlike any other author from the subcontinent. In his own opinion, writing short stories was so much easier and fulfilling as he could concentrate on the central theme or the conclusion. Having read books by the authors of Indian origin who seem to be riveted by the ''crossover'' themes and in the process of trying to portray the cross-cultural facets, fail in their rendering of the Indian aspect or more aptly the cultural human aspect. So, back I went to read one of my favorite authors. Shri RKN cannot be compared to any of the authors except that Leo Tolstoy comes to mind and in a vague way they can be considered to be a little similar.
MALGUDI – The Pulse and Heartbeat of Society
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Born in South India, Shri.RKN has given Malgudi a special place in the readers mind. It's neither a figment of the author's imagination nor is it located on any map. The everyday life's mundane activities and the humdrum happenings we come across are what make up Malgudi,
It could be the morningmilkman or the cycle bell ringing of the newspaper man or the sound of MS Subbalaxmi's Suprabhatam in the distance or the aroma of tea being made in the early dawn or the womenfolk sweeping the verandahs and drawing rangoli chatting with a neighbor about the maids absence or the men sitting and reading newspaper sipping coffee and arguing about current politics across fences separating the neighbors.
It could be the afternoon calls of a vendor , 'ice-krot..ice-krot' an indianisation of the term ice-cream or the hawkers walking barefoot selling their wares or the now almost absent appearance of the lady from across town with the spice basket, carefully measuring the ‘lavang'(clove), 'elaichi'(cardamom) , 'dalchini'(cinnamon) using the unit of measure 'tola'…used to measure gold or the ayahs converging outside the school gates carrying hot lunch for the fortunate few.
It could be the eveningof summer the earth smelling of 'Kasturi', the regular 'phool waala' (flower vendor) giving out a hearty cry 'amma phool' (Mother flowers)… women haggling over the price of flowers measured in arms length , settling comfortably on the verandah and with snapping fingers encircling the thread forming a string of flowers, the bangle-sellers who with one look at your wrist picked out the right size or the fish vendor yelling 'macchi-macchi, pomfret , jhinga , Raou macchi'(fish fish – kinds of fish), the intermingling of aroma and sounds..
It could be a moon-lit night sitting under the coconut tree reading comics and cracking jokes, the discussion on the days activities at school, work and home or it could be listening to stories of the cruel monster . The din of the night, the howl of a dog and the occasional beat by the guard - 'Hoshiyaar' (Beware)..
All these make up Malgudi , the author uses the day to day activities and nuances of life and evokes a unique kind of belonging to this old-world charm, Malgudi is not only in India it could be anywhere in the world , we have to look around us and breathe in the air of the street, village, town or city.
Malgudi is about observing, assimilating , identifying, belonging to a place's culture and following its tradition. A little setting where a neighbor knows his neighbor, where there is a story in every house, where there is involvement of every home in ceremonies of joy, achievement, failure and sorrow. Malgudi – its people the pulse and heartbeat.
Malgudi and The Days
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Shri RKN weaves the days of Malgudi around its thirty-two characteristics (sixteen from an Astrologers day, eight from Lawley Road and eight new) few of them are:
An Astrologer who makes his living analyzing and guessing.
The Mailmanwho controls the destiny of delivering news some timely and some delayed.. The forthright Doctor on whom lives depend and on whose word patients rely.The Dog who slaves for his blind master. Leela's Friend a tale of past catching up
Swami the naughty darling of Malgudi is Shri.RKN's masterpiece. Swami brings out the child in you. The masterfully crafted deceit to stay away from school letting imagination run riot is a classy treat A smile and a laugh can be reserved for this one.
An Opinion
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Shri. RKN has written various other books too but, this one has amalgamated in it all the senses and essence of Malgudi. Each and every story has a sentiment to share and none is better than the other, all of them are the best in their own distinct way. The rhythmic flow of narrative prose and the easy to understand vocabulary are another asset. It’s amazing to note that Shri. RKN never resorts to rhetoric, glamorizing suffering or coloring the characters and neither does he try to belittle the innate charm of customs and traditions on the grouse that they are superstitions. Shri. RKN narrates in a cohesive manner what comes across as synchronized and simple thoughts , there is a very middle-class touch to his writing and that itself is a distinction in his approach.
The author does not at any point try to impose or correct any happenings or state of life, there is more a sense of acceptability , reconciliation and finding the humor in such situations. There is no presentation of problems or their solutions and no implication in the story . It is more of 'what you read is what you get' and relating to it doesn't take any effort especially if the reader is from the sub-continent. Shri. RKN has a subtle sense of wit which is enduring.
Another minute detail to add which would make the genders happy is, most of his central characters are male and although there is a fair sprinkling of female characters , they are not made out to be the villain only more humane
and complex.
Going into details of each and every story would mean revealing the entire book . Wanted to give a tantalizing view of what the book has to offer and hope this would interest even the occasional reader to feel the pulse of Malgudi and make this one a must-read. There is also a lengthy preface and introduction with Shri. RKN's experiences and thoughts, the pages are not to be skipped.
And, not to forget this book makes a lovely gift to anyone especially when one evince's an interest in Indian authors.
-:)) Riya
============Comments are welcome ============
PS: Last word contd. in comments.
