The World of Malgudi

 

by

R. K .Narayan

It is rated as one of R.K Naryan’s best works. Starting with Mr Sampath, we are told of collaborative efforts of Srinivas,the editor, and Mr Sampath,the printer,who work together on a local weekly. We next meet Margayya,in"The financial expert",who sits under a banyan tree and gives advice on methods of extracting loans from the local cooperative bank.In "Painter of Signs" ,we encounter the unlikely love story of Raman,the local signboard painter,and daisy,a bith control propagandist who is on a visit to Malgudi.Finally, in a "A Tiger For Malgudi",a venerable tiger looks back over his life,from his early days roaming around in the wild in the jungle to his unhappy years in captivity.

Reviwed by

Mathew Abraham, VI A

 

World of Nagaraj

by

R. K. Narayan

Rasipuram Krishnaswamy Narayan was born on 10^th October, 1906 in Madras.  He was educated at the Collegiate High school in Mysore and at Maharaja’s College, Mysore.  Narayan worked as a teacher and journalist before he published his first novel.  He had published numerous novels, five collections of short stories, two travel books, four collections of essays and a memoir.

In this book, “The World of Nagaraj,” Nagarajs’s world is quiet and comfortable.  He is staying in Kabirstreet with his wife Sita.  They had no children.  Nagaraj filled his days writing letters, drinking coffee, doing some leisurely book-keeping for his friend Coomar’s Boeing sari company and sitting on his veranda watching the Kabvir street and planning the book he intends to write about the life of the great sage Narada.

But everything is disturbed when Tim, the son of his ambitious landowning brother Gopu, decided to leave home and come to live with Nagaraj, because Gopu called him a bad word.  Tim had very bad habits; Nagaraj was forced to take responsibility for the boy.  Tim used to come late at night.  But Sita waited for him all night till he came back.

One day when Tim came late at night there was a strong smell of spirits.  Tim got married to Saroja.  Saroja played her harmonium all day without any stop.  Nagaraj found his days, suddenly filled with unwelcome complication and turbulence, which threaten to alter forever the contented tranquility of his world.

I liked the book, and in my opinion it didn’t have a proper ending that the readers wanted.

Reviewed by

Hemant S.

Class IX B (shift II)