The world first heard about this small town called Malgudi in 1935 when RK Narayan published his first novel Swami and Friends. The town was fictional but everything about it was real.
The streets, the cinema, the bank, the haircutting salon, the people believing in Indian astrology on one hand and obsessed with English education on the other, the culture, the traditions (dying and emerging) – all of this is real. And this is India, if there could be any description of it.
A number of RK Narayan’s stories revolve around this town. Including a collection of short stories titled Malgudi Days. The town looks familiar to anyone who has lived in India and offers an insightful picture to anyone who hasn’t. There is a sense of Indianness in each one of the characters. They speak English but they speak how an Indian would. It’s a challenge in itself. While Indians do speak English they do so using a very different vocabulary from the British (or Americans) and equally different structure. It’s an art that only some have been able to master.
There are 32 chapters in the book, or 32 short stories. As Jhumpa Lahiri suggests, “you should read one story per day, for thirty-two consecutive day.” Let’s call it Malgudi month. Allow yourself to be absorbed in the settings of this fascinating town. Get to know the people in it. That will be a good place to start the year.
Kalampedia 