Swami and Friends

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Swami and Friends
Swami and Friends (Malgudi Schooldays) cover.jpg
Cover of Malgudi School days 2009 Puffin Classics edition
AuthorR. K. Narayan
Cover artistR. K. Laxman
CountryIndia
LanguageEnglish
GenreNovel
Published1935 Hamilton
Media typePrint
Pages459
ISBN978-0-09-928227-3
OCLC360179
Followed byThe Bachelor of Arts 

Swami and Friends is the first of a series of novels written by R. K. Narayan (1906–2001), English language novelist from India. The novel, the first book Narayan wrote, is set in British India in a fictional town called Malgudi. The second and third books in the trilogy are The Bachelor of Arts and The English Teacher.

Malgudi Schooldays is a slightly abridged version of Swami and Friends, and includes two additional stories featuring Swami from Malgudi Days and Under the Banyan Tree.[1]

-old school boy, Swaminathan and his friends. Throughout the novel he is called as Swami. All the events take place in Malgudi, a fictional town. Swami wakes up a bit late on a Monday Swami and his friends feel offended. Swami tells about this to his father. Next day, he comes with a letter from his father to the headmasterSwami also tells his friends about the letter. What his friends, there are Mani, Somu, Sankar and Samuel. Mani is a mighty boy, lazy at times and not so good at studies. Somu is the class monitor. Sankar is very sharp and intelligent in studies. Samuel is nick named as 'The Pea' for his height. Later in that evening, Swami and Mani sit on the banks of the Sarayu river and they are talking about Rajam, one of their classmates. Rajam is the son of a wealthy Police Superintendent. Mani does not like Rajam and he wants to throw him into the river. Mani sees Rajam as his rival. Swami says that he will always take his side. But at the same time, Swami wishes him to reconcile with Rajam. In the school, Mani challenges Rajam for a fight to prove who is better and more powerful. Swami acts a mediator between the two. They decide to meet for the fight on the banks of the river. But when the time for the fight comes, Rajam suggests that they should become friends and Mani agrees. By their reconciliation, Swami is the one who is the happiest of all. He has great admirations for Rajam for his good qualities.

Swami's mother is expected to give birth to a baby. Most of the time, she is lying in the bed. Taking her to be ill, Swami worries about her. She gives birth to a boy. The baby boy is named Subbu. His mother is very caring and sweet. His father also loves him very much. But he is always concerned about his studies and exams as at times Swami becomes careless and negligent. Swami is more attached to his grandmother. More often, he talks about his friends especially Rajam, to his grandmother. Rajam invites his friends at his house and serves them with delicious food and toys. One day in the school, Somu, Sankar and Samuel make fun of Swami by calling him as "Rajam's Tail". Because they feel that Swami has ignored them and now he is always flattering Rajam because of his wealth. Swami feels hurt for being rejected by his friends. Coming home, Swami enjoys playing with paper boat. In school, Somu and others keep teasing him with the remarks of "Rajam’s Tail". Rajam promises Swami to make a visit to his house. Swami requests his father to

Publication[]

Swami and Friends is the first novel written by R. K. Narayan.[2] It was published through the intervention of a friend and neighbour ("Kittu" Purna) who was studying at Oxford. Through him, Graham Greene came into contact with Narayan's work, became especially interested in it and took it upon himself to place the book with a reputable English publisher (Hamish Hamilton).[3] Graham Greene was responsible for the title Swami and Friends, changing it from Narayan's Swami, the Tate, suggesting that it would have the advantage of having some resemblance to Rudyard Kipling's Stalky & Co..[4]

Greene arranged the details of the contract and remained closely involved until the novel was published. Narayan's indebtedness to Greene is inscribed on the front endpaper of a copy of Swami and Friends Narayan presented to Greene: "But for you, Swami should be in the bottom of Thames now".[4]

Characters[]

Albert Mission School friends[]

  • W.S. Swaminathan: A ten-year-old boy studying at Albert Mission School, Malgudi. He lives in Vinayaka Mudali Street. He is later transferred to Board High School.
  • Mani: Swami's classmate at Albert Mission School, lives in Abu Lane, he is known as 'Mighty good-for-nothing'.[5][6] He carries around a club sometimes, and threatens to beat his enemies to a pulp. He is hardly concerned about his studies.
  • M. Rajam: Swami's classmate at Albert Mission School, lives in Lawley Extension. His father is the Deputy Police Superintendent of Malgudi. He previously studied at an English Boys' School, Madras. He is also the Captain of Malgudi Cricket Club (MCC).
  • Somu : Monitor of 1st Form A Section, lives in Kabeer Street. He fails in 1st Form and is "automatically excluded from the group".
  • Sankar: Swami's classmate in 1st Form A Section. His father gets transferred at the end of the term. He is the most brilliant boy of the class.
  • Samuel ("The Pea"): Swami's classmate in 1st Form A Section. He is known as "The Pea" because of his height.

Swami's house[]

  • W. T. Srinivasan: Swami's father, a lawyer
  • Lakshmi: Swami's mother, homemaker
  • Swami's grandmother
  • Swami's late grandfather (sub-magistrate)
  • Subbu: Swami's younger brother

Others[]

  • Rajam's father - A Deputy Police Superintendent
  • Rajam's mother
  • The Headmaster of Albert Mission School
  • Mr. Ebenezer - A teacher at Albert Mission School, a Christian Ideologist
  • The Head master of the Board School
  • Dr. Kesavan - A physician in the Board School
  • Mr. Nair - An officer at District Forest Office
  • Ranga - A cart man

Cricketers mentioned[]

Cultural depictions[]

Critical reception[]

On November 5, 2019, the BBC News listed Swami and Friends on its list of the 100 most influential novels.[9]

References[]

  1. ^ Username * (2009-11-15). "Malgudi Schooldays". Penguin Books India. Retrieved 2014-02-01.
  2. ^ "R. K. Narayan (Indian author) - Encyclopædia Britannica". Britannica.com. Retrieved 2014-02-01.
  3. ^ Pier Paolo Piciucco, A companion to Indian fiction in English 2004, Atlantic Publishers & Dist
  4. ^ a b Pier Paolo Piciucco, A Companion to Indian Fiction in English (2004) Atlantic Publishers & Dist
  5. ^ "Then there was Mani, the Mighty Good-For-Nothin..." Quotes.wiki. 2017-11-01. Retrieved 2020-06-07.
  6. ^ "A quote from Swami and Friends, The Bachelor of Arts, The Dark Room, The English Teacher". www.goodreads.com. Retrieved 2020-06-07.
  7. ^ "'You acted exactly as I imagined Swami to be'". Rediff.com. 16 May 2001. Retrieved 31 August 2009.
  8. ^ "The return of Malgudi Days". Rediff.com. July 21, 2006. Retrieved 2009-08-28.
  9. ^ "100 'most inspiring' novels revealed by BBC Arts". BBC News. 2019-11-05. Retrieved 2019-11-10. The reveal kickstarts the BBC's year-long celebration of literature.

External links[]

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