Remember - The good ole' malgudi days - Here is Something !!!

MALGUDI DAYS by (RK Naryan )

A Hero


Little Swami, like all timid children, sucks his thumb and sleeps near his devoted, story-telling Grandmother. Father is quite annoyed at this mollycoddling and cleverly provokes his son into a show of courage: he is to sleep all alone in his office that very night.

And so, he drags the reluctant child to the office while the women in the family look on helplessly. A petrified Swami sleeps fitfully ? dreams and reality merge ? but the next morning the little boy wakes up 'A Hero"- with a special invitation to join the police force.

Swami abounds in the adulation and praise, while Father is pleased to know his son's photograph has appeared in the local newspapers. Rushing in one night to break the good news, he finds Swami back to his old ways ? one night of manhood is enough for the boy. R.K.Narayan pits the age-old courage vs. strength theory - either you have it in you or you don't.



A horse and two goats



An impressive statue of a Horse and Warrior stands on the outskirts of a sleepy village named Kritam, not too far from Malgudi. Muni, the local goat-herd and his family (wife and two goats) have obviously seen better day. Hunger seems to follow them about like shadows? because the shop-keeper's terms are 'strictly cash'. And so, penniless, dreaming of drumstick curry and other such delicacies, he grazes his goats each day - lazing in the shadows of the great Horse. On one such typical day, an American tourist happens to run out of 'gas' near the statue. The unlikely characters meet and an interesting conversation is soon in full swing. The American speaks only English while Muni speaks chaste Tamil. Not a single word is understood by either, yet they go on like long lost friends. Finally, an unexpected bargain takes place between Muni and the American that has surprising results for Muni. The story brings out R.K. Narayan's earthy sense of humor, dealing with communication and the language barrier.

Missing mail


Thanappa is Malgudi's friendly postman. Always a smile, time for a chat, a bit of advice - followed by the inevitable refreshment. But he is more than just a postman to the Ramanujam family. He shares their good news when he brings tidings of it. And sympathizes in their sorrow as well. Thanappa is instrumental in bringing about their daughter's engagement - the one whose birth he had brought news of almost seventeen years ago. A day before the happy occasion of her marriage, a letter arrives bearing news of his elder brother's illness and a telegram follows with his passing away. Should Thanappa risk all by telling the family on this happy day? Or should he postpone the delivery and risk getting sacked for his efforts? A tricky situation indeed! R.K. Narayan brings to light the problems of arranged marriages in a middle class family and stirs the fast-vanishing memories when the postman was almost a part of a family's hopes, dreams and aspirations.


Leela's friend


8-year-old Leela abounds with joy when her parents hire a new servant to help about the house. Sidda, the servant, is a simple soul - but he is all she knows. The Sivasankar family is a picture of joy as Sidda helps run an efficient household and give Leela the benefit of his experience. One day on the way home from market, Mrs. Sivasankar discovers her daughter's chain missing. Sidda too vanishes. Leela is beside herself with grief, while the parents are busy with their won work, and the Police. In yet another bitter-sweet tale, R.K. Narayan sharply contrasts the innocent world of a child with the hard realities of adulthood. The chain is finally found in a pickle-jar, but Sidda's screams rent the air around the Police-station. Leela's Friend is no more.

Sweets for angel

In the courtyard of a 100 year-old building live Malgudi's odd trio-Pachai the blind beggar (whose eyesight is as sharp as a razor), Kuppan the rickshaw cyclist and Kali the coolie. His one weakness is children. And the school opposite is his haven. He never mingles with the kids-always keeping his distance from them. And so the three eke out a living from day to day till the child-lover gets an opportunity to earn some big money at the local ration store. Feigning illness to his friends, he summons up the courage to buy sweets for the children. At school-break, he approaches them. Being children, they cannot refuse his tempting offer and soon there is commotion all over the place. Some passers-by mistake him for a kidnapper and within no time, rumors about him are rife. A large crowd chases him till he finds refuge in a stranger's house. An exhausted Kali tries to escape, but of no avail. The police arrive and apprehend him. Kali has got himself landed in hospital, shorn and shaven. His friends on a consolation visit, suggest he can go back to his old ways as no one will recognize the new, hairless Kali.

A willing slave


No one knew her name, from whence she went, or came - for the family she was just 'Ayah'*. A willing slave to cook and care for the three children, keep a stern eye on the other servants and to generally keep the house in running order - all for a pittance of a sari** and a few rupees a month. The only sign of any family of her own were two hefty, sullen men in their early 40's, who would come to collect a part of her meagre salary which she gave willingly. The story features 'The Ayah' and Little Radha (the smallest of the children) - their unique relationship where each indulges the other's fantasy till one day when the Ayah leaves to become a willing slave for yet someone else. Everyone from eight to eighty will identify with this bitter-sweet tale. For the 'Ayah' forms an important figure in the Indian household. And for the Western world, our central character would be quite, quite unbelievable yet, about a Mother figurine.

Cat within


Exploitation is rife in this tragically funny story where a Landlord and an Exorcist combine to squeeze the blood from their miserably poor tenants. To protect his loot, the landlord places six kerosene cans one-on-top-of-each-other hoping that any thief might sound the alarm. But the only thieves here are rats - not humans. And who but a cat could deal with these vermin, suggests the Exorcist. The real fun however begins late one night, when a brass pot suddenly comes alive, bouncing up and down in the Landlord's godown, setting up an unholy din. The terror-stricken tenants huddle together ? the Exorcist is sent for ? Some evil is definitely afoot ? and will to come to light !

The watch man


Poor old watchman! 'Why' he asks, 'do people come to my Tank Bund to end their lives?' Suicide has become almost a fashion at the small, deep Tank - with the explanatory letter left behind. Death seems to greet him every month or so, till one night he chances on a young lady in distress already waist-deep in the water. The night is young as the Watchman gets acquainted with the lady's problems. At dawn, having said his piece, he leaves her to do what she will. And it is only many, many years later that he discovers what really happened the morning after the night before. R.K. Narayan examines the stifling conditions of the Indian Woman for whom economic independence seems the only answer to her problems