Remembering R.K.Narayan
May 13th marks the fifth death anniversary of prolific Indian writer R.K.Narayan whose exquisitely crafted novels like Swami and Friends, The Dark Room, Bachelor Of Arts, Guide, Vendor Of Sweets, Waiting For Mahatma and The Grandmother’s Tale provide witty and perceptive observations about life in India. Malgudi, the home of many lively characters such as Swami , Mr.Sampath and Nagaraj is a small fictional town in Mysore but to us it seems that the place does exist in reality. Considered to be the pioneer of Anglo-Indian writer Narayan also penned several wonderful short stories like Astrologer’s Day, Eashwaran, Another Community, Snake in the grass and The Green Blazer that are simple yet profound. Set in the fictional town Malgudi populated by quirky characters whose unique approaches to tradition and modernity are the stuff of great tales. There may be several great writers in the literary field but a master story teller like R.K.Narayan is a once in a lifetime phenomenon. May his soul rest in peace !