Malgudi Schooldays

R.K. Narayan's classic stories about the escapades of Swami and his friends in the sleepy and picturesque fictional town Malgudi have regaled generations of readers. Swami's days are full of action. When he is not creating a ruckus in the classroom, or blundering through his exams, he's adventuring down the streets of Malgudi; befuddling his grandmother; or stoning the school windows, inspired by a swadeshi demonstration. But the greatest exploit of Swami and his friends lies in putting together a cricket team called the Malgudi Cricket Club and challenging the Young Men's Union to a match. Just before the game, however, things go horribly wrong and Swami has no option but to run away from home, wanting never to return again.

R.K. Narayan was born on October 10, 1906 in Madras. He began his writing career with Swami and Friends in 1935. Most of his work, including Swami and Friends, is set in the fictional town of Malgudi, which captures everything Indian while having a unique identity of its own. R.K. Narayan's writing style was marked by simplicity and subtle humour. He told stories of ordinary people trying to live their simple lives in a changing world. Narayan is the true master of humour, irony, realism, romance and artistry.

Lavanya Naidu is an animator and illustrator from Calcutta. She spends her free time making short films, illustrating books, watching films, talking to animals and occasionally playing the ukulele. She has grown up reading and admiring R.K. Narayan and R.K. Laxman's work, of which Malgudi Days is her favourite.