Swami and Friends

by R.K. Narayan

Book Overview

"There are writers--Tolstoy and Henry James to name two--whom we hold in awe, writers--Turgenev and Chekhov--for whom we feel a personal affection, other writers whom we respect--Conrad for... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 8185986002
• ISBN13: 9788185986005
• Release Date: January 2008
• Publisher: Indian Thought Publications
• Length: 179 Pages
• Weight: 0.49 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.6" x 7.9" x 9.8"

Customer Reviews

Swami and Friends is fantastic

Swami and Friends is the story of idyllic childhood, when life for some lucky kids consists entirely of avoiding the homework and playing all the time in the street with friends. Swami is one such lucky boy, studying in standard 1 A, at Albert Mission High School. We are soon introduced to his class mates and they are a reasonable lot. Shanker's specialty is to top every exam, the `Pea' and Somu occupy the middle positions but Mani is Swami's best friend who sits on the last bench and takes more than one year to clear some classes. Together Swami and Mani lord over the class and just barely manage to scrape past the exams. They live for summer vacations. But this peaceful setting is disturbed occasionally by the stern headmaster of the school and sometimes by the religious study teacher, Ebenezar. Though real chaos happens when a new boy, Rajam, comes to study in Swami's class. Rajam's father is the police commissioner of the town. In 1930, that would mean working for the British Government. After some scuffles that threaten to involve wooden clubs on Mani's part and an air gun on Rajam's, peace descends on 1 A again and Swami, Mani and Rajam become fast friends. We see them getting involved in forming a cricket club and harassing cart drivers. But all good things come to an end, and Swami manages to get thrown out from his school. He participates or rather gets caught in Anti-British protests. Next day, when his headmaster tries to cane him, he runs away swearing he will never come back. His father is forced to change the school. Still, his friendship with Mani and Rajam totters along, till Swami manages to run away from the second school too. He feels that now there is nothing left but to run away from home also. Eventually Swami returns home, only to find one of those childhood's great calamities, lying in wait for him. The book ends on a bitter-sweet note.

Simply delightful

Call it a trip down the memory lane or a story of a little boy, this is one book to delight all and sundry. Graham Greene calls it 'A book in ten thousand'. It is that and much more. R K Narayan is without any doubt one of the most famous Indian writers. His books echo the simple lives and daily trials of the people of 'Malgudi'. This in fact is Narayan's first foray into the world of literatue. The book is about a little boy Swamy who hates school, loves to play all the time (what else but cricket?), snuggles beside his grandma every night and has his own gang of friends. Swami's family life mirrors the typical Hindu brahminical household. There is no central plot in the book and it is more episodic. One fictitious incident of the Indian freedom struggle is superbly shown through the eyes of a child. More than anything, the book is a reflection of our own childhood days when longed for the classes to end, the teachers we loved and hated, the school bully with whom it was great to strike up a friendship, the special kid whom we had to impress and the peon who, we were sure, knew all the questions of the examination. There are books more profound than this running into hundreds of pages. But we realize that sometimes simple words and plain language of an effective writer can make a bigger impact if it is something we can relate to. This is a story that can be read pretty quickly but one that you will stay with you for a while.

Swami and Friends

This Great book form R K Narayan made me remember my childhood and school days and those innocent years. Especially Swami's Grand mother, his friend Rajam and mani's characters touched the heart. This book has got lot of practical humor. Definately this book will keep you at a lighter mood and will make you to remember the stories for ever. Any guy born and brought up in India can find paralles between him and Swamy.

Children's book for the elders

An excellant presentation of child hood. The fictional autobiography of swamy, the little lovable mischievous boy from a small south indian villege is a true depiction of every Indian boy of his times. I was born after more than 30 years since it was written still my child hood has resemblences in lot of places whether it be trying to escape from teachers in last benches or playing cricket or loosing friends like rajam. Presented in a lucid and lyrical fashion, this book can be finished nonstop. This is a book of children for the elders. Not many great works of this kind could be referred by me so far. Tomswayer of Mark Twain in English, Seryosha of Vera Panova in Russian and Budugu of Mullapudi Venkata Ramana in Telugu(a shouth indian language) are few of similar brilliant works I read so far.

The Indian equivalent of Tom Sawyer, only better

This fictionalized autobiography of a young Indian boy and his world is so charming and amusing that I have read it several times. I strongly recommend it to everyone, especially to those who believe that the only good books are written by Americans and Europeans. Most of all, the author is quintessentially human and not afraid to show us himself as a mischievous child with all his warts. As such he is more lovable than a more perfect hero. At places in this book you will laugh until the tears roll down your face. DON'T, repeat, DON'T miss it! Words cannot express how marvelous this story is. In addition, it has universal appeal to both children and adults, though on different levels.