If I remember correctly, it was during my school days that I first read an R. K. Narayan story titled âThe Missing Mailâ. It narrates the story of a postman, Thanappa, who shares warm relationships with all his recipients but has a special bond with the family of Ramanujam. He is particularly fond of Ramanujamâs daughter, Kamakshi, whom he has known since childhood.
When Kamakshi is about to get married, Thanappa receives a letter carrying the news of the death of one of Ramanujamâs relatives. Fearing that the wedding would be disrupted, he deliberately withholds the letter. When Ramanujam eventually receives the mail, he is understandably angry with Thanappa, yet he chooses not to report him.
R. K. Narayanâs stories are known for their simplicity and quiet moral depth. Mostly set in the pre-independence era, his narratives portray the lives of ordinary people and small, everyday incidents that carry profound meaning.
Not just stories but the TV adaptation of the Malgudi Days was pretty good. âMalgudi DaysâSwami and friendsâ was one of my favourite shows.
What I liked most about it was that Swami was a normal kid like others and his life was also a simple one with real life troubles which many children face. He was more into sports than studies, was continuously pushed by his father for better academic success, beaten and scolded by teachers, bullied by another kid, had good friends, etc. Nothing complicated and yet so compelling.
There are a very few stories that can draw such attention with a plain storyline. People mostly go for complicated plots, and surprising twists to make the story interesting, but R. K. Narayan stories are written with simplicity focussing more on human emotions and interpersonal relationships.
Some of his stories did have tragic ending like âIswaranâ is the story of a man who has failed college nine years in a row. In his tenth attempt he gets hopeless and without seeing the result he decides to attempt suicide. He writes a letter and is willing to jump in the river. But at the end moment he decides to check his result. He is shocked to see that he had not only passed the exam but had scored second class marks. In excitement he recreated a scene from a beloved movie, leaps in the river and dies. His body is discovered along with the letter.
Even this story is coherent with life of a common man. People do feel depressed when they fail and many commit serious acts when in such kind of pressure. The emotional state of a person is well documented in the stories of R. K. Narayan.
He also focused on the time frame and the living conditions in pre independence era. Many movies and shows have focused on the freedom struggle, the dominance of the British and major political movements in those times, but there only few shows that actually tells about the living conditions of common people in those times.
For example, Swami and Friends has many episodes that covers the school set up, views of common people about the British rule, clash of the freedom fighters and those working for the government in those times.
I remember one episode where few people working for the freedom movement were burning foreign stuffs and had appealed that schools should remain closed for a day as one freedom fighter was put behind the bars. Swami joined the protestors and pelted stones on his own school office. He was seen by the headmaster who was adamant on keeping the school open irrespective of the protests.
The difference in opinion of those working in government organisations and those who wanted to boycott every thing built by the British was beautifully portrayed. We also saw how the children responded to such twists and turns in their surrounding.
The most profound aspect of Malgudi Days is the simplicity of storytelling. Itâs inspiring for the writers who want to take inspiration from daily lives of people and write stories that are more relatable. I feel something similar with the stories of Munshi Premchand. He writes mostly about people living in villages. And his story telling is built on interesting characters and a strong narration.