Swami and Friends (Vintage International)

Here's a thought. Swami, R. K. Narayan's protagonist in Swami and Friends, is a forerunner of . . . take a deep breath . . . none other than Bart Simpson. Swaminathan, the plucky ten-year old, the classic irreverent underachiever, is always in one pot of hot water or another. He can be selfish, prevaricating, disrespectful to his elders, and dishonest in his dealings with his peers. Not your basic role model. But he still retains a boyish innocence, a fading purity in his search for what is fun. His father, while certainly not as laughably stupid as Homer Simpson, is no Father-Knows-Best figure of paternal perfection. He is over-involved with his work and does not always treat his children or wife with the respect and kindness they deserve. Swami's grandmother sleeps in a darkened hall, sometimes loved, and sometimes neglected, her advancing dotage often burdensome to the child.Swami thinks like a 10 year old. Everything he wants is of utmost urgency. He cannot conceive of consequences or of delayed gratification. Peer relationships are far more important to him than long-term success in school. He is still concrete in his thinking and struggles with his studies. But within his delicate, formative being are competing forces battling for his very soul. There is a lot of personality we see here, already formed, and some of it is disturbing. He is easily swayed, lacks self-confidence, and can easily lose himself in the crowd. How will this young person fit into India as it struggles for independence and into the India that will follow?The Simpsons is arguably one of the best satires of contemporary American life because it forces us to look closely at ourselves. When we laugh at the Simpsons, we laugh at ourselves. There is something awfully familiar about their imperfections. Swami and Friends is a lot like that. There is something funny and familiar in Swami and Friends, even for this 21st century American reader. Narayan gives us a very clear picture of southern India in 1930 and he is setting the stage for India's place in the post-colonial world. This vision is presented through the hopeful but not-so-innocent eyes of a child.

Although this book was published in the 1930's, the portrait of a child's experience remains timely in many ways. R.K. Narayan was a master at describing the inner life of a wide range of people. In this deceptively simply novel, he enters into a child's mind with great sensitivity and humor. The episode where Swami's father tries to help out with a fractions problem in Swami's math book made me laugh, because it so accurately reflected the terrifying and mystifying experiences twenty-first century children have with the very same subject.

A good book to read if you want to know how olden indian classrooms were. The mischeif of the boys has been written in a comical way.

the book itself needs no reviews, it is timeless and will be loved by anyone who is into reading about children's adventure. Even though set in times almost a century back, it captures the thinking of a child in a manner that makes it relevant in any age.

My son was watching malgudi days on youtube but unfortunately there were not sub titles. This book was a gift for him and really sparked his imagination. It also connected our child hood with him. The book also arrived very quickly

Swami and Friends was the first novel written by RK Narayan. I completed reading this novel yesterday. It is part of a collection of 3 novels called A Malgudi Omnibus, others being Bachelor of Arts and The English Teacher. I just started reading Bachelor of Arts. In this review, I will not give summary of the story as it will spoil the thrill when one reads the novel.As is the case with all Narayan works, this novel is also set in an imaginary town in South India called Malgudi. Swaminathan is a young boy less than 10 years old. This novel narrates his experiences with his parents, grandmother, friends, residents of Malgudi, and even his new-born brother when he is in second class. However, Swami and his friends are the prime focus of this novel.Swami is a quite different child than the present day children. He lives in a village and he is extremely innocent which sometimes makes him look mischievous as well. His fate lands him in trouble in whatever he does. He has his own perception of the world and tries to be the conqueror in spite of his own shortcomings like fear, innocence, etc. Circumstances make him a mis-fit to any school in Malgudi.On the other hand, his friend Rajam is a city-born child who acts beyond his age quite similar to the present day children. He is very ambitious and courageous with least respect for the elders. His father is a policeman which is also a reason for his courage. Apart from being very good in studies, he is very adamant to achieve things which are beyond his reach and is not bothered by the consequences of his present actions.There is another friend of Swami called Mani who is a village version of courageous child. Even though he is courageous, his innocence mostly overtakes that. He is very close to Swami and offers him lot of advice even when not asked. He also carries a club which he feels will protect him in adverse situations.The incidences which involve these three close friends form the crux of the novel. Swami has a strict father, a kind grandmother, and a mother who loses interest in him once she gives birth to a new baby. The novel is pretty slow to start with and provides every small detail which form the base for the fun later. I will just provide some of the instances which I thoroughly enjoyed from this novel.Ultimate fun awaits the reader in chapter 12. Swami and Mani listen to a freedom fighter's talk. The freedom fighter blasts the English rulers very much. He tells that if all the people of India go and spit on England, that is more than enough to submerge the whole England. I personally think it is quite true, unless one disproves it by actually making millions spit on England. Swami also thinks it is true and asks Mani if they can attempt that. Mani replies saying Europeans are very bad guys and they will shoot them. This chapter progresses in such a manner and engages reader with non-stop fun.Swami's encounters with the Board school headmaster is also equally enjoyable. The attitude of that headmaster took me back to my school days when some of my teachers used to carry canes to beat students and treat the students as their slaves. Swami becomes a super-hero when he grabs and throws the cane away when the headmaster attempts to beat him. After that, his conscience makes him feel sad and leads to other troubles.Malgudi Cricket Club (M.C.C.) which is started by Swami and his friends took me back to my school days when we also tried to start a cricket team called Danger Boys. The letter they write to Binns sports shop in Madras and the other happenings are great to read.On the whole, Swami and Friends is an amazing novel and I do not think I would be reading a better novel ever. The novel took me to my school days and I could relate many of the Swami's experiences to my own. This novel is an unadulterated and absolutely thorough portrayal of a child's life. It is rather unfortunate that most of the present day children have their so called intelligence suppressing innocence associated with their age.Having said that, I am sure that one can find many children like Swami in Indian villages even today. This novel is a must read for any one who want to roll back their years and enjoy the innocent moments of their life.

The first book of the author that I read. Was a joy to read! Was quite sad when I finished it because I didn't want the book to end. We see the world through the eyes of a child in this sweet book. Swami, the main character of the book, isn't a goody goody kid. He's a normal kid, a bit selfish, and this story is pretty realistic. It may have very well been anyones childhood! Makes for a very good read.

"Maa, tum to kitni achhi ho! Kyun nahi hum gareebon ko unk haal pe chhod deti?"This is the dialogue still etched to my memory ,having read the book in my pre-teen years in Hindi.Ironically,my mother too enjoys Swami's plight in the dialogue equally.To let know the readers,this dialogue Swami weeps out when his dad decides to make him study on a holiday on his mother's egging.

People often aske me how to get started with reading habit. Well my dear friends, this is the one! Each and every story brings the little things beautifully that we usually overlook in our childhood days. I can't explain enough how simple yet emotional this book is.

Reading the book (Swami and Friends) quite moved me and transports to the children's world before independence, but many an incident related me of the childhood days that feels nostalgic. I couldn't narrate what, and all, but I am adding it to my favorite list of books, and it reproduced the cheer of reading Ruskin bond's the room on the roof.

A must read book for the young and young at heart. The adolescent joys and sorrows of the protagonist are narrated by the author in a gripping fashion.