Swami and Friends

It was Monday morning. Swaminathan was reluctant to open his eyes. He considered Monday specially unpleasant in the calendar. After the delicious freedom of Saturday and Sunday, it was difficu

RAJAM AND MANI

RIVER SARAYU was the pride of Malgudi. It was some ten minutes walk from Ellaman Street, the last street of the town, chiefly occupied by oilmongers. Its sand- banks were the evening resort of

SWAMI'S GRANDMOTHER

IN THE ill-ventilated dark passage between the front hall and the dining-room, Swaminathan's grandmother lived with all her belongings, which consisted of an elaborate bed made of five carpets

WHAT IS A TAIL

The Geography Master was absent, and the boys of the First A had leisure between three and three-forty-five on Wednesday. Somehow Swaminathan had missed his friends and found himself alone.

FATHER'S ROOM

IT WAS Saturday and Rajam had promised to come in the afternoon. Swaminathan was greatly excited. Where was he to entertain him? Probably in his own 'room'; but his father often came in to dre

A FREIND IN NEED

ONE AFTERNOON three weeks later, Swaminathan stood before Mani's house and gave a low whistle. Mani joined him. They started for Rajam's house, speculating on the way what the surprise (which

A NEW ARRIVAL

MOTHER had been abed for two days past. Swaminathan missed her very much in the kitchen, and felt uncomfortable without her attentions. He was taken to her room, where he saw her lying disheve

BEFORE THE EXAMINATION

IN APRIL, just two weeks before the examinations, Swaminathan realised that his father was changing--for the worse. He was becoming fussy and difficult. He seemed all of a sudden to have made

SCHOOL BREAK UP

WITH dry lips, parched throat, and ink-stained fingers, and exhaustion on one side and exaltation on the other, Swaminathan strode out of the examination hall, on the last day. Standing i

THE COACHMAN 'S SON

SWAMINATHAN had two different attachments: one to Somu, Sankar, and the Pea--a purely scholastic one, which automatically ceased when the school gates closed; his other attachment was more hum

IN FATHER'S PRESENCE !!

DURING summer Malgudi was one of the most detested towns in South India. Sometimes the heat went above a hundred and ten in the shade, and between twelve and three any day in summer the dusty

BROKEN PANES

ON THE 15th of August 1930, about two thousand citizens of Malgudi assembled on the right bank of Sarayu to protest against the arrest of Gauri Sankar, a prominent political worker of Bombay.

THE M.C.C.

Six WEEKS later Rajam came to Swaminathan's house to announce that he forgave him all his sins--starting with his political activities, to his new acquisition, the Board High School air, by wh

GRANNY SHOVES HER IGNORANCE

WORK was rather heavy in the Board High School. The amount of home-work given at the Albert Mission was nothing compared to the heap given at the Board. Every teacher thought that his was the

Before the match

THE M. C. C. 's challenge to a 'friendly' match was accepted by the Young Men's Union, who kept themselves in form by indefatigable practice on the vacant site behind the Reading Room, or when

Swami disappears

SWAMINATHAN'S father felt ashamed of himself as he approached Ellaman Street, the last street of the town, which turned into a rough track for about a hundred yards, and disappeared into the s

The day of the match

A NARROW road branching to the left of the Trunk Road attracted Swaminathan because it was shaded by trees bearing fruits. The white balllike wood-apple, green figs, and the deep purple eugeni

The return

IT was three-thirty on Sunday afternoon. The match between the M. C. C. and the Y. M. U. was still in progress. The Y. M. U. had won the toss, and were all out for eighty-six at two o'clock. T

Parting present