Even now, I own a copy of "Swami and Friends"--though this is not the same physical copy that I read decades ago. I enjoyed the stories about Swami all the more because of how much I could relate my own life to Swami's.
Narayan's tales of the fictional town of Malgudi--like Marquez's Macondo that I read not too long ago--were delightful. In those simple stories, Narayan smoothly wove in serious topics even in those simple and everyday tales.
As I progressed through Narayan's writings, a casual comment that my English teacher made led me to The Guide. (I did not like that teacher for various reasons, and I still don't. But, hey, we grab the nuggets when we find them!)
The Guide, though, was very much unlike the simple childhood day experiences of Swami, while still set in the same fictional town of Malgudi. It was one serious work, that left me inquiring about very many things in life that I hadn't inquired enough until then. Isn't this what great works of literature make us do--to think?
The song/dance sequence here is from the movie whose storyline was adapted from Narayan's novel. BTW, I find it wonderful that the character, Rosie--a Christian--is played by Waheeda Rehman--a Muslim--who was apparently well-schooled in Bharatanatyam--which is a part of the Hindu culture.
Want to know more about Malgudi
?It turns out that all the songs from this movie have been collected in one single YouTube video. The diffusion and adaptation of modern technology is awesome!
