It is difficult to imagine that R.K. Narayan, the author who is hailed as one of the most proficient of India’s writers, once failed an English examination. It happened when he was appearing for a university entrance examination. Being poor in science he had expected to fail in physics and chemistry but by some miracle he passed in these subjects. On the other hand, in English, which was his strongest subject, he failed.
The famed writer, who was born on 10th October 1906, has written in his autobiography My Days that his father, who was very strict about everything, had only one pleasant quality. He never bothered about his son’s examination results although he was the headmaster of the school where Narayan studied.
Being the son of the headmaster, Narayan got plenty of time to spend in the school library after classes ended every day. He developed a deep love for reading books written by eminent authors such Sir Walter Scott, Charles Dickens, the poets Keats, Byron, and also Rabindranath Tagore. His passion for reading their works automatically enhanced his own writing skills and fired his imagination.
As a college student he used to write short stories and novels which were never published. But he had the pleasure of reading out his work to his friends at the nearest coffee shop. They would all sit down, order tea and coffee (paid for by Narayan) and then listen to whatever Narayan had written. Narayan suspected that the real reason behind their interest was the free tea and coffee but nevertheless he was happy to have a bunch of people listening to his stories.
Many years later when he was still a struggling author, Narayan sent the manuscript of his latest book Swami And Friends to a friend who was living in the UK. He told the friend to find a publisher. If no publisher wanted it, he should throw it into the river Thames instructed Narayan.
The turning point in his career
The friend happened to know the famous writer Graham Greene (widely considered being one of the greatest writers of the 20th century) and he took the manuscript to Greene. The Englishman was highly impressed by the simple style and plot that Narayan had weaved and made sure that the book was published. From that point Narayan’s career took an upturn.
Swami And Friends published in 1935, was a semi autobiographical novel based upon Narayan’s own childhood memories. In 1937 he wrote The Bachelor Of Arts which was based upon his experiences in college. This too was published after a recommendation by Greene.
In 1935 Narayan got married to a girl named Rajam whom he had met two years earlier. But when she passed away of typhoid in 1939 Narayan was emotionally devastated. Two years before that his own father had died so it was a double blow for Narayan. He plunged even more deeply into writing as a way out of his depression. Some of his outstanding novels were produced during this period.
In 1943 a collection of short stories titled Malgudi Days was published. The stories were a lyrical description of the lives of children and adults living in a village called Malgudi. Those who have read Mark Twain’s novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn may see a likeness between that famous work of American literature and the plot of Malgudi Days. Both have the same kind of appeal. Malgudi Days was turned into a television serial and telecast in the 1980s on Doordarshan. It turned out to be a very big hit with the audience.
Narayan wrote his novel The Guide when Narayan was visiting the USA. This novel is about a tourist guide named Raju whose life takes unusual twists after he meets a dancer by the name of Rosie. The book won the Sahitya Academy award in 1960. In 1965 actor and filmmaker Dev Anand put the story on celluloid with himself as the Guide and Waheeda Rehman as the dancer. Not only was the film a great hit at the box office but it has been acclaimed as one of the most outstanding films that Bollywood has ever produced.
In 2001 R.K. Narayan passed away at the age of 94. But his stories continued to be popular throughout the world. In 2018 his book Swami And Friends was listed by the BBC as one of the Books That Shaped The World. Three years before that his house was turned into a museum in his honour. Those who visit it can see for themselves the surroundings that the author worked and lived in till his death.
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