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RK Narayan
The man who gave India Malgudi, a unique mirror where we recognised our reflections, true and delightful.
There are few authors who are remembered more for the the place they wrote about than the characters they created. But then, treating Malgudi as just a place would only indicate literary ignorance of the reader. For Malgudi is also perhaps the most memorable of characters created by Narayan, arguably the Indian author who came closest to getting the Nobel Prize (apart from Tagore, of course).
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| A file image of RK Narayan, recognised as amonst the foremost literary figures of the twentieth century (HT) |
It is impossible to discuss him without keeping Malgudi central to the discussion.But the formal journey started well before, from his grandmother's house at Number 1, Vellala Street in Purasawalkam, Chennai, where much of his early childhood and school years were spent. Though his father was a teacher and even became principal of Maharaja's Collegiate High School, Mysore, out subject did not have it easy and had to struggle to make academic grades.
And what perhaps complicated the situation was his early decision to be writer, not even recognized as a profession back then. While he initially managed with an occasional article in The Hindu, pressure to earn more after he fell for his future wife, Rajam. Not only did he not have a matching horoscope, he also did not earn enough.
Well the marriage did take place finally in 1934 and their only child, Hemavati was born in march 1936. Tragedy followed when Rajam contracted typhoid and died in 1939. The following period was perhaps the most trying in RK's life as he struggled to raise his daughter while earning enough. This time was to later form the subject of the novel, The English Teacher (1945).
