Mysore/Mysuru: Yadavagiri Residents Association has organised a programme to unveil the statues of ‘Swami and Friends’, the fictional characters in R.K. Narayan’s famous novel Malgudi Days, installed at Joy Ice Cream Factory Circle in Yadavagiri at 5 pm tomorrow (Feb. 26).
MP Pratap Simha, MLA L. Nagendra, Mayor Shivakumar, MCC Commissioner G. Lakshmikantha Reddy, Corporator Ravindra, Star of Mysore Founder-Editor K.B. Ganapathy, Siddartha Group Chairman P.V. Giri and Yadavagiri Residents Association Convenor S.K. Dinesh will be the chief guests.
The statues, sponsored by Giri and Family of Siddartha Group, are sculpted by M.D. Raviraj under the guidance of Gururaj S. Nayak and N.S. Harsha and assisted by S. Basavaraj, S. Anand and Nagaraj.
It was this ‘Swamy and Friends manuscript RK Narayan posted to the English author Graham Greene, who was known to be sympathetic to India, opposing the British Raj, which Narayan knew. It was Graham Greene, the Sympathetic Englishman, who recommended the publication.
RK Narayan though lived in Mysore for decades, was uncomfortable in speaking Kannada, did nothing to the city, ignoring the requests from high school students, who wanted him to speak about ‘Swami and Friends’, and whose high school was near to his the then home in Krishnamurthy Puram.
It was interesting that he never allowed the Indian media to visit him so that he could narrate his experience as a novelist.
But in 1970s, when a crew from the ITV England studio, , sent by Melwyn Bragg, who hosted the South Bank Show there, visited him, he happily welcomed them, took them to the Chamarajapuram Railway station, and showed how he got the idea of Malgudi there. He also showed his bound note book where he writes his novels drafts. Of course, , he was paid in British Pounds to film this to be broaodcast in England later.
I watched the above South Bank Show in London, when the above visit to RK Narayan was broadcast, introduced by Melvyn Bragg.
He died in Chennai, always his spiritual home. Then why buy his house and make it a museum-he never claimed himself as a Mysorean.
Why not located these statues in his house, which is a museum now?
Correction: Swami and Friends
Interesting about that ITV London South Bank Show by Melwyn Bragg, where he sent his TV crew to film RK Narayan In Mysore, and RK Narayan took the TV crew to show the Chamundipuram Railway Station, where he stood and explained that it was the place he where he conceived his Malgudi. I watched that show in London , I guess in 1979. His Yadavagiri house was where he talked to that crew. That South Bank Show Programme, by Bragg, wanted to include a diversity factor, as in 1970s,England was growing with Indian diaspora. That TV piece on RK Narayan was not watched by many in the Indian diaspora in England, though.
There were 2 RKNarayans. 1. The RK Narayan of Malgudi days, was modest, lived with his brother’s family in KM Puram, walked in the 100 feet Road, with unfurled umbrella. Although a modest man, was t ambitious to be successful , which means earning more money!. Hence, it ignored requests like mere high school students requesting his talks on “‘Swami and Friends’. That was in 1950s. 2. The RK Narayan of Yadavagiri house days was the ‘Guide ‘ novel, author, in late 1960s, whizzing through the same 10R feet Road in his silver Mercedes! That was RK Narayan made good with his wealth! That house was ghastly in terms of its architecture, by the way!
Best to have located these statues near his former house in KM Puram, where he wrote the Malgudi stories.
There is the difference between Violin maestro Choudiah, who though earned his fame and fortune in Tamil Nadu, remained a Mysorean, contributed to the city so much through his Ayyanar Music College and Bidaram Krishnappa Mandira, never forgot any one he met. In contrast RK Narayan was a closeted Tamilian, that was not the issue, but the issue about his contribution to the City., and the fact he chose not to recognise later, even those who invited him for lunch in his visits to places like New York in 1960s; Was he that famous internationally that myths say? Not really; although his books were published in the West, there were no avid crowd of readers.
Perhaps the real memorial for him, is to make his early books texts in schools. Whether it is done, I am not sure.