R.K. Narayan : Swami and his Friends
A perfect little book that's about so much more than just little Swami getting kicked out of school.
It made me feel like I was inside a Tamil Brahmin family.
Poor grandma!
A widow now, her bed is her only possession, and it's parked in a dark hallway in her son's small home. She gets love, but not much respect.
And caste distinctions are quite sharp, as Swami and his young companions have no compunctions about lording it over those beneath them in the social order.
They're little monsters -- but though they're mean to other children, as Brahmins, they wouldn't think of harming an animal, even a spider. (Swami ponders taking one as a pet).
Quite memorable is Swami's dispute with a Christian teacher at his school. How can Jesus be a holy person if he eats fish?
Swami is too impulsive to get very far at school. Practical problems in algebra distract him with their practicality. So when asked to calculate the cost of a mango, he wants to know how ripe it is. Which marks him as more of an artist than a pedant - suggesting that this story is autobiographical.
He may be a washout at school, but he will probably be a success in life, since he tries to surround himself with the kids he admires for a variety of qualities: strength, humor, smarts, courage, and the one he admires most is the most likely to succeed: the son of a police chief .
The story was written and set in 1930, in the midst of the ongoing campaign, then led by Ghandi, for Indian independence, so young Swami will be growing up even as his nation is, and his first participation is rather clumsy as he burns his homespun cap thinking that its British made, breaks some school windows in a mob rampage, and bullies some smaller children.
And that's what I like about this book.
There may be a thick atmosphere of sentimentality, but these kids are about as dumb and mean as kids can be.
It's all in a child's-world-view, but that view never leaves us, does it? The inner voice in me that chatters away throughout the day seems to be no older, smarter, or kinder than little Swami.
********
On further reflection - this is basically a romance -- the story of unrequited love of little Swami for Mr. Perfection (Rajam)who has it all: looks, smarts, money, courage, leadership, and fluency in English. And it's even something of a love triangle:
"For a moment, Swaminathan was filled with the darkest jealousy. Mani to sleep in Rajam's house, keep him company till the last moment, talk and laugh till midnight, and he to be excluded! He wanted to cling to Mani desperately and stop his going"
But alas, he is also Mr. Unobtainable -- making impossible demands and finally moving out of town anyway.
Swami's parting gift, which Rajam received from the outstretched hand of Mani as his train was leaving the station, was Andersen's "Fairy Tales" (which Swami couldn't read anyway due to so many difficult English words)
It made me feel like I was inside a Tamil Brahmin family.
Poor grandma!
A widow now, her bed is her only possession, and it's parked in a dark hallway in her son's small home. She gets love, but not much respect.
And caste distinctions are quite sharp, as Swami and his young companions have no compunctions about lording it over those beneath them in the social order.
They're little monsters -- but though they're mean to other children, as Brahmins, they wouldn't think of harming an animal, even a spider. (Swami ponders taking one as a pet).
Quite memorable is Swami's dispute with a Christian teacher at his school. How can Jesus be a holy person if he eats fish?
Swami is too impulsive to get very far at school. Practical problems in algebra distract him with their practicality. So when asked to calculate the cost of a mango, he wants to know how ripe it is. Which marks him as more of an artist than a pedant - suggesting that this story is autobiographical.
He may be a washout at school, but he will probably be a success in life, since he tries to surround himself with the kids he admires for a variety of qualities: strength, humor, smarts, courage, and the one he admires most is the most likely to succeed: the son of a police chief .
The story was written and set in 1930, in the midst of the ongoing campaign, then led by Ghandi, for Indian independence, so young Swami will be growing up even as his nation is, and his first participation is rather clumsy as he burns his homespun cap thinking that its British made, breaks some school windows in a mob rampage, and bullies some smaller children.
And that's what I like about this book.
There may be a thick atmosphere of sentimentality, but these kids are about as dumb and mean as kids can be.
It's all in a child's-world-view, but that view never leaves us, does it? The inner voice in me that chatters away throughout the day seems to be no older, smarter, or kinder than little Swami.
********
On further reflection - this is basically a romance -- the story of unrequited love of little Swami for Mr. Perfection (Rajam)who has it all: looks, smarts, money, courage, leadership, and fluency in English. And it's even something of a love triangle:
"For a moment, Swaminathan was filled with the darkest jealousy. Mani to sleep in Rajam's house, keep him company till the last moment, talk and laugh till midnight, and he to be excluded! He wanted to cling to Mani desperately and stop his going"
But alas, he is also Mr. Unobtainable -- making impossible demands and finally moving out of town anyway.
Swami's parting gift, which Rajam received from the outstretched hand of Mani as his train was leaving the station, was Andersen's "Fairy Tales" (which Swami couldn't read anyway due to so many difficult English words)
posted by chris miller | 10:27 AM
1 Comments:
Haha! Narayan probably never even heard about homosexuality!
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