Who can ever forget "Malgudi Days" on Doordarshan. Every time the Television chimed the famous title song from the series, everyone from eight to eighty would gather around and amuse at the mischievous misadventures of Swami and his partners in crime.

Malgudi days, one of the most popular TV series of all times that aired in the 80s and instantly became a household name, was based on acclaimed writer R K Narayan's collection of short stories and novels like "Swami and friends" and "Vendor of Sweets." And as Oct 10 marked Mr. Narayan's birth centenary, the thought of the popular series still evokes a sense of nostalgia in all of us.

Along with other popular serials of that time like Hum Log, Buniyaad, Nukkad, Karamchand Jasoos, Malgudi days has left an everlasting impression on all of us. The serial narrated focused on the trial and tribulations of a small Indian town of Malgudi. Although the town was fictitious, it is typical of any town or village, irrespective of its location. According to RKN, Malgudi was a town "habited by timeless characters who could be living anywhere in the world".

Directed by acclaimed Kannada actor, Late Shankar Nag and music by T.S. Vaidyanathan, the serial was shot entirely near Agumbe in Shimoga District, Karnataka. Actor Manjunath who had worked earlier with Nag on many of his movies was chosen to play the most popular character of the series-Swaminathan or Swami as he was fondly called.

Swami, a ten year old mischievous child wasn't very fond of going to school and liked going around Malgudi with his friends. His two best friends, the hot headed, club swinging Mani, and the brash rich Rajam would accompany Swamy on his "adventures".

Even after so many years, the serial still appeals to all generations as it did more than two decades ago. The reason, quite likely, is because unlike many "saas bahu" soaps that crowd the prime time today, Malgudi days mirrored the rural life of the country with the utmost sincerity, and with the right touch of humour. The grocery shop, the Town Hall Park, the Post office of Malgudi, are all common sights in any town that I or you know.

The characters, be it Venkat Rao who struggles to find time for his daughter; Thanappa -the friendly postman; Or Iswaran, who never seems to do well in his exams are all there in the real life world. Either we have seen or been on of them.

The magic however lies in the fact that amidst such humble back drop and down to earth characters, the serial successfully delved into human relationships and emotions in a way that everyone could relate to. The stories evoked humour, suspense, and some even ended with a moral.

About The Author

Rasipuram Krishnaswamy Iyer Narayanswamy, popularly known as R K Narayan was born on 10th October, 1906 in Madras. As the third child in a family of eight siblings, RKN spent his teenage life with her maternal grandmother in Madras while the rest of the family resided in Mysore.

Mr. Narayan began his schooling at the Lutheran Mission School in Madras and also studied for a short time at the CRC High School. He obtained his bachelor's degreee from the university of Mysore.

His writing career began with "Swami and Friends" and during his seven-decade long writing career wrote 15 novels volumes of short stories, travelogues, essays and an autobiography- "My Days".

Mr. Narayan has won numerous awards and recognitions for his literary contributions including the National Prize of the Sahitya Akademi and Padma Bhushan. In 1980, R. K. Narayan was awarded the AC Benson Medal by the Royal Society of Literature. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize for Literature more than once and his works are available in most of the major languages around the world, including Hebrew.

In addition, the University of Mysore, Delhi University and the University of Leeds conferred honorary doctorates on him.
R. K. Narayan passed away on May 13, 2001, due to cardio-respiratory failure at the age of 94.

Dipankar Kharga