INTRODUCTION

If I were to ask you whether you have read any work of Rasipuram Krishnaswami Ayyar Naranayanaswami, you would say “who is that?”

I too was wonderstruck when a friend asked me this question. When I said, “I have never heard of this name,” he handed me the “Malgudi Days” by RK Narayan. I said “Oh RK Narayan! Yes of course I have seen the serial on Doordarshan.”   He said “Yes. RK Narayan is the short name of Rasipuram Krishnaswami Ayyar Naranayanaswami. Do you know this abridged name was suggested by Graham Greene when he was getting ‘Swam and Friends’ published. Read this book. I am sure you will enjoy it and fall in love with Malgudi”

There began my journey into the Malgudi world and I really felt at home there.