The Swami and Friends is a first trilogy novel written by Rk Narayan and it was written between the years of first and Second World War. The novel was written in early 1930s and it was published in 1935. The Story of novel sets in fictional town named Maalgudi, South India.
SWAMI AND FRIENDS BY R.K NARAYAN
Summary of Swami And Friends By R.K Narayan
The story of novel begins with a young boy named Swami, who wakes up at Monday morning and goes in his father room to complete his incomplete homework. Swami does not like going to school as he feels bored in school. During his school period he had an argument with his Christian teacher named Mr. Ebenezer who starts disrespecting Hindu gods due to which Swami starts arguing with him.
After school, Swami told his father about the teacher who was disrespecting Hindu gods and next day his father writes a letter to his school principal in which he writes that your school is not respecting Hindu students and you don’t have rights to disrespect other religion. The Swami’s school principal gets very angry after reading Swami’s father’s letter and he scold Mr. Ebenezer for giving wrong statements about Hindu gods.
Swami has lots of friends in school, few of his close friends’ names are Somu, a monitor of class, Mani, a chubby boy, Sankar, who is very intelligent among his friends and Samuel, a funny friend. Swami and his friend Mani go to sit near Sarayu River’s bank where they start gossiping about their classmate named Rajam, a most intelligent and attractive boy of class.
Mani does not like Rajam, and he invites him to fight with him at Sarayu riverbank but instead of fighting Rajam gave Mani and Swami an offer of friendship which they both accept happily.
Swami is very happy with his new friendship with Rajam because now he has two smartest friends in class, and he told his loving grandmother named Granny about his new friendship with Rajam. It was Saturday afternoon. Swami and his friend Mani decide to go in Rajam’s house who lived in Lawley Extension, and they were astonished to see Rajam’s house because it was big and beautiful it’s like a dream house.
The next Monday morning when Swami was going school, his old friends starts mocking him with new name tail-tail to which Swami gets confused and asked Somu, why everyone is calling him tail?
Somu says you have earned a new name The Tail, Rajam’s Tail, this was perhaps Swami’s first shock in life as his loving best friends are ignoring him and mocking him with name Rajam’s tail. Swami has learned a new lesson in life like how fast people change. Swami says, what was wrong in living and playing with Rajam? Why did it make them so angry?
The previous Saturday Swami went to Rajam’s home to meet him, so on upcoming Saturday, Rajam is coming in Swami’s home. Swami is very excited and happy, he told his mother, Father and Grandmother about Rajam who is coming in their home. The next Saturday when Rajam comes, he really enjoys with Swami and his grandmother, who shared fairytale stories with him.
Next Monday when Swami goes in school, Somu, Sankar and Samuel starts mocking him by name Rajam’s tail but this time Swami and Mani gets very angry, and starts fighting with them. When Rajam gets to know about the fight of Swami and Mani with Somu, Sankar & Samuel, he decides to invite all of them in his home without letting them know about each other invitations.
A few weeks later Swami and Mani goes again in Rajam’s house to play with him but when they go inside Rajam’s home, they saw Somu, Sankar & Samuel in his house. Rajam told all of them to sit together and starts giving them a lesson on friendship, and he shows beautiful gifts to all of them and gave them one condition like if you guys’ compromise and become good friends again, then I will give all these beautiful gifts to all of you. The first part of novel ends with the compromise of Swami and Mani with Somu, Samuel and Shankar.
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