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World Of Nagaraj
Book by Narayan, R.K.
186 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
31 people are currently reading
588 people want to read
About the author
R.K. Narayan
143 books1,933 followersR. K. Narayan is among the best known and most widely read Indian novelists who wrote in English.
R.K. Narayan was born in Madras, South India, in 1906, and educated there and at Maharaja's College in Mysore. His first novel, Swami and Friends and its successor, The Bachelor of Arts, are both set in the enchanting fictional territory of Malgudi and are only two out of the twelve novels he based there. In 1958 Narayan's work The Guide won him the National Prize of the Indian Literary Academy, his country's highest literary honor.
In addition to his novels, Narayan has authored five collections of short stories, including A Horse and Two Goats, Malguidi Days, and Under the Banyan Tree, two travel books, two volumes of essays, a volume of memoirs, and the re-told legends Gods, Demons and Others, The Ramayana, and the Mahabharata. In 1980 he was awarded the A.C. Benson Medal by the Royal Society of Literature and in 1982 he was made an Honorary Member of the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters.
Most of Narayan's work, starting with his first novel Swami and Friends (1935), captures many Indian traits while retaining a unique identity of its own. He was sometimes compared to the American writer William Faulkner, whose novels were also grounded in a compassionate humanism and celebrated the humour and energy of ordinary life.
Narayan who lived till age of ninety-four, died in 2001. He wrote for more than fifty years, and published until he was eighty seven. He wrote fourteen novels, five volumes of short stories, a number of travelogues and collections of non-fiction, condensed versions of Indian epics in English, and the memoir My Days.
-Wikipedia & Amazon.co.uk
R.K. Narayan was born in Madras, South India, in 1906, and educated there and at Maharaja's College in Mysore. His first novel, Swami and Friends and its successor, The Bachelor of Arts, are both set in the enchanting fictional territory of Malgudi and are only two out of the twelve novels he based there. In 1958 Narayan's work The Guide won him the National Prize of the Indian Literary Academy, his country's highest literary honor.
In addition to his novels, Narayan has authored five collections of short stories, including A Horse and Two Goats, Malguidi Days, and Under the Banyan Tree, two travel books, two volumes of essays, a volume of memoirs, and the re-told legends Gods, Demons and Others, The Ramayana, and the Mahabharata. In 1980 he was awarded the A.C. Benson Medal by the Royal Society of Literature and in 1982 he was made an Honorary Member of the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters.
Most of Narayan's work, starting with his first novel Swami and Friends (1935), captures many Indian traits while retaining a unique identity of its own. He was sometimes compared to the American writer William Faulkner, whose novels were also grounded in a compassionate humanism and celebrated the humour and energy of ordinary life.
Narayan who lived till age of ninety-four, died in 2001. He wrote for more than fifty years, and published until he was eighty seven. He wrote fourteen novels, five volumes of short stories, a number of travelogues and collections of non-fiction, condensed versions of Indian epics in English, and the memoir My Days.
-Wikipedia & Amazon.co.uk
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews
August 5, 2019
Another depressing read. This time it is Nagraj who is a coward unable to face the real life. Always hesitant to take a stand, he spends his day dreaming and sustaining the family on money left behind by his father. Always wanting to take the easy way out he spoils the career of his nephew and yet out of sheer ignorance and lethargy takes no cognizance of it.
July 11, 2018
3.75 stars
I found reading this novel quite readable but a bit disappointing, I wondered why and kept telling myself everyone for some reason would live in his world like Nagaraj. One of the reasons is that possibly I've long considered his "Swami and Friends" in mind as one of his best so the more I read it, the less I felt convinced as another. However, there are a few points I would like to share and tell why it is still interesting.
First, Narayan has typically written his novels based on rural India in which there are many things in common geographically and agriculturally so reading this excerpt depicting the area where the two brothers met and how Nagaraj idly reacted and Gopu sarcastically replied reminds me of rural Thailand:
Second, For those who first read him, they might think his novels generally look readable due to their words, style and grammar. In fact, the more we read, the more he subtly presents unfamiliar words to his readers like something new to taste. For instance, we would come across ‘incongruous’ (p. 88), ‘sacrilegious’ (p. 130), ‘cadaverous’ (p. 137), etc. Therefore, reading his works is also something challenging in disguise to those who think they know all as well.
Third, we would of course appreciate Narayan’s sense of humor in every chapter so gradually we learnt to like and admire Nagaraj’s amiable ways of looking at things, that is, he tended to be easy-going, religiously-minded regarding whatever came or whoever said anything. He simply kept reflective like a sage and talked when necessary, so his character was quite different from his brother’s. Gopu tended to be more authoritative and didn’t care whether his words embarrassed his brother or not. It is amusing to read how he rebuked in advance twice before Nagaraj feeling ill at ease would try to evade his demanding queries, as we can see from the excerpts:
To conclude, we may not expect to enjoy reading this as a hilarious novel due to its Narayan-style plot in its Indian context but we would definitely enjoy its rich, funny and worldly dialogs as observed and taken part by Nagaraj and his key characters in the world they would live vividly in our imaginings.
I found reading this novel quite readable but a bit disappointing, I wondered why and kept telling myself everyone for some reason would live in his world like Nagaraj. One of the reasons is that possibly I've long considered his "Swami and Friends" in mind as one of his best so the more I read it, the less I felt convinced as another. However, there are a few points I would like to share and tell why it is still interesting.
First, Narayan has typically written his novels based on rural India in which there are many things in common geographically and agriculturally so reading this excerpt depicting the area where the two brothers met and how Nagaraj idly reacted and Gopu sarcastically replied reminds me of rural Thailand:
… He remained silent and thoughtful. They were now in a banana grove with bunches still ripening on their stalks. The green glare from the broad leaves waving seemed to him soothing, and he declared, ‘How green is this shade!’
‘Banana is always green, what is there to wonder about like a baby?’
… (p. 54)
Second, For those who first read him, they might think his novels generally look readable due to their words, style and grammar. In fact, the more we read, the more he subtly presents unfamiliar words to his readers like something new to taste. For instance, we would come across ‘incongruous’ (p. 88), ‘sacrilegious’ (p. 130), ‘cadaverous’ (p. 137), etc. Therefore, reading his works is also something challenging in disguise to those who think they know all as well.
Third, we would of course appreciate Narayan’s sense of humor in every chapter so gradually we learnt to like and admire Nagaraj’s amiable ways of looking at things, that is, he tended to be easy-going, religiously-minded regarding whatever came or whoever said anything. He simply kept reflective like a sage and talked when necessary, so his character was quite different from his brother’s. Gopu tended to be more authoritative and didn’t care whether his words embarrassed his brother or not. It is amusing to read how he rebuked in advance twice before Nagaraj feeling ill at ease would try to evade his demanding queries, as we can see from the excerpts:
… Nagaraj was saying, ‘Mother, why don’t you go in and rest? Visitors are gone – I’ll also turn in for a couple of hours’ rest in my room –‘ Gopu overheard Nag’s words and said at once, ‘Nagu, don’t try to get away. I’ve business with you. Come to my room.’
… (p. 33)
And on another occasion:
… He got up abruptly to go out of the room under the pretext of finding if dinner was ready. His brother, now settled on the easy chair in the room, said, ‘Don’t get up and try to escape. You have not lost the habit yet! Listen to me. You should have turned him back on the very first day. Instead of that you petted and pampered him, without even asking whether he took my permission before leaving home.’
‘Yes, I asked him whether he had your ---‘
‘What did he say?’
‘I don’t remember,’ Nagaraj said.
… (p. 42)
To conclude, we may not expect to enjoy reading this as a hilarious novel due to its Narayan-style plot in its Indian context but we would definitely enjoy its rich, funny and worldly dialogs as observed and taken part by Nagaraj and his key characters in the world they would live vividly in our imaginings.
July 10, 2025
I had read this one in an hour... I am officially not a fan of R.K. Narayan's works:(
March 25, 2017
It had been a while since I read an RK Narayan book. I had been in search of some Indian-English books and I rifled through my sister's bookshelf to get this gem. I loved the character of Nagaraj. I loved the way he thinks. I loved everything about him, including his aversion to the harmonium. He made me laugh and considering my grim-facedness in life, that's something to say!
December 25, 2013
RKN had got his first novel (Swami and Friends) published in 1935 after lot of struggle but there was no looking back once the mystic town of Malgudi was born. “The World of Nagaraj” was his penultimate novel which got published in 1990 and hence clearly one of his later works. Maybe, it was an idea that did not go the way RKN wanted it to, maybe he just grew tired of the idea, but from the beginning 'The World of Nagaraj' never takes off. Unfortunately this particular book, though set in Malgudi's familiar landscape, fails to capture the magic of this delightful village. I found it difficult to read, laboured through it, though I knew it was going nowhere, and finally ended it just because I had started it which was a first for me after reading so many of his books which were all good in their own ways.
This book mainly concentrates on how Nagaraj looks at the incidents and events in his life. The language is simple and has vivid descriptions which definitely catch attention but after a while it just becomes repetitive and stale and hence the interest just goes. But definitely not anywhere close to all books that I have read so far which were quite a few. It gets boring at a few places with too much detail. It was a slow read for me. The language is impeccable, the usage, the turn of phrase, everything is perfect as one would expect from a master like RKN but it lacks soul which is the biggest problem here. All his past books had a character or a collection of characters which used to bring that magic every time which somehow did not happen here. As an inhabitant of Malgudi, Nagaraj is perfect but he does too little and anything of consequence or interest to the reader, has only enough material on him to probably last two pages in any of RKN's other books, but we go through his monologues for almost 180 pages which is kind of sad considering the masters abilities. All in all, this goes to the bottom of RKN's pile so far.
This book mainly concentrates on how Nagaraj looks at the incidents and events in his life. The language is simple and has vivid descriptions which definitely catch attention but after a while it just becomes repetitive and stale and hence the interest just goes. But definitely not anywhere close to all books that I have read so far which were quite a few. It gets boring at a few places with too much detail. It was a slow read for me. The language is impeccable, the usage, the turn of phrase, everything is perfect as one would expect from a master like RKN but it lacks soul which is the biggest problem here. All his past books had a character or a collection of characters which used to bring that magic every time which somehow did not happen here. As an inhabitant of Malgudi, Nagaraj is perfect but he does too little and anything of consequence or interest to the reader, has only enough material on him to probably last two pages in any of RKN's other books, but we go through his monologues for almost 180 pages which is kind of sad considering the masters abilities. All in all, this goes to the bottom of RKN's pile so far.
June 26, 2022
Loved the simple descriptive prose of RK Narayanan.
Book brings back all the old memories of watching Malgudi days , the familiar nostalgia of houses of Malgudi .
Nagraj a simple minded fellow who had the widest kind of thoughts . His age old obsession about sage Narada , his unwillingness to face difficult family situations, his ability to amuse himself in gloom and confusion all will entertain you and leave you smiling at the end of this novella .
Book brings back all the old memories of watching Malgudi days , the familiar nostalgia of houses of Malgudi .
Nagraj a simple minded fellow who had the widest kind of thoughts . His age old obsession about sage Narada , his unwillingness to face difficult family situations, his ability to amuse himself in gloom and confusion all will entertain you and leave you smiling at the end of this novella .
February 12, 2018
RK Narayan wrote The World of Nagaraj nearly 50 years after he'd published the first of his Malgudi novels - Swami and Friends - in 1935. While the sheer longevity of Narayan's fictitious world is astonishing, it must be said that the fatigue of writing over five decades was somewhat visible in this particular book.
While the book about Nagaraj - a quintessential Malgudi resident who seems blissful in his state of routine contentment - starts off promisingly, the plot loses its way when Narayan tries to balance two sub-plots within the same story. One is the protagonist's responsibility of raising his nephew Tim, and the other being the character's obsession over writing the definitive biography of the great saint Narada. Somehow, neither sub-plots stand out on its own, and the sum of its parts somehow fails to add up.
The book certainly has it's moments. RK Narayan continues to be a master craftsman, and nobody can even describe a quaint South Indian town as vividly as the author. The World of Nagaraj is just futher evidence of his writing prowess. But like me, if you have read and loved "Swami and Friends" and "The Guide", it would be best lower your expectations before you pick up The World of Nagaraj.
While the book about Nagaraj - a quintessential Malgudi resident who seems blissful in his state of routine contentment - starts off promisingly, the plot loses its way when Narayan tries to balance two sub-plots within the same story. One is the protagonist's responsibility of raising his nephew Tim, and the other being the character's obsession over writing the definitive biography of the great saint Narada. Somehow, neither sub-plots stand out on its own, and the sum of its parts somehow fails to add up.
The book certainly has it's moments. RK Narayan continues to be a master craftsman, and nobody can even describe a quaint South Indian town as vividly as the author. The World of Nagaraj is just futher evidence of his writing prowess. But like me, if you have read and loved "Swami and Friends" and "The Guide", it would be best lower your expectations before you pick up The World of Nagaraj.
May 5, 2019
A fairly mediocre story.I've read better stuff written by Mr.Narayan.
August 14, 2023
A book that analyses the human character, and how fast the human life can change.No man is truly carefree.
June 22, 2013
Simplicity enables a person to understand the depths of human nature as well as the universe. R.K.Narayan's novel 'The World Of Nagaraj' just like his other books, takes the reader on a journey into the simplicity of a man's heart who is unable to comprehend the undertones of normal activities of people. At the same time, the description of an Indian town, Malgudi where all of Narayan's stories are based again soothes the intellectual critic within us & challenges our inner self especially , the Indian within us all to judge the book. The story is simple yet profound in its unique way. The character of Nagaraj is put forward to the reader as a person whose only aim in life is to pen down a novel on the life of the holy celestial Hindu sage, 'Narada'. Nagaraj is a domesticated personality who is simple minded (he cannot even mix his coffee properly) & who is unlike his elder brother Gopu, who is materialistic & very ambitious, ready to make a profit at whatever cost. Nagaraj is dominated & humiliated by his brother which as is seen clearly in the novel, he tries to ignore passing it of as a sort of 'brotherly joke'. The point is however that, no one takes poor Nagaraj seriously...neither his brother, nor his wife Sita, not the card playing pandit who he goes to learn about the life of the a fore mentioned celestial sage, nor his nephew Tim who is adored by Nagaraj....not anybody, except one person......that person is Nagaraj's obsession NARADA. The reason I state that the sage from mythology is the only one who takes Nagaraj seriously is because, the meaning of Narada's existence itself is to cause misunderstandings between people (as we know from studying Hindu Mythology) & to pass on gossip from one party to another. This is what constantly happens in R.K. Narayan's novel ; the mother-in-law misunderstands Sita & questions her actions, Tim misunderstands his doting father & runs of to his uncle's home, Saroja (Tim's wife) misunderstands Nagaraj & leaves her abode along with her shady character of a husband...this continues to take place leaving pitiable Nagaraj gasping for a breath of freedom rom everyone including his wife & Narada the sage himself. The novel also brings together a number of unforgettable 'Malgudi' characters who not only entertain but who also play pivotal roles in the whole narrative.,example; my favorite the Talkative Man who leads Nagaraj to the card playing pundit. The novel keeps one engrossed till the very end & yet develops a person's understanding of how not being forthright in ones dealings can create a lot of unwanted issues.,example; Nagaraj was not forthright enough unlike his wife (who seems to act as hi Lady Macbeth) to question the mysterious drunken Tim about his whereabouts during college hours. The hypocrisy of the clergy is evident in the novel as well as the rather amusing side of a stationary shop owner who seems to know more about the Hindu sages & gods than the ordinary pundit. In all, the book was a breath of fresh air for me through the humorous characters & their never ending problems (just like mine....a good read if there was ever one. The 'Grand old man of Malgudi' strikes again !
November 25, 2012
The book is about a simple-minded, pleasant man, living with his wife, Sita and mother in a rather grand ancestral house called Kabir Street. He loves day-dreaming and talks a great deal to himself. His life's ambition is to be a thesis on sage Narada. Humble and affable, Nagaraj has no worries until his nephew Krishnaji, referred to as 'Tim' comes to stay with him. Narayan - through a series of flashbacks gives a vivid picture of the family characters. Gopi, the elder brother is aggressive and dominating. Until their father is alive and they all stayed together, Gopi took the best room, where he and his wife would stay locked in. The wife would cook savouries in limited portions and take them directly to their room. When the will is read out, Gopi asks for the farm house and lands in the village. This suits Nagaraj who prefers having the house in Malgudi.
Sharp-tongued and abrasive, Gopi looks at his younger brother as a bit of a fool, and openly insults him for his dull replies. Nagaraj being supremely unassertive, takes many of his brother's put-downs as a joke, trying to maintain a semblance of cheerful normalcy.
The entire book brings out the predicament of a man who cannot stand up for himself and confront situations. There is a scene in the novel where Tim and his wife have come to permanently stay in Nagaraj's house. This is the time when the latter has finally decided to get serious about his theses on Narada but Tim's wife is in the habit of playing the harmonium in the mornings and this is a source of intense irritation to Nagaraj. His impulse once prompts him to bang against her door and ask her to shut up. But he weakly smiles and walks away when she actually opens the door.
more...http://sandyi.blogspot.in/2011/10/r-k...
Sharp-tongued and abrasive, Gopi looks at his younger brother as a bit of a fool, and openly insults him for his dull replies. Nagaraj being supremely unassertive, takes many of his brother's put-downs as a joke, trying to maintain a semblance of cheerful normalcy.
The entire book brings out the predicament of a man who cannot stand up for himself and confront situations. There is a scene in the novel where Tim and his wife have come to permanently stay in Nagaraj's house. This is the time when the latter has finally decided to get serious about his theses on Narada but Tim's wife is in the habit of playing the harmonium in the mornings and this is a source of intense irritation to Nagaraj. His impulse once prompts him to bang against her door and ask her to shut up. But he weakly smiles and walks away when she actually opens the door.
more...http://sandyi.blogspot.in/2011/10/r-k...
March 31, 2020
Nagaraj was an uncomplicated man content with his life. Due to his inheritance, he lived in a spacious house with his wife and established a daily routine of visiting with friends and prayers. His one dream was to write a book about the Sanskrit scholar Narada. Nagaraj was like the person who wanted to write the Great American Novel, but never started writing, he had no idea how to start his book, had no notes for reference and was unable to read Sanskrit.
When his nephew runs away from home to live with Nagaraj and his wife, the events that takes place shows Nagaraj's weak character. He is mentally critical on the behaviour and weakness of other people, but does not see his own faults, as he is non-confrontational to the point where he agrees with everybody and never asserts himself. When others are critical of his behaviour, he just thinks that they are joking and laughs. If he doesn't understand what others are saying, he just smiles and agrees with them.
It would have been interesting if the character of his wife was developed more. She is aware of his weak characteristics but is still in love with her husband. The book from the viewpoint of both characters would have made this a more interesting novel.
When his nephew runs away from home to live with Nagaraj and his wife, the events that takes place shows Nagaraj's weak character. He is mentally critical on the behaviour and weakness of other people, but does not see his own faults, as he is non-confrontational to the point where he agrees with everybody and never asserts himself. When others are critical of his behaviour, he just thinks that they are joking and laughs. If he doesn't understand what others are saying, he just smiles and agrees with them.
It would have been interesting if the character of his wife was developed more. She is aware of his weak characteristics but is still in love with her husband. The book from the viewpoint of both characters would have made this a more interesting novel.
March 28, 2020
The World of Nagaraj
Nagaraj is on a mission, but ask him what his mission is and he would mumble incoherently. But amidst all the mumbling, somehow, Nagaraj manages to win the heart of the reader with his temperament and naivety!
Many a time, I wished that I could go and tell him the things that he could do or more importantly, that he could say!
The win of this satire is that there are only few characters in this book but they are so different from one another and think so differently of one another!
The character I found the most amusing is Narada, the ever elusive celestial sage, and the stark contrast ,I feel is subtly portrayed, between him and his ardent admirer, Nagaraj!
A must read for a hearty laugh! ❤
Nagaraj is on a mission, but ask him what his mission is and he would mumble incoherently. But amidst all the mumbling, somehow, Nagaraj manages to win the heart of the reader with his temperament and naivety!
Many a time, I wished that I could go and tell him the things that he could do or more importantly, that he could say!
The win of this satire is that there are only few characters in this book but they are so different from one another and think so differently of one another!
The character I found the most amusing is Narada, the ever elusive celestial sage, and the stark contrast ,I feel is subtly portrayed, between him and his ardent admirer, Nagaraj!
A must read for a hearty laugh! ❤
May 12, 2009
Graham Greene hit the nail on the head when he said that he could not think of many authors who could weave a yarn so convincingly and with such imaginative verve than Narayan. Okay, I guess he did not say it but he might as well have. This is a great book that harks back to my childhood when the innocence of the tale marries the creativity of the story in so many parts that the product leaves you yearning for more. It is a perfect launch pad to understand small time dreams in rural India and to revel in a simplicity of life that seems so romantic and so out of reach. What a lovely book!!!!
April 21, 2013
Its funny to read this book because story character name is same as myself. Also, his thoughts are similar to mine. :-) He wants to write a book about Sage Narada, I want to learn Sanskrit. :-) I read RK Narayan book in my school days. I picked up this one again and enjoyed the book. Very good writer and also improve our vocabulary by using excellent words.
June 5, 2024
The story is about Nagaraj who lives a traditional peaceful life that gets complicated when his rebellious modern nephew moves in with him.
The writing is subtly humorous and captures the essence of when traditional values meet modern values. It is an okay read.
The writing is subtly humorous and captures the essence of when traditional values meet modern values. It is an okay read.
May 12, 2016
Delightful!
My blog on the book: https://worncorners.com/2016/05/12/rk...
My blog on the book: https://worncorners.com/2016/05/12/rk...
September 9, 2013
A story about a man who finds himself in solitude of day and night.
November 26, 2014
Kind of boring when compared with other books from the master story teller
June 11, 2022
The World of Nagaraj is a 185 page classic plot less novella by R.K.Narayan based in the fictional town of Malgudi. The novel revolves around Nagaraj. Having inherited his father’s property, his life in Kabir Street is easygoing. He does nothing substantial with no concrete aim. He observes the world from his pyol, wears ochre robes, does the accounts free for his friend Coomar's sari shop, eats in his favorite cafe, and gossips with his neighbor the Talkative Man. He longs to write a masterpiece on sage Narada. But everything is disturbed when Tim, the son of his ambitious land-owning brother Gopu, decides to leave home and come to live with Nagaraj. Puzzled by his secret late-night activities and by the strong smell of spirits which lingers behind him, Nagaraj finds his days suddenly filled with complication and turbulence, threatening to alter the contented tranquility of his world. Nagaraj’s plan to write keeps seeing procrastination.
This book is based on the theme of human lives i.e. conflict of nature. It takes the reader to the simplicity of a man's heart who is unable to comprehend the undertones of normal activities of people. The story is simple yet profound in its unique way. While it starts off promisingly, the plot loses its way when two subplots are balanced within the same story. One is Nagaraj’s responsibility of raising his nephew Tim, and the other being his obsession over writing the biography of saint Narada. Somehow, neither sub-plots stand out on their own. Narada only caused misunderstandings between people. This is what constantly happens here ; the mother-in-law misunderstands Sita, Tim misunderstands his father & goes to his uncle's home, Saroja misunderstands Nagaraj & leaves her abode with her husband...this continues to take place leaving pitiable Nagaraj gasping for a breath of freedom.
This is one of the worst stories I have ever read. The protagonist Nagaraj is passive, ineffectual, careless, lazy, meandering, and a doormat personality. The story was boring with too much detail. The plot moves slowly, aimlessly. From the beginning the novel never takes off nor sees any climax. The story lacks a soul. Every time Nagaraj is seen thinking which I disliked. He is rattled by anything out of the box. He is hesitant to stand up to Sita, Gopu, or Tim. Nagaraj is a coward unable to face real life. Always wanting to take the easy way, he spoils his nephew yet by ignorance and lethargy takes no cognizance of it.
Taking everything into consideration the book still has some goods. I liked the character of Sita the most because I was impressed by her patience, adjustment and farsightedness. I learnt from her how to keep calm and composed. My favorite part of the book is when Tim’s wife Saroja started playing harmonium and Nagaraj’s aversion to song. I appreciated the cliffhanger ending. Nagaraj’s simplicity, contentment, generosity and respect for women has captured my admiration. One would appreciate Nagaraj’s sense of humor and amiable ways of looking at things. He talked so that would not embarrass others.
Amidst all his mumbling, Nagaraj wins the heart of readers with his temperament and naivety. He is memorable and unique. Mostly told through dialogue, this book is a portrait of Nagaraj and the people around him, and through them of Malgudi. The World of Nagaraj is just further evidence of Narayan’s writing prowess. He subtly presents unfamiliar words to his readers. Therefore, reading his works is also challenging. To conclude, we may not expect it as a hilarious novel due to its Narayan-style plot in its Indian context but we can enjoy its rich, funny and worldly dialogues. His world gives a relief from the grimness of our routine lives. I found most amusing is the stark contrast between Narada and his ardent admirer, Nagaraj! Many times, I wished I could tell him what he could do or say! While the sheer longevity of Narayan's fictitious world is astonishing, the fatigue of writing over five decades was visible in this book. This fairly mediocre story goes to the bottom of RKN's pile. If you have read "Swami and Friends", it would be best to lower your expectations before you pick up “The World of Nagaraj”.
This book is based on the theme of human lives i.e. conflict of nature. It takes the reader to the simplicity of a man's heart who is unable to comprehend the undertones of normal activities of people. The story is simple yet profound in its unique way. While it starts off promisingly, the plot loses its way when two subplots are balanced within the same story. One is Nagaraj’s responsibility of raising his nephew Tim, and the other being his obsession over writing the biography of saint Narada. Somehow, neither sub-plots stand out on their own. Narada only caused misunderstandings between people. This is what constantly happens here ; the mother-in-law misunderstands Sita, Tim misunderstands his father & goes to his uncle's home, Saroja misunderstands Nagaraj & leaves her abode with her husband...this continues to take place leaving pitiable Nagaraj gasping for a breath of freedom.
This is one of the worst stories I have ever read. The protagonist Nagaraj is passive, ineffectual, careless, lazy, meandering, and a doormat personality. The story was boring with too much detail. The plot moves slowly, aimlessly. From the beginning the novel never takes off nor sees any climax. The story lacks a soul. Every time Nagaraj is seen thinking which I disliked. He is rattled by anything out of the box. He is hesitant to stand up to Sita, Gopu, or Tim. Nagaraj is a coward unable to face real life. Always wanting to take the easy way, he spoils his nephew yet by ignorance and lethargy takes no cognizance of it.
Taking everything into consideration the book still has some goods. I liked the character of Sita the most because I was impressed by her patience, adjustment and farsightedness. I learnt from her how to keep calm and composed. My favorite part of the book is when Tim’s wife Saroja started playing harmonium and Nagaraj’s aversion to song. I appreciated the cliffhanger ending. Nagaraj’s simplicity, contentment, generosity and respect for women has captured my admiration. One would appreciate Nagaraj’s sense of humor and amiable ways of looking at things. He talked so that would not embarrass others.
Amidst all his mumbling, Nagaraj wins the heart of readers with his temperament and naivety. He is memorable and unique. Mostly told through dialogue, this book is a portrait of Nagaraj and the people around him, and through them of Malgudi. The World of Nagaraj is just further evidence of Narayan’s writing prowess. He subtly presents unfamiliar words to his readers. Therefore, reading his works is also challenging. To conclude, we may not expect it as a hilarious novel due to its Narayan-style plot in its Indian context but we can enjoy its rich, funny and worldly dialogues. His world gives a relief from the grimness of our routine lives. I found most amusing is the stark contrast between Narada and his ardent admirer, Nagaraj! Many times, I wished I could tell him what he could do or say! While the sheer longevity of Narayan's fictitious world is astonishing, the fatigue of writing over five decades was visible in this book. This fairly mediocre story goes to the bottom of RKN's pile. If you have read "Swami and Friends", it would be best to lower your expectations before you pick up “The World of Nagaraj”.
January 12, 2021
There were so many good excerpts from this collection. I had to write them here because I think I'll be giving this book away as an exchange for someone :)
_____________________________________________________
The true sanyasi has no need to live on anything more than the leavings of God.
If you are a lover of children, you have plenty to watch. All the children of the town seem to be concentrated in this street.
Man has no significance except as a wage earner, as an economic unit, as a receptacle of responsibilities.
Till I know who I am, how can I know what I should do?
Life and the world and all this is passing - why bother about anything?
Family life: did the philosopher mean family life's all absorbing nature when he cried for relief from its nightmare? Family preoccupation is no better than occupying oneself solely with one's body and keeping it in a flourishing condition.
I had to note down something at once, otherwise I'm in danger of losing it forever.
orthodox idiocies. all the rigorous compartmenting of human beings.
it seemed to him an appalling state of affairs to have no better guiding lamp in life than other people's approval; which they so rarely gave.
He felt, with an extravagant seriousness, that a whole civilization had come to an abrupt stalemate because its men had no better basis of living than public opinion. He raved against their upbringing.
if only one could get a comprehensive view of all humanity, one would get a correct view of the world: things being neither particularly wrong nor right, just balancing themselves.
Once again he found his understanding floundering. It seemed to him somewhat like relativity: giving brief flashes of clarity which only prove illusory.
A human face is not a matter of mere planes and lines.
it is a thing of light and shade, and that is where an individual appears.
highlights and shadows have more to do with us than anything else.
all that seemed unimportant and not worth caring about.
the whole of eternity stretched ahead of one; there was plenty of time to shake off all follies.
madness or sanity, suffering or happiness seemed all the same...
it didn't make the slightest difference in the long run.
in the rush of eternity nothing mattered.
she understood that the best way to attain some peace of mind in life was to maintain silence; ultimately she found that things resolved themselves in the best manner possible or fizzled out. it was only speech which made existence worse every time.
She left [everyone] alone. She attained thereby great tranquility in practical every day life.
A signboard pinned things down to a sort of permanency, it gave things an air of being established.
He marveled at the simplicity of her life and her minimal wants.
He was afraid to speak for fear it might tear the gossamer-texture of this moment.
The agony of self control was worse than the raging hunger.
We have lost the faculty of appreciating the present living moment. We are always looking forward or backward and waiting for one or sighing for the other, and lose the pleasure of awareness of the moment in which we actually exist.
Knowledge, like food, must be taken within limits. You must know only as much as you need and not more. All the thousands of human beings you have encountered since leaving the shelter of your forest life suffer from minds overburdened with knowledge, facts, and information fetters and shackles for the rising soul.
Perhaps we could meet again, who knows? So goodbye for the present.
_____________________________________________________
The true sanyasi has no need to live on anything more than the leavings of God.
If you are a lover of children, you have plenty to watch. All the children of the town seem to be concentrated in this street.
Man has no significance except as a wage earner, as an economic unit, as a receptacle of responsibilities.
Till I know who I am, how can I know what I should do?
Life and the world and all this is passing - why bother about anything?
Family life: did the philosopher mean family life's all absorbing nature when he cried for relief from its nightmare? Family preoccupation is no better than occupying oneself solely with one's body and keeping it in a flourishing condition.
I had to note down something at once, otherwise I'm in danger of losing it forever.
orthodox idiocies. all the rigorous compartmenting of human beings.
it seemed to him an appalling state of affairs to have no better guiding lamp in life than other people's approval; which they so rarely gave.
He felt, with an extravagant seriousness, that a whole civilization had come to an abrupt stalemate because its men had no better basis of living than public opinion. He raved against their upbringing.
if only one could get a comprehensive view of all humanity, one would get a correct view of the world: things being neither particularly wrong nor right, just balancing themselves.
Once again he found his understanding floundering. It seemed to him somewhat like relativity: giving brief flashes of clarity which only prove illusory.
A human face is not a matter of mere planes and lines.
it is a thing of light and shade, and that is where an individual appears.
highlights and shadows have more to do with us than anything else.
all that seemed unimportant and not worth caring about.
the whole of eternity stretched ahead of one; there was plenty of time to shake off all follies.
madness or sanity, suffering or happiness seemed all the same...
it didn't make the slightest difference in the long run.
in the rush of eternity nothing mattered.
she understood that the best way to attain some peace of mind in life was to maintain silence; ultimately she found that things resolved themselves in the best manner possible or fizzled out. it was only speech which made existence worse every time.
She left [everyone] alone. She attained thereby great tranquility in practical every day life.
A signboard pinned things down to a sort of permanency, it gave things an air of being established.
He marveled at the simplicity of her life and her minimal wants.
He was afraid to speak for fear it might tear the gossamer-texture of this moment.
The agony of self control was worse than the raging hunger.
We have lost the faculty of appreciating the present living moment. We are always looking forward or backward and waiting for one or sighing for the other, and lose the pleasure of awareness of the moment in which we actually exist.
Knowledge, like food, must be taken within limits. You must know only as much as you need and not more. All the thousands of human beings you have encountered since leaving the shelter of your forest life suffer from minds overburdened with knowledge, facts, and information fetters and shackles for the rising soul.
Perhaps we could meet again, who knows? So goodbye for the present.
February 23, 2025
A pleasant, easily immersive short read.
Nararajs turmoil was expressed through sassy inner monologues, and unspoken dialogue with acquaintances. His source of conflict; the contrast between daily domesticity and the 'spiritual world'.
Through daily puja's and a quest to write a book on the Sage Narada, Nagaraj tirelessly and tragically sought a spirituality that always, somehow seemed unreachable to him. The distractions of family dramas (a stepdaughter playing loud instruments for ex) kept Nagaraj away from spending his time as he truly wanted to.
Taking abuse from relatives, scammed by businessmen and outwardly insulted, Nagaraj never defended himself or spoke his truth, instead choosing to internalise resentment. I was surprised I didn't get that frustrated with such a character, who pretty much was a coward.
Realistically, I don't think he will ever achieve his dream of writing a book, but I'd like to think he did....
Nararajs turmoil was expressed through sassy inner monologues, and unspoken dialogue with acquaintances. His source of conflict; the contrast between daily domesticity and the 'spiritual world'.
Through daily puja's and a quest to write a book on the Sage Narada, Nagaraj tirelessly and tragically sought a spirituality that always, somehow seemed unreachable to him. The distractions of family dramas (a stepdaughter playing loud instruments for ex) kept Nagaraj away from spending his time as he truly wanted to.
Taking abuse from relatives, scammed by businessmen and outwardly insulted, Nagaraj never defended himself or spoke his truth, instead choosing to internalise resentment. I was surprised I didn't get that frustrated with such a character, who pretty much was a coward.
Realistically, I don't think he will ever achieve his dream of writing a book, but I'd like to think he did....
June 4, 2020
Nagaraj is an overthinking and gullible person and, because of this attitude, he could never really face the challenges of his life. His brother has an overbearing attitude towards him. Nagaraj sets himself a goal of writing a book on sage Narmada. He leads a normal life with the money received from his family. His problems start when his nephew, who lives with him, gets married and brings home his wife. She plays harmonium every morning and because of this he is unable to write his book. He tries to convey this to her but fails all the time. The plot twist is him having to confront his brother because of Tim leaving the house. In the beginning, I found Nagaraj overthinking and humorous but towards the end to became boring.
December 1, 2018
Nagraj is ineffective, meandering, lazy and a doormat personality who dreams of writing a book about Narada, the gossip mongering and insidious saint among the Hindu gods. So while Nagaraj’s outward communication makes him inconsequential, his daily actions and inward thoughts make for a hilarious read. There are also interesting personalities in his little town like Kavu pundit, and Bari the stationer about whom I will not reveal anything to avoid spoiling the book. The characters absolutely remind me of the varied personalities one comes across in India and the slow, small town feel makes me hanker for the stagnant but content india of yore.
October 20, 2019
This is the first and also the only book by R.K. Narayan that I've read. Really loved it for its immaculate depiction of a common man's life with utmost simplicity.
It makes the reader laugh hard and also, at several points, feel sorry for the protagonist's inanity and lack of courage.
I somehow kept anticipating a point in the novel wherein the protagonist would finally break his silence and speak out his "profound" thoughts but that never quite happens.
All in all, I loved the book for the light moments that it lends to a generally mundane story and keeps one glued to the book till the very end.
It makes the reader laugh hard and also, at several points, feel sorry for the protagonist's inanity and lack of courage.
I somehow kept anticipating a point in the novel wherein the protagonist would finally break his silence and speak out his "profound" thoughts but that never quite happens.
All in all, I loved the book for the light moments that it lends to a generally mundane story and keeps one glued to the book till the very end.
June 11, 2020
Very disappointed with both writing style and story plot.
R.K Narayan has written many great novels over his career. He has contributed to Indian literature big salute for that to him. But have to say this one was so boring. If you are going to read it please lower your expectation. This book is not up to the mark. There were some instances in the book which were funny but not griping.
The character of Nagaraj was an interesting character though the story revolves around his family and how they use his peace-loving personality to control him. Still, you will want from the story to give him the chance to work on his life's goal.
R.K Narayan has written many great novels over his career. He has contributed to Indian literature big salute for that to him. But have to say this one was so boring. If you are going to read it please lower your expectation. This book is not up to the mark. There were some instances in the book which were funny but not griping.
The character of Nagaraj was an interesting character though the story revolves around his family and how they use his peace-loving personality to control him. Still, you will want from the story to give him the chance to work on his life's goal.
July 10, 2018
I think this is the last of RK Narayan's fiction novels that I have read. It is not the first of his books that I will recommend to a friend.
It is a charming portrait of an unassuming man named Nagaraj of Kabir Lane, Malgudi. Most of the book is about the ruminations of Nagaraj who lives in his own world, and his fondness and obsession for his nephew. There isn't much of a dramatic element in this novel to keep one interested in Nagaraj, but an enthusiastic reader will enjoy the details of an era gone by.
It is a charming portrait of an unassuming man named Nagaraj of Kabir Lane, Malgudi. Most of the book is about the ruminations of Nagaraj who lives in his own world, and his fondness and obsession for his nephew. There isn't much of a dramatic element in this novel to keep one interested in Nagaraj, but an enthusiastic reader will enjoy the details of an era gone by.
April 10, 2019
Story revolves around character called Nagaraj from (obviously !!) Malgudi. Middle aged person, who has sufficient money & house inherited from his father. How calm his life would be, Will he achieve his passion of writing about Narada ?, What are the problems he face while writing ? Nagaraj s soft nature and his mental blocker to ask questions against his nephew or brother would be portrayed well. It would be like a gentle breeze without much of twist and turns.
I like RK Narayanan s writing, there would be little wit in every page and we won t know if it is fictional story or biography.
I like RK Narayanan s writing, there would be little wit in every page and we won t know if it is fictional story or biography.
August 29, 2025
An amusing little tale, even if not one of RK Narayan’s better works. Several of the usual artefacts present themselves. A mild-mannered older gent (close enough to a Malgudi Days tale about a father who can’t figure out how to speak to his foreign returned son). Several saree-clad, dutiful, sharp-witted and sharp-tonged women. Feckless but also incurably romantic young men. The Talkative Man and Albert Mission School. And always, delightful Malgudi.
November 11, 2025
As a child born in a small city, The World of Malgudi by R.K. Narayan feels warm, familiar, and full of life. The simple stories and characters remind me of people and places from my own town. I loved how ordinary moments—like school days, friendships, and adventures—felt so real and meaningful. The book made me proud of the beauty in small-town life and its simple joys. Overall, it’s a delightful and comforting read that celebrates everyday magic in ordinary lives.
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