Swami and Friends - Anvesha Rana

Swami, Rajam and Mani are thrilled to have new bats, balls and wickets. The entire team is filled with exhilaration at the prospect of being able to practice with new equipment. The M.C.C. has no stop now; their victory has begun; everything is perfect from the Tate of the team to the Captain and till the picker of the ball until Swami once again dooms it all. 

No longer being a part of Albert Mission School, Swaminathan is burdened with homework, assignments, scout classes and drill classes; in the midst of all this, poor Tate hardly manages time out for cricket. Rajam, being a captain and a friend to Swami, is divided between his responsibilities. He can't scold Swami since it is not his fault, nor can he remove him from the MCC. 

The friends decide to persuade the Headmaster to permit Swami to leave school early because he has to practice cricket. Still, the Headmaster does not get through, and poor Swami is left without an allowance, with tons of assignments and no time for playing. 

Sometimes, we might feel lost amid the constant chaos around us, just like Swami, the way he did not see the vital thing, among other petty issues. Swami felt like quitting when surrounded by multiple tasks but when we feel like quitting, think about why you started? 

Continue with your purpose in life till your pot of wit is overflowing, not with material value but with lifetime value. Do not deem to fill the pot with I.Q., but realize to put some emotions, values, adversities and solutions because that is all that gives you wit. 

Anvesha Rana, 

Grade 10-B, 

Gyanshree School

Swami and Friends - Anvesha Rana

Friendship makes us foresee all difficulties, it enables the world to go blind and our friends to shine bright like a new ray. Swami, Rajam and  Mani had to meet each other at any cost; despite the heat that hit their heads, the tar that burnt their feet and the lone streets that gave shudders, the friends had to come together. 

This stubborn hope for meeting our friends, whether it rains or snows, hails or blows, windy or stormy, sunny or cloudy, is what makes friendship so great. The eagerness to meet our friends with the same smile, vigour and energy, as if meeting them for the first time and listening to their talks, as if they were the most essential thing in the world, is what makes a friend the best. 

Swami, the however kind he may be at heart, is a leisurely mind. His brain dwells on the tale behind the sum when he witnesses math sums rather than quickly solving them. It’s true sometimes it’s simply impossible to concentrate - we just want to have fun, but seeing the complex numbers dance in front of our eyes and not getting the correct answer even after solving the question a million times, can be frustrating - but education is an excellent teacher, it has taught us not to give up on that math sum, not to lose hope in a subject and to be genuinely confident in ourselves.

Do your best, 

And leave the rest

For the Almighty, he is looking at us, 

He is seeing if we are good or making a fuss

Live the way you want it to be, 

Just be happy and be free

Only Remember to enjoy the roadway,

And not devour the fruit halfway.  

Anvesha Rana, 

Grade 10-B, 

Gyanshree School

Swami and Friends - Anvesha Rana

Swami loves being amiable to everyone, especially to his best friends. He loves Somu for his geniality, Sankar for his intelligence, The Pea for his connection, Mani for his strength and Rajam for his personality. Swami is a fun-loving boy; his friends mean the world to him. Often friendships are a two-way street; if one of the givers in a bond of friendship stops contributing, this bond can also break. 

Something similar happened when Swami became friends with Rajam and unintentionally pushed Somu, Sankar and Samuel out of his life. Still, when Swami realized his mistake, it was too late to correct it. 

We pamper new people and forget the ones whom we have known forever. We often have so many desires that we change friends and relations to fulfil all our wishes. But fulfilling our desires does not lie in completing them but in controlling them. 

Anvesha Rana, 

Grade 10-B, 

Gyanshree School

Swami and Friends by RK Narayan - Rishona Chopra

Rasipuram Krishnaswami Iyer Narayanaswami was an Indian writer known for his work set in the fictional South Indian town of Malgudi. He was a leading author of early Indian literature in English along with Mulk Raj Anand and Raja Rao.

From 21/08/22, we will be reading Swami and Friends by RK. Narayan every Sunday at 11 am.  

Swami and Friends is the first of a series of novels written by R. K. Narayan, an English language novelist from India. The first book Narayan wrote is set in British India in a fictional town called Malgudi. 

I have read "Malgudi Days" and am so excited to read Swami and his friends. Swami is a curious and mischievous boy, but his stories are worth reading and hilarious. It tells about this unique bond of friendship through which we are all united.

Let's dive into Swami's World and visit Malgudi! A story full of twists, turns, and mischief, but this adventure will surely be interesting!

Rishona Chopra
Grade VI
Gyanshree School

The Amazon link:
https://www.amazon.com/Swami-Friends-Narayan/dp/8185986002

The English Book Depot will be happy to assist you with a copy, call +91 135 2655192 or send an email to sales@ebd.in.

Swami and Friends - Anvesha Rana

Somewhere in life, there must be someone to take your hand and share the torrid day. Without a touch of Friendship, there is no life, and we must fade away. There are friends, there is family, and then there are friends who become family. Friendship is a tonic for all of us that only grows stronger over time; it is the cure for every challenge, the outlook for every good day, and the wish for every person. Probably no relationship is as essential yet versatile as Friendship. The intimacy and affinity we have with our friends are irreplaceable, and it comes in many forms; whether we are next to each other or miles apart, we always remember them, and they are our Friends. 

Some stories will make you smile, some will bring tears to your eyes, and some may even make your heart skip a beat, but all of them will renew your faith in the power of Friendship. Penned down beautifully in the words of a celebrated novelist, RK Narayan, is this tale overflowing with mischievousness, oozing with love and pondering over our relationships. 

So, join us as we dive into this adventure with Swami and Friends. We won’t know what’s coming next, for this will be full of twists, turns and steep ends, but one thing we can be sure of, whatever it is, will be the most memorable.

Anvesha Rana, 

Grade 10-B, 

Gyanshree School