Under The Banyan Tree

When I read Malgudi days it took me to a whole new world in the town of Malgudi. The people, their simple needs, their issues, their gossips etc. The book was not only a reading experience but a very rich visual one. The author R.K. Narayan is known for painting a very clean picture of the places, people and the whole story. The most striking thing about the stories is the how real the whole situation comes across to the reader. Not for once did I think about the stories being a fairy tale. The problems, pain or frustrations the character was going through was what I felt while I was reading the story.

Under the Banyan tree is a collection of stories that are by the same author and have a very similar effect. The book is wonderful in its narration. My favorite story of the whole book is 'A Horse and Two Goats' where an old man converses with a foreigner and both do not understand each other. Yet the conversation happens and each tries to figure out what the other says. The actions made by one are understood very differently by the other and vice versa. The story stands out because it happens all the time to anybody who has been outside their home land to a place where a new language is spoken. It’s hilarious as the old man believes he has sold his goats while the foreigner believes he just bought an ancient statue.

The reason I find the stories very personal is also because the author talks about money in terms of Rupees or paisa. He rarely talks of big sums of money. For most of the stories a Rupee or 10 Rs is a big amount. This reminds me of my childhood where a Rupee could buy me a toffee or an ice candy or a lot of sweets at the nearby store or balloons and what not. The value of Rs 10 or the emotion of my Dad coming early to take me to the fair or circus feels strikes a cord deep within me. Adding to this being in New York City makes the whole reading experience nostalgic and about something’s that I have left behind yet so close.

The book has a variety of stories and light and fun read.

My Rating 8.0/10.0