FINDING OUR MALGUDI DAYS




















“I would rather have roses on my table
than diamonds on my neck.”

Emma Goldman

One of the things I have done, during these lockdown days, was watching many episodes of ‘Malgudi Days’. For the uninitiated, ‘Malgudi Days’ was a collection of R.K. Narayan’s enchanting stories set in a humble (fictitious) village – Malgudi. It was telecast as the popular TV serial in mid-eighties. (Directed by Kannada film star Shankar Nag). I remember watching many of those episodes, then. But, now, watching them, all over again, was a different experience!




I think, one of the reasons why Malgudi stories appeal to most of us is, that they are utterly simple and relatable. R.K. Narayan had this unique gift of evoking this connect in us… Just as his celebrated cartoonist-brother, R.K. Laxman, had the unique gift of evoking the connect in us through his own craft!







A dear friend of mine loves to live in Malgudi village, quite literally. She is a highly-qualified woman. Her hardworking husband has bought for the family a decent bungalow. But, the Malgudi longings of my friend are quite a mystery to many of us!

My friend did not have a cellphone till the other day. With a great miracle, a simple handset came along, a year ago. But, no WhatsApp even now… Just calls, SMS’s or emails. Despite this, she has been considered to be one of the most efficient employees by her colleagues and bosses… “What else matters?” she asks.

“All well?” I sent a SMS to my friend, today, just to check about her and her family’s well-being during the lockdown.

After almost an hour, I got the reply: “Yes, all well. Who is this? Old phone conked off… Hence saving the contact.”

I smiled and let my friend know who I was. Embarrassed, she replied, “Bought my first phone for Rs. 9,990… The earlier one was a secondhand one.”

“One day, I plan to write a book on your hatke outlook towards gadgets and many other things,” I teased my friend. Then, I wrote: “Did you observe, that I don’t wear a watch or any gold? While growing up, I had seen my mom’s struggle with money. Dad was a loving dad; but was just a local mechanic… He drank (desi) and smoked (beedi) heavily… Mom pledged her little gold and lost it always. Somebody had gifted a Citizen watch to me when I was in Final-year B.Com. Here in Mumbai (then Bombay), when I had no job, I pledged it for 100 bucks and lost it, too. I Never wore a watch or any gold item ever since. Many a time, some of my well-wishers, thinking that I might love to wear one, gifted to me watches/gold chains etc. I quietly gifted them to some needy. These are our hidden stories… Like M.F. Hussain’s barefoot walking! Just curious to know if you have any hidden stories such as these.”

My friend wrote back: “When people around me buy expensive phones, I consider it to be a waste. I think, if we maintain good health, a decent figure and a smile, we can carry ourselves confidentially… I prefer Mani’s thali to an ITC buffet… a cutting chai to a Starbucks coffee… I get more satisfaction from matka paani than from Pepsi… I love to commute by BEST, second-class Local or Metro than by our own car or even OLA or Uber… Just some basic wants. Yesterday, I had a big simile when I opened a new achar ka dabba… Thanks for sharing your watch-and-gold secrets!”

Both, my friend and I are aware of one thing, for sure: One can only have these crazy personal-sutras for oneself. While we find moksha in our 9k handsets, our children and spouses may need to seek it in their 90k-plus… Moksha is very subjective and very personal, you see. For example, none of my four brothers reacted to the same reality at home the way I did… So, apna island me kush raho…

Apna Malgudi village me!





GERALD D’CUNHA

Pic.: www.travelsiteindia.com

Videos: Ultra Bollywood

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