"The Mahabharata" tells a story of such violence and tragedy that many people in India refuse to keep the full text in their homes, fearing that if they do, they will invite a disastrous fate upon their house. Covering everything from creation to destruction, this ancient poem remains an indelible p[...]

Raju's first stop after his release from prison is the barber's shop. Then he decides to take refuge in an abandoned temple. Raju used to be India's most corrupt tourist guide - but now a peasant mistakes him for a holy man. Gradually, almost grudgingly, he begins to play the part. He succeeds so we[...]

"The Ramayana" is, quite simply, the greatest of Indian epics - and one of the world's supreme masterpieces of storytelling. 'Almost every individual living in India,' writes R. K. Narayan in the Introduction to this new interpretation, 'is aware of the story of "The Ramayana". Everyone of whatever [...]

Three of Narayan's novels ("Swami and Friends", "The Bachelor of Arts" and "The English Teacher") featuring the imaginary Indian town of Malgudi, which he has used for 60 years as the setting for his stories. They provide an introduction to a universal world of humour, sadness, wisdom and joy.[...]

"Mr Sampath - The Printer of Malgudi" is the story of a businessman who adapts to the collapse of his weekly newspaper by shifting to screenplays, only to have the glamour of it all go to his head. In "The Financial Expert", a man of many hopes but few resources spends his time under a banyan tree d[...]

At sixty Jagan is a prosperous widower, a sweet-vendor who contrives to combine handsome profits with highminded Gandhian Principles.[...]