The Man-Eater of Malgudi

The Man-Eater of Malgudi

First US edition
Author R.K. Narayan
Country India
Language English
Publisher Viking Press (US)
Publication date
 1961
Media type Print (Hardback & Paperback)
Pages 250

The Man-Eater of Malgudi is a 1961 Indian novel, written by R. K. Narayan.

Plot

This story revolves around the life of an Indian printer named Nataraj. Nataraj lives in a huge ancestral house in Malgudi, a fictional town in south India. This place is near Mempi hills which is very calm, pleasant and beautiful. He leads a contented lifestyle, with his own circle of friends, such as a poet, a journalist named Sen, and his one employee, Sastri. Like his other novel, Talkative Man, R.K. Narayan introduces a character who enters the life of Nataraj and the town of Malgudi. The character, Vasu, is a taxidermist who comes to Malgudi in search of the wildlife in Mempi hills near Malgudi. His introduction begins with his arrival at Nataraj's printing press, where he demands the printing of 500 visiting cards. This arrival begins the relationship between Vasu and Nataraj. While Nataraj wasn't sure whether Vasu is a friend or an enemy, he dislikes the company of Vasu because of his brazen actions.

Vasu is a bully, and is once compared to a Rakshasa (a Demon) by Nataraj and Sastri. Vasu takes up residence in the attic of Nataraj's press by chance and convinces Nataraj that he would stay there as a guest(self declared) only for a few days until he gets put up some place else. Little known to Nataraj, Vasu sees the place very suitable for his activities as a taxidermist plans otherwise. Vasu is a 'pahelwan' (muscleman), proud of his strength. As the story continues, Vasu encroaches on Nataraj's life, every now and then bullies away his friends, his customers, shoots someone's pet dog and many other animals and birds near the dwelling place, poaches wildlife from Mempi hills, creates stench in the neighborhood through his activities as a taxidermist, when Nataraj questions this, Vasu files a complaint with rent control authority on Nataraj as a self declared tenant, entertaining women in the attic, disturbs the peace of Malgudi, whom the narrator refers to as "the man eater of Malgudi"

As in Talkative Man, the end comes with the commemoration of a function. This time, it is for the release of a poetry book on Krishna by his poet friend. Rangi informs Nataraj that Vasu wants to kill Kumar, the elephant, which Nataraj had brought down from Mempi Hills to treat an ailment as a favour to one of his friends. Muthu- tea shop owner helps Nataraj, when Nataraj happens to meet him under unexpected circumstance, owing to Vasu's adventures. Now Nataraj comes to know of the plans of Vasu to shoot Kumar, the temple elephant, for his collection and business. The protagonists frantically try to stop him, but in vain. As Nataraj decides to talk to Vasu for once and for all, he finds Vasu sleeping, but the next morning he discovers that Vasu is dead.

The autopsy takes place with the verdict being that he was not poisoned and that he was attacked on the head by a blunt weapon. The case is closed, but the reputation of Nataraj's press is ruined and his friends and other people start avoiding him. Later, Nataraj learns through his friend Sastri that Vasu was not murdered, but died in an attempt to smash a mosquito sitting on his temple. He had damaged one of his nerves with his powerful hand and died instantly.

Now Nataraj was rid of Vasu, and the story ends on the note that all demons-rakshashas, devils and monsters-are the downfall of themselves. The narration is very humorous and lively all along.

The story with its pleasant twists features the metamorphosis of a quiet,spineless man (Nataraj) to rise up against his "friend" Vasu.

The Novel

The novel is divided into twelve chapters and tells the story of a printer Nataraj who lives in Malgudi and spends his time in the company of his two friends a poet and a journalist. Into this idyllic scene comes Vasu,the taxidermist and the ensuing events express great calamity though in a comic manner. The novel begins with the narration of Nataraj who introduces his press on Market street with a little room in front which people often told him to rent out. But he was not mercenary because by the grace of goddess Lakshmi, his house in Kabir street was well stocked, he could buy his wife silk sarees and send his son to Albert Mission School in Malgudi. Therefore Nataraj could afford to use the front room as his parlor for his friends of which two were his constant companions.A blue curtain separated this parlor from Nataraj's press.Nataraj had only one person working in his press:"my well-wisher(I dare not call him staff)Sastri,the old man who set type,printed the forms four pages at a time on the treadle,sowed the sheets,and carried them for ruling or binding to Kandan four streets off".Nataraj explains how he helped Satri whenever he was free and often when his business was more than he could handle, he would pass the customers on to his neighboring press called Star press.

Nataraj inherited his ancestral house.His father had bequeathed it to him.when Nataraj was a student his father and four uncles had divided the ancestral property.After their mother's death,the unity of the family was in shreds and soon there ware too many quarrels culminating in a massive one just about a year after the mother's passing away.Nataraj's father decided it was time to break the joint family and with the help of the family lawyers the deed was soon done.the others left and Nataraj's parents,his great auntie,two sisters and he were left behind in a huge house which had housed somany before.After the death of the father,the mother went away to Madras along with great-auntie and Nataraj was left there with his wife and son,Babu.

one fine day, when press was busy, A stranger with a tanned face, large powerful eyes under thick eyebrows, a large forehead and a shock of unkempt hair, like a black halo arrived and he is so aggressive that he does not practice even a modicum of etiquette, demand to know whether he is Nataraj and refuses to wait in the other room.Even his handshake is bone crushing and Nataraj is awed by the whole encounter, but this is just the beginning.

when asked what natraj could do for him,the stranger told him that he wanted some printing job done.In his heart of hearts,Natraj admitted that he was quite scared of the muscular new comer.he tried to direct the new customer to Starpress but the man refused to go anywhere else.The stranger started introducing himself as Vasu,passed his M.A from Madras presidency college and took part in freedom struggle and went to jailmany times.he started doing business in Nagpoor with his aquentine reffred him as phaelwan.He hit phaelwan before he visited Malgudi and left him lying paraysed on the floor.Nataraj was shocked to hear this story because he hated violence but Vasu was trying to project his strength in order to intimidate Nataraj.

Building up his courage,Nataraj questioned him about his past and showed his disapproval at Vasu's behavior at hitting his guru,phailwan.In his heart of hearts he was quite proud of being so rash and headstrong and taunting a dangerous amn like Vasu.When asked why he had come to this little place,Malgudi,if he thinks of it as a miserable city,Vasu replies that it is because of the Mempi forest where he can find wild animals for his professional use.few days after,Vasu convinces Nataraj that he would like to live in the uncomfortable room till a bungalow is vacated for him in the New Extension.Nataraj is reluctanat but has to accept the proposal in the end because within two days Vasu comes with his entire luggage without permission from nataraj.Just as he compelled Nataraj to print his business stationary,now he compels him to rent the attic but never pays the poor printer for any of these things.Now the troubles of Nataraj begin:the first thing Vasu does is to antagonize the friends of the printer sothat they gradually disappear from the parlor.

on other day,Vasu brigs the forest officer of Mempi forest to his press and flatters him immensely,saying that his book Golden Thoughts would be printed nicely by Nataraj,without seeking printing schedules from Nataraj.next day,an official letter comes from the Forest Depportment for Vasu giving himpermission only to visit the forest and not to hunt there.

The next chapter shows Vasu making an impossible demand on Nataraj.It is a month after the earlier incident when he came one morning in his jeep and insisted that Nataraj leave all the work in the press and accompany him for a ten minutes. All Nataraj's pleas do not help so he gets in to the jeep and is driven for many kilometers in a reckless manner. When asks Vasu refuses to tell him where they are going, only threatening to stop the jeep and let him out so that he can walk back to his press, in case he does not like Vasu's company.Nataraj is disgusted with Vasu's wild behavior and loose talk. Soon they come to Meppi Village and they stop at the tea shop. While Nataraj having tea,Vasu suddenly gets in to his jeep with a man from the crowd telling Nataraj to wait there till he is back.Trying to get out of this situation,he ask tea shop owner whether he can get a bus from there to Malgudi and negotiated with him to get in to in to the bus without money so that he will print his temple consecration invitation cards printed and delivered to his door steps.Nataraj rached Malgudi after several hours of hectic journey.

The next morning Natraj is busy correcting proofs at eight o clock when sastri comes in and says accusingly that they all waited for him till nine o clock the previous night. Later, the same evening, a tired and dusty Vasu arrives in his jeep and calls Nataraj urgently. The printer is scared and rushes out. But when he peeps into the jeep,he sees the head of an enormous tiger. Stench of flesh disgusts Nataraj but Vasu is very proud of his achievement. After this Vasu takes Natraj up to the attic and the latter is disgusted to see the skin of smaller animals and birds heaped in a corner. Natraj is nauseated and recollects how he had scolded his binder for using nasty smelling mater5ial and how even the neighbors have been complaining of foul smell which Nataraj blamed on the Municipal Administration.

Characters

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