R.K. Narayan's classic stories about the adventures of Swami and his friends Rajam and Mani, in a sleepy and picturesque South Indian town called Malgudi, have regaled both young and old for years. Swami's days are full of action. When he is not creating a ruckus in the classroom or preparing, in his inimitable way, for exams, he's dreaming about running down the streets of Malgudi with the coachman's son's hoop; playing tricks on his grandmother: or stoning the school windows, inspired by a swadeshi demonstration. But the greatest feat of Swami and his friends lies in putting together a cricket team for the MCC (the Malgudi Cricket Club) and challenging the neighbouring Young Men's Union to a match. Just before the match, however, things go horribly, horribly wrong, and Swami has no option but to run away from home, wanting never to return to Malgudi again...

Classic Plus: Find out more about the author. his work and his world

Malgudi Schooldays is a slightly abridged version of Narayan's celebrated novel Swami and Friends, and includes two more stories featuring Swami. A delightfully funny account of the life of a harum-scarum schoolboy by one of the greatest English-language writers of our time, Malgudi Schooldays enchants and captivates all those who step into its world.