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R.K. Narayan's short story "Leela's Friend" taken from his noted "Malgudi Days" is a simple tale of Indian middle class family. In the story, we have the variety of themes like injustice, class conflict, betrayal of trust, exploitation, innocence and simplicity of the central character. The friendship of two humans of uneven age and class is the essence of the short story. The story demands our active attention of analytical mind over the pre-existing social culture prevailing in the then Indian society.
About the Author
Rasipuram Krishnaswami Iyer Narayanaswami (10 October 1906 – 13 May 2001), commonly known as R. K. Narayan, was an Indian writer known for his work set in the fictional South Indian town of Malgudi. He was a leading author of early Indian literature in English along with Mulk Raj Anand and Raja Rao.
Reared by his grandmother, Narayan completed his education in 1930 and briefly worked as a teacher before deciding to devote himself to writing. His first novel, Swami and Friends (1935), is an episodic narrative recounting the adventures of a group of schoolboys. Narayan's mentor and friend Graham Greene was instrumental in getting publishers for Narayan's first four books including the semi-autobiographical trilogy of Swami and Friends, The Bachelor of Arts and The English Teacher. The fictional town of Malgudi was first introduced in Swami and Friends. The Financial Expert was hailed as one of the most original works of 1951 and Sahitya Academy Award winner The Guide was adapted for the film (winning a Filmfare Award for Best Film) and for Broadway.
Narayan highlights the social context and everyday life of his characters. He typically portrays the peculiarities of human relationships and the ironies of Indian daily life, in which modern urban existence clashes with ancient tradition. His style is graceful, marked by genial humour, elegance, and simplicity. He has been compared to William Faulkner who created a similar fictional town and likewise explored with humor and compassion the energy of ordinary life. Narayan's short stories have been compared with those of Guy de Maupassant because of his ability to compress a narrative.
Among the best-received of Narayan’s 34 novels are The English Teacher (1945), Waiting for the Mahatma (1955), The Guide (1958), The Man-Eater of Malgudi (1961), The Vendor of Sweets (1967), and A Tiger for Malgudi (1983). Narayan also wrote a number of short stories; collections include Lawley Road (1956), A Horse and Two Goats and Other Stories (1970), Under the Banyan Tree and Other Stories (1985), and The Grandmother’s Tale (1993). In addition to works of nonfiction (chiefly memoirs), he also published shortened modern prose versions of two Indian epics, The Ramayana (1972) and The Mahabharata (1978).
In a career that spanned over sixty years Narayan received many awards and honours including the AC Benson Medal from the Royal Society of Literature, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan, India's second and third highest civilian awards, and in 1994 the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship, the highest honor of India's national academy of letters. He was also nominated to the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian Parliament.
Summary
Mr. Sivasanker is deeply thinking about his servant-problem. Sidda, a homeless poor boy, comes to his gate just then in search of a job. Sivasanker looks at him and finds nothing objectionable. Yet he asks a few questions about his previous work. He calls then his wife who turns satisfied after meeting the boy. Leela, their five-year old daughter comes out and likes the boy. Sidda is selected on an agreement of two meals a day and four rupees a month. In return he is to wash clothes, tend the garden, run errands, chop wood and look after Leela.
Sidda is a likeable boy who gets on well with the family. He becomes a good friend with Leela. Sidda and Leela play together with a ball. Sidda throws the ball upward. When the ball comes down, he tells her that the ball has touched the moon. Even he has touched the moon many times from a coconut tree. The innocent girl believes every word of Sidda. She also expresses her desire to touch the moon. She is surprised to see that wherever they move, the moon is there. She claps in joy. Sidda informs her that he really knows the moon which follows up his command.
At day’s end Leela plays the teacher to Sidda. She tries to teach him with her little knowledge. She writes a letter or draws a kind of cat or crow, and asks him to copy it. But he is a very poor performer. Yet Leela does not give up her effort. She does not allow him to leave his task. The game of teaching goes on for a long time. Sidda gets relief only when he falsely tells her that her mother is calling her to dinner.
Every night Sidda tells a nice story to put Leela to sleep. Day by day he becomes her constant companion. A sweetening relationship is established between them.
One evening Sidda goes out to buy sugar and Leela accompanies him. When they come home, Leela’s mother noticed that the gold chain around Leela’s neck is missing. Being furious she slaps Leela and calls Sidda at once on suspicion. Sidda defends himself feebly but leaves the house stealthily.
At this Mr. Sivasanker and his wife are convinced that Sidda is the culprit. He lodges a complaint against him in the Police Station. But Leela is not ready to believe this. She longs for his company. She is deeply sorrowful. She thinks that her parents are responsible for her friend’s leaving their house. The loss of gold chain does not matter to her.
Mr. Sivasanker learns from the Police Inspector that Sidda has criminal records. He has been in jail for several times for stealing jewellery from children. He assures his wife that the police will arrest Sidda very soon. Four days later, the police Inspector and a constable brings in Sidda. Leela is very happy and runs to meet him. The Inspector stops her and presses Sidda to confess his guilt. Leela’s mother abuses him for his treachery. Sidda only replies that he has not taken the chain.
The Inspector tells his constable to take him back to the police station. Leela requests him to free Sidda. But nobody listens to her. She starts to shed tears.
A few days later, Leela’s mother discovers the lost gold chain from a tamarind pot. She comes to know that Leela has dropped it there and forgotten all about it. Mr. Sivasanker learns all and informs the police about the chain’s discovery, but does not allow Sidda to continue his job. Sidda’s position does not improve. He remains a confirmed criminal in his eyes.
The Features
It is clear from the title Leela’s Friend that the story is about Leela and her friend Sidda. The story brings forth the class-conflict between the high and the low of the society. Sidda becomes the victim of that conflict. Poverty leaves a permanent wound to Sidda’s life. Though he tries to overcome his dark past and is proved guiltless at the end of the story, he is not either allowed to continue his job neither provided with an apology. The so-called society remains indifferent to his sorrows and sufferings.
Sidda’s punishment is unjust and also a blunder. But the protector of the law escapes counter punishment. This is not a case to Sidda only, but its roots lie in the every sphere of the society making it worse and gloomy. R. K. Narayan has raised his voice to protest against this through the present story. Herein lies his craftsmanship.
Theme
R. K. Narayan, through his simple techniques and lucid language, has dealt with a number of themes in his short-story. How the theme of true friendship between two mortals of different age and section of society grows is clearly expressed. At the same time, Narayan deals with the most prevalent conflict within the society, the class-division of Indian society. It also deals with the trust and the betrayal, the poverty and exploitation, cruelty of masters to their servants. The story also discloses that some past mistakes can destroy present peace of mind and position.
Character Analysis
Sidda
In R. K. Narayan’s short story "Leela’s Friend", Sidda is the main character. His character is described with a number of qualities that uphold him as the central person of the story. Sidda has been referred to in the title of the story. His relationship with the little girl, Leela, is highlighted in the entire story. He was appointed as a servant in the Sivasanker’s house. He works in their house, plays with their little girl, and performs all other stuff to do. He is a responsible servant who takes care of every work. From the very first day Sidda became friend with Sivasanker’s five years old daughter, Leela. Most of the time Sidda had to spend and play with Leela leaving his all works. Sidda always took Leela’s mind in the world of imagination by his incomparable stories. Sidda is very much talented and know how to cajole a five year old girl. Although he is an illiterate person, he has immense power of imagination. Sidda has been accused of taking the gold chain of Leela. But he is an honest Servant. In the conclusion we may say that Sidda is a good Servant, he has sensibility, honesty, and trust. With these qualities he became a true friend to a little girl. R.K. Narayan artistically turned this ordinary servant into the center of reader’s attention.
Leela
In R.K. Narayan’s short story “Leela’s Friend”, Leela is one of the important characters. Leela is five years old daughter of Mr. Sivasanker. R.K. Narayan describes Leela’s character in many forms of human behavior and qualities. Leela has been presented by R. K. Narayan as an innocent girl. She has no interest for the expensive earthly possession as she remains indifferent to her missing chain. She was very innocent. She believes that Sidda could touch the moon and moon follows to Sidda’s order. Leela is very interested to spend time with Sidda. She always likes to play and listen stories with Sidda. She insists to keep Sidda in their house because of her friendship with him. She trusts Sidda even when her parents consider him a thief. She is a true friend of him. Leela is very enthusiastic girl to play with Sidda. She plays teacher-student game with Sidda. Leela wants to play all the time with him. Leela is very curious girl to know about the sky, god and unknown places. She asks Sidda out of her curiosity whether the moon knows him. She has a big imagination power. Her mind always transcends into the world of imagination when she listens to Sidda’s story of magician, gods in heaven, animal in jungle. In the conclusion we may say that Leela is a very little girl who does not have any kind of class attitudes, her mind is full of imagination, innocence, and curiosity. R. K. Narayan with these qualities turned a little girl more than Friendship.
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