Swami is a talkative, mischievous boy whose life is all about having fun with his friends and avoiding school and homework. He lives with his parents, younger brother and grandmother. He has a set of friends in two schools that he gets removed from. But some innocent mischief gets him in trouble and leads him to leave his house and go on the run. Written in his unique style, R.K Narayan's book Swami Aur Uske Dost is simple yet truly entertaining.

For me travelling is like that constant feeling of retrospection and soul searching inside of me. For some reason, stories of people from faraway lands make my mind anxious and my brain go into a frenzy. It has been mentioned innumerable times that happiness cannot be found outside of you; it is inside of you - in one’s heart. Even then we go out in search of happiness - either through materialistic possessions or through someone else’s existence.

Kitne Pakistan? is a 2000 Hindi novel by Kamleshwar, a noted 20th-century Hindi writer. A pioneer of the Nayi Kahani (New Story) movement of the 1950s, and later a screenwriter for Hindi cinema, Kamleshwar’s novel, employing allegory and realism, deals with a vast expanse of human history, as it follows the rise of sectarianism, nationalism, Hindutva and communalism. Kitne Pakistan? casts doubts about the true motives of the people who make decision on behalf of and for common people, who throughout history have been bearing the brunt of their decision.

Well into his 50s, Jagan runs a shop of sweets. A Gandhian by principle, he himself has given up both sugar and salt and announces his desire for an austere life. He spends his days attempting to enlighten those around him with his interpretation of the Bhagavad Gita, faltering when his listeners pose deeper questions. His son, Mali, quietly rebels against his father’s way of life and holds him responsible for his mother’s death due to his reluctance to allow treatment through modern medicine.

Malgudi Ka Mehman is the Hindi translation of Narayan’s 1986 novel Talkative Man, where Narayan tells the story of an unnamed character: the titular ‘talkative man’ (TM), who, although living comfortably on the famous Kabir Street of Malgudi, works as a freelance journalist to satiate his passion for stories and conversations - much like Narayan himself during his early days as a journalist.