makemytravel

Monday, February 29, 2016

ಮಂಗಳೂರಿನಿಂದ ೩೫ ಕಿಲೋಮೀಟರ್ ದೂರದಲ್ಲಿ ಕರ್ನಾಟಕ ಕೇರಳ ರಾಜ್ಯಗಳ ಗಡಿಯಲ್ಲಿರುವ ಬಂಟ್ವಾಳ ತಾಲೂಕಿನ ಸಣ್ಣ ಹಳ್ಳಿ ಆನೇಕಲ್ಲು. ಈ ಉರು ತಲುಪಲು ಮಂಗಳೂರಿನಿಂದ ೧೯೮೫ ರಲ್ಲಿ ಇದ್ದದ್ದು ಎರಡು ಖಾಸಗಿ ಬಸ್ಸುಗಳು ಒಂದು ಶಂಕರ್ ವಿಟ್ಟಲ್ ಇನ್ನೊಂದು ಶಿವ ಶಂಕರ್ ಈ ಬಸ್ಸುಗಳು ಕರ್ನಾಟಕದ ಕೆಟ್ಟ ರಸ್ತೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಮುಡಿಪು ಬಾಕ್ರೆಬೈಲು ದಾರಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಆನೇಕಲ್ಲು ತಲುಪುತ್ತಿದ್ದವು.
ಬೇಸಿಗೆ ರಜೆ ಬಂತು ಎಂದರೆ ನಮ್ಮ ಸವಾರಿ ಈ ಬಸ್ಸಿನಲ್ಲೇ. ಮದ್ಯಾಹ್ನ ೧.೩೦ ಶಂಕರ್ ವಿಟ್ಟಲ್ ಬಸ್ಸು ಮಂಗಳೂರು ಬಿಟ್ಟರೆ ಸರಿಯಾಗಿ ೩.೩೦ ಕ್ಕೆ ಆನೇಕಲ್ಲು ತಲುಪುತ್ತ್ತಿತ್ತು . ಆನೇಕಲ್ಲು ಇಳಿದರೆ ಬಸ್ ಸ್ಟಾಂಡ್ ಹತ್ತಿರದಲ್ಲೇ ಹೋಟೆಲು , ಅಲ್ಲಿ ಒಂದು ರೂಪಾಯಿಗೆ ಎರಡು ಗೋಳಿಬಜೆ, ಎರಡು ರೂಪಾಯಿಗೆ ಒಂದು ಬನ್ಸು ತಿಂದು ಬಿಸಿ ಬಿಸಿ ಚಹಾ ಕುಡಿದು ನಡೆಯಲು ಆರಂಬಿಸಿದರೆ ಸರಿಯಾಗಿ ೫.೦೦ ಗಂಟೆಗೆ ನಮ್ಮ ಅಜ್ಜಿಮನೆ ತಲುಪುವ ಹೊತ್ತಿಗೆ ಹೋಟೆಲಲ್ಲಿ ತಿಂದ ಗೋಳಿಬಜೆ, ಬನ್ಸು ಎರಡು ಖಾಲಿ
ಅಜ್ಜಿ ಮನೆ ನಮ್ಮ ನೆಚ್ಚಿನ ಮನೆ ನಮ್ಮ ಬಾಲ್ಯದ ಹಲವಾರು ಸವಿನೆನಪುಗಳನ್ನು ಹೊತ್ತ ಮನೆ ಅಜ್ಜಿ ಮನೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಬಡತನ ಇದ್ದರೂ ಪ್ರೀತಿಗೆ ಕೊರತೆ ಇರಲಿಲ್ಲ

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Hosur, also known as Little England, for its climatic conditions, has a history of more than 2000 Years. Hosur, is known on these days, not only for its climatic condition, but for the thousands of industries located here.
Hosur is very special for the languages spoken. Here People Speak Telugu , Tamil, Kannada.Malayalam, Hindi.

Hosur comes under Krishnagiri District. Krishnam in north Indian language means black and Giri means hill (Granite hills). Hosur and its surroundings are very rich in Granite. So Krishnagiri means - place rich in Granite rocks. The other reason for the name 'Krishnagiri' may be that - the hill in the town of Krishnagiri looks so similar to the rocky hills of Gingee, where one of the hill is named as Krishangiri and the fort built by Cholas during 13th centuary on that hill was later used as ruling throne by foreign invaders like Marathas, Nayaks and Mughals who also ruled this part of the country. Mughal Emporer Aurangazeb leased Gingee to 'Swarup Singh' one of the Bundela (a Rajput race which ruled central India) Chieftain and even today we can see a hamlet of Rajputs at Venkatesh Puram near Bagalur (10 kms from Hosur), whom might have migrated along with Swarup Singh or his son Dev Singh (in French De Sing - Desing-gu Raja). Few others claim that the hills (located in Krishnagiri and Ginjee) were named after Krishna Deva Raya - so Krishna - Giri (Hill)

During Sangam age, Hosur was called as 'Murasu Naadu'. Stone art found in stones reads that the area of Hosur was cultured even during the stone age. The area was also called as Thagadoor during ancient Tamil Sangam age and also as Athiyamaan Naadu as Hosur was under the rule of Athiyamaan, the king who gave 'Karu-Nellikkaai' to prolong the life of Tamil poet Av-vai-yaar. During ancient Tamil sangam age, Hosur, Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri, Mysore, Bangalore and Salem were ruled by Tamil kings and were very much a part of Tamil Nadu.

A small temple was built for 'Kaali-kaambaal - Kaamadeswarar' on the Hill (now, can be seen while climbing to the hill top) at Hosur by a Bundela named Batta Kur-rappa Nayaka who got settled at Bagalur. Either he should belong to the family of Swarup Sing who ruled Gingee or might have come along with Tippu Sultan as Bundelas are known for fighting Mugals and at the same time few of them joining hands with Muslim invaders and get the right to rule countries encroached by them. Till today the festival for the temple coincides with the north Indian festival Holi, while most of the people of this area do not know what ''Holi Festival'' mean! The tower of the temple also does not resemble to that of Tamil temple architecture adding evidence to the claim of being built by a north Indian. The temple is considered to be built during 1207 AD and hence establishment of modern Hosur can be considered from that year i.e. 1207 AD. Chandira Choodeswarar Temple located on the 250ft high hill top, was built by the Hoysala dynasty king, Thirupuvanamalla Barvatharaja Anthiyazhvar, during the year 1218 AD to 1296 AD. The temple was renovated by Azhakiya Perumal Aathimoolam. He also belonged to Hoysala Dynasty. It was Hoysala King Ramanatha (Rama Nayakkan) who had his head quarters at Veppanapalli and Kolar, built the lake 'Ramanayakkan Eari' to store water for irrigation purposes and till today the lake is called by his name. Ramanatha was the king who developed Hosur and a small market was setup near the present day's Gandhi Statue area

About Hosur Forest Area:

Hosur Forest area comes under Melagiri hill and spreads 1415 sq Kms as reserved forest area and 8544 Hectares of reserved land area.

Boundaries for this forest is:

North side: Karnataka state's Kolar forest
North East side: Andhra state's Chithoor forest
West Side: Karnataka state's Bennargatta reserve forest park and Kanagapura forest
South side: River Cauvery

Hosur History:

This is the image of Hosur during British rule - Photo courtesy - Archeological Survey of India

Photographed (later colored) by Thomas Daniell during 1804 AD who accompanied Lord Cornwallis and depicts Hosur - Photo courtesy - Archeological Survey of India

Photographed by A Soosai Prakash of HosurOnline on 1st May 2010 after the car festival.

Photo image of Ramanayakkan Eari. Photographed by A Soosai Prakash on 20th May 2010

After Ramanathan, his son Vishwanathan took the throne but he was toppled by his cousin Palla-raayan III. Pallaraaya III, established his kingdom up to Kerala's Cannanoor. The rule of Hoysala dynasty came to an end after Pallaraaya III died during a war with Maaravarman Sundarapandiyan of Madurai's Pandiyan dynasty. Pallaraaya's son married one of the sister of King Harihara, who established Vijayanagar kingdom.

During late 13th and early 14th century AD Hosur was under the rule of Kolar. Stone scriptures says that the king was called as 'Azahgiya Perumaal Aththi-mallan Kaaruvaan-arachan'. He brought the Bagalur landlords (Bandelas) under his control. He established the villages Aththi-palli, Aththi-mugam, Aththi-chandiram and Aththi-naththam and all the names relate to his name and even today it is called by his name. From Pandiyans, Hosur came under the rule of Vijayanagar and then went into the control of Hyder Ali. After Hyder Ali, Hosur came under the rule of Tippu Sultan and a mosque was built by Sultan in Hosur and the mosque is located in Ram Nagar area.

Ram Nagar Mosque - Mosque Built by Tippu

Mosque built by Tippu Sultan. Photographed by A Soosai Prakash on 1st May 2010

During Sultan's rule, the Hill Top temple was renovated and maintained well and documents speak about the same. The renovation work was carried out by a British architect named 'Hamilton' whom Sultan captured during a war with British force.

As per the agreement made at Mangalore between British's East India Company and Sultan, towns of Hosur, Denkanikottai and Krishnagiri came under the rule of East India Company. Mr. Cornwallis took charge for ruling this part of the country. Cornwallis appointed Captain Kaspy as the collector for Hosur. Bret took charge from Kaspy and as per the wish of Bret's wife, Bret constructed a fort which looked similar to that of London's 'Kenilworth Fort' at a cost less than Rs 10,000/-. Bret was dismissed for constructing this Fort as Cornwallis felt that Bret has mishandled/misused the company's money for constructing the fort. The fort was located near the present day Kottai Mariyamman temple. The name 'Kottai' speaks about the Fort and there are very few remains of the fort today. It is said that few selfish people of Hosur, after independence, looted the bricks/stones/pillars of the fort and made it to disappear. Even during 1980s a small swimming pool opposite the Maariyamman temple had been witnessed by people who settled at Hosur during that period.

This photo image of Kenilworth Fort, constructed by Bret in Ram Nagar area of Hosur was taken during 1880 by Photographer Henry Dixon - Photo Courtesy: Archaeological Survey of India Collections: India Office Series (volume 21, 'a' numbers)

This photo image of Kenilworth Fort was taken during early 1980s but the date and exact year is not known

Built by collector Mr Brett (1859-62) Photographed by Mr Henry Dixon in 1860 - Hosur Ram Nagar

The remain of the above seen fort as on 16th January 2011 - Photo by A Soosai Prakash for HosurOnline

A Panorama - Video of the location as seen on 16th January 2011. The bridge shown is the original bridge that remains even today

Even during 18th centaury AD, it was Denkanikottai, Bagalur and Soolagiri considered to be towns and for Madurai - Mysore war, movement of forces were in the route via Javalagiri and Denkanikottai and there was no symptom of further developments in Hosur area.

During British rule, Salem collector Walton Elliot Lockhart, made Hosur the head quarters for Salem district. Present day Sub-collector's office at Hosur opposite Ramanayakkan Eari was then the district collector's office.

Hosur Sub Collector Office - Photographed for HosurOnline on 29th June 2010 by A Soosai Prakash. The stone with date is provided in the photograph separately

The cattle farm at Hosur was established in the year 1824 as Army Remount Depot, by British for rearing and breeding Horses. This farm was handed over to the Agricultural Department of Govt. of Madras on 1st September 1924 as a Cattle Breeding Station. The Farm was subsequently taken over by the Madras Civil Veterinary Department on 1st April 1938 with the object to maintaining the purity of the Indian Milk Breeds of Cattle and to conduct basic research on animal breeding and the Farm was redesigned as Livestock research station. The farm was renamed as District Livestock farm subsequent to the reorganization of Livestock Research station on 1st January 1970. During recent years, the cattle farm is being moved to Namakkal in a very slow phase and soon the land may fall in the hands of Real Estate brokers! as already the most expensive trees like Sandal wood and Silver oak are being looted in day light.

Photo Image of Cattle Farm. Photographed by Mr Sivaraman of JPSR Enterprises during the year 2000

During 1980s industrialization began with the help of SIPCOT and Hosur became Industrial Town. Concept of SIPCOT in Tamil Nadu was first established in Hosur and later implemented in other parts of the state. It was Karunanidhi - Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu along with Rajaji and C. Subramanian (then finance minister for India), who took lot of efforts to establish industries at Hosur. After that basic development started taking place. While urbanization and industrialization began by The People of soil in rest of Tamil Nadu, it is the Tamil Nadu government which took efforts for the development of Hosur.

Hosur is today well connected by road (NH 7), by Railway (direct trains to Delhi, Mumbai, Coimbatore etc.,), by sea (Seaport located just 340 Kms away) and by air (airport is 35 KMs).

Roads towards Hosur - Just save the image to view enlarged

Read Complete article on Hosur history here - as per TN Govt. Gazette

Hosur Tourism

Next to Anchetty there is a village called Dhabbaguli which is located near Urigam - 55kms from Hosur (Hosur - Denkanikottai - Urigam - Dhabbaguli). At Dhabbaguli, there is a temple and only at this village point River Cauvery enters into Tamil Nadu. Dhabbaguli is in a reserved forest area with dense trees and bamboos. Reaching Dhabbaguli is possible only by trekking or by private vehicles. Vehicles can enter the reserved forest area only with prior permission from forest officials at Hosur, else will put you into trouble in the hands of them. Here, you can spot wild animals and birds. Very calm and serene locality.

Anchetty Reserved Forest - Panoramic Vie

Anchetty Reserved Forest - River Cauvery is seen in the middle of valleys. Photographer Alex. Photographed on August 2009

Reaching Hogenakal via Hosur - Denkanikottai is also a thrilling experience.

A stay at Bettamugilaalam (the highest peak in Krishnagiri Taluk) Forest Bungalow having camp fire at night is a real enjoyment.

Visiting Thally and participating in Adeetha Ashram's mind development program will be a very nice experience (Stay and participate in 3 to 7 days program)

Picnics can be arranged to Kelavarapalli dam which has a children's park, can kill a day. Visiting Hill temple and visiting Pach-chai kulam area, visiting another hill temple dedicated for Lord Venkata-ramaswamy will make a day.

Swimming pools are available at Well Fit Health Club (located near SIPCOT Phase II), Renaissance Grand Hotel, Jain Farms, Hotel Sivaranjani, Infrag Farm House (located near Kelamangalam)

Boating is available at Perandapally Village - can be reached by taking a road opp. Bimetal Bearing on NH 7.

Business:

The salubrious climate makes Hosur to hold number two position in cut rose export in all over India. The climate makes suitable for cultivation of all vegetables round the year. Daily, tons of vegetables are sent to other parts of the state and the country. Vegetables are also being exported. Hosur is well know for Roses, Color Capsicums, Varieties of flowers, Tomatoes, Cali-Flower, Cabbage etc,. Other than the regular Uzhavar Sandhai which concentrates on retail sales; Hosur has a special Uzhavar Sandhai (Farmer's Market) which deals only with whole-sale business and is supported by Coimbatore Agriculture University.

A farmer working in his farm growing Beetroot - Photographed for HosurOnline on 29th June 2010 by A Soosai Prakash

Cabbage is grown in large quantities at Hosur - Cabbage farm view - Photographed for HosurOnline on 29th June 2010 by A Soosai Prakash

Cattle rearing was the primary occupation for Villagers surrounding Hosur - Photographed for HosurOnline on 29th June 2010 by A Soosai Prakash

Cattle rearing is the primary occupation for Villagers in surrounding Hosur

Hosur is number two town in Tamil Nadu state in terms of commercial tax revenue.

Hosur, the town located just 40 KMs from Bangalore central, and borders Bangalore is always an envy to the neighbor.

Manufacturing industries include Ashok Leyland manufacturing heavy trucks, TVS Motor Company making Three Wheelers and Two wheelers, Titan Watches & Titan Jewelry - TATA group of companies and etc. Manufacturing facilities of Hindustan Motors, Caterpillar, Luk-India, Exide batteries, Gabriel Shock Observers etc., are located. Other industries related to Granite and marble, pharmaceuticals, Tissue culture labs, Floriculture, Sericulture etc., have lots of presence here.

1000s of ancillary units supporting the major industries can be seen spread all over the town - almost in nook and corner of the town.

Real estate investment in Hosur is always a profit even during recessions. Insecure feeling caused by Kannada racists, among other communities and genocide witnessed in Bangalore during 1990s have made Hosur the right choice of investment destination for Tamils and other communities living and earning in Bangalore. Most of IT company employees from Tamil Nadu invest in Hosur. Real estate related crime including murder is on raise since December 2009.

Internet service providers are available in plenty. As lazy BSNL provides poor service to its telephone and broadband using clients, most of the large users migrate to Tata, Reliance, Aircel, Zylog-Wi5, Geity Online, SunNet etc., Airtel provides wired internet broadband in SIPCOT 1 area, but their service too is now (as of March 2012) getting worse.

Car showrooms are available for Chevrolet, Honda, Hyundai, Tata and Maruthi and they are located on NH 7 towards Krishnagiri from Hosur.

Two wheeler (motor bike) showrooms for Honda, Hero, Enfield, Yamaha, Bajaj, TVS and Suzuki are located on NH7 towards Krishnagiri from Hosur.

Shopping:

Retail stores are thriving in our markets, and already Nilgiries has its store here. Pallavi Stores at Bagalur road and Kingson Supermarket opp. Railway Station, gives pleasurable shopping experience and helps in saving money while shopping.

For pooja related items shopping can be done on MG Road - Taluk Office Road intersection.

For pooja flowers, bit of Taluk Office road between MG road and Netaji road is the right place.

For fancy flowers (real flowers like hybird Rose, Gerbera etc), visit Indira Nagar, which is just opp. Bus stand

For Tamil - Sidha - Ayurvedha medicine, bit of Taluk Office road between MG road and Netaji road is the right place.

Textile showrooms are present in plenty at MG Road and Netaji Road. For branded cloth for men visit Old Bangalore Road. For school/industry readymade uniforms - go to Geetha Textiles (you can save money while shopping here) located in MG Road and for uniform cloths go to Bhavani Textiles (Bombay Dyeing showroom) - opp Ramar Koil.

For under-garments, lingerie, Lungies etc go to Chandrasekara Textiles, adj. to SKPD Hall in MG Road.

Branded home appliances can be bought in Old Bangalore Road and MG Road. For budget home appliances, Taluk office road is the paradise. Lots of electrical shops are present here.

Most of the Jewelry shops are concentrated at MG Road. Tanishq, GR Thangamalligai, Alukas group, Nathella, AVR, Susheel and other leading jewelers have their showrooms in this town.

For fancy jewelry, try shops near Ramar Koil and Bose Bazaar area.

For foot wears, MG Road, Old Bangalore Road and Netaji road are the best choice.

For shamiyana, chairs and cooking utilities rental, Netaji road is the place.

For charcoal, lime stone etc Netaji Road is the place.

For buying paints and related items, visit Periathambi Chettiar showroom or Senthil Hardwares.

Fruits can be bought at Municipal shopping complex located near Gandhi statue.

Vegetables are sold in Uzhavar Sandhai (7am to 12 noon), located near Taluk Office. For bulk purchase, go to Bathalapalli Vegetable Market. For quick shopping of vegetables, go to Netaji Road.

Sea Fish is sold near Gandhi Statue and near Balaji Cine Theater. For Lake/Dam fish walk to NH7 - Krishnagiri Road, near the side of the bridge, Poultry is sold in Anna Nagar. Mutton is sold in Anna Nagar - Bismilla Mutton Stall is good and safe.

Agriculture equipments, seeds and fertilizers are sold in Rayakottai road.

Automobile spares are available in NH 7. Most of the four wheeler workshops are located on NH 7 towards Krishnagiri from Hosur Bus Stand.

Batteries for invertors and Automobile are available near the bridge on NH 7 towards Bangalore - Battery House is a good choice.

Plenty of budget hotels and restaurants are located near Bus Stand area. Double check for the quality of the guest rooms before checking in, as very few black sheep are busy engaging in illegal brothel and may put you in police hands. To book rooms in bulk, try at Hotel Victoria, on NH 7 and Hotel Sreenivas on Bagalur Road.

Community halls are available at HIA in SIPCOT Phase I, ALMDC near Mookandapalli, Sivaranjani Hotel, Hotel Rennaissance, Janani Restaurant near BSNL Town exchange, Aarthi Garden Restaurant in Bagalur Road etc.,

Reputed Kalyana Mandapams in Hosur are Sreenivasa Mahal in Sivaranjani Hotel complex, Meera Mahal in Railway Station Road, KAP Kalyana Mandapam near Boys High School.

Many exhibitions and events to promote businesses are arranged by HIA and HOSTIA - both associations for industries.

Almost 12,000 dailies are sold in Hosur a day. Dinakaran (6000 copies as on 26.05.2010), Dinathanthi and The Hindu (2700 copies as on 26.05.2010) contribute the sales a lot.

Mobile phone industry is booming in Hosur. All the mobile phone service providers have their own dealer network and tower network.

For computer accessories - walk-in-to Sun Systems in Tank Street. For branded PCs, laptops go to TCS or Swastik Systems or MSK Infotech or Flake Agencies.

Eat Outs:

For Vegetarian budget restaurants, go to Arusuvai, located opp to Hosur Bus Stand. If you look for better care, then walk into Sangeeth Sagar Restaurant. For luxury go to Renaissance Grand or Sivaranjani.

For Non-Veg, you have Andhra Style (Previously called as Nandini), Periyathaai (opp Taluk Office). To buy parcel and eat at home, then try at Selvi Mess or Amman Mess for parotta and get Gravy from Janani. Briyani at Janani is really good. Planning a dinner with family or friends or official purpose, try Janani Restaurant.

Pizza HUT has its counter opp Srinivasa Theater in Rayakottai Road. Mc Donald has its counter near Kamanthotti Village

For evening eat outs, go to Amirtham Chats near Gandhi Statue.

For buying sweets, Agarwal, Aryabavan, Aryaas, Kannaiya Bakery and Salom are good. Salom is located on Railway station road. For Bakery items you have Bake - Land, opp TVS Nagar on Thalli Road.

Other Info:

Population: 244,518 (as per 2011 census)

Hosur Town area: 11.71 Sq. Km

Hosur Taluk area: 959.46 Sq. Km

Hosur Altitude: 878 Mts (2883 feet) above sea level

Hosur Average Rainfall: 822.3 mm per annum,

Hosur Water requirement: 120,00,000 liters /day

Hosur Water Source of Kelavarappally Dam :: Ponniar River

Hosur Latitude : 12.7167 Latitude DMS: 12° 43' 0 N

Hosur Longitude: 77.8167 Longitude DMS: 77° 49' 0 E

Hosur Time Zone: UTC+ 5:30 East

Hosur Telephone area code: 04344

Hosur PINCODES: 635109 (Town), 635126 (SIPCOT), 635110 (Rayakottai Road)

Vehicle Reg. Codes: TN - 29 (Before 2006) TN-24-Z to TN-24-V - (After 2006 and before 30th Nov 2008) & TN-70 (After November 30th 2008)

For land price in Hosur, property prices in Hosur, property rates in Hosur, land value Hosur

All contents in this article are materials of HosurOnline and shall not be duplicated or reproduced or copied by any one in any form including in any Wikipedia articles or Library articles or in government websites

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Thursday, November 10, 2011

Maruti 800

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Maruti 800 is a city car manufactured by Maruti Suzuki in India. It is a rebadged version of an old model of the Suzuki Alto. Over 2.5 million Maruti 800′s have been sold since its launch in 1983.^[3] The same car is sold in Pakistan as the Suzuki Mehran with a much older 1980s era Suzuki SS80 carburetor based engine.^[4]

History

Maruti 800 DX of the first generation
It used to be the best selling car in Indiauntil 2004; upon its launch the Maruti Alto^[5] took that title. It is also exported to a number of countries in South Asia including Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, and to some South American markets (as Chile, sold as Suzuki Maruti), and was available in selected European markets between 1988 and 1992, sold as the Suzuki Maruti. In Morocco it is currently sold as Suzuki Maruti (as of March 2008). The car comes in different versions including one with air conditioning and one without. It was launched in December 1984 with almost 100% imported components. The first car to be sold in India was purchased by Harpal Singh, an Indian Airlines employee from New Delhi, who won the ownership rights to the car competing against other prospective owners, through a lucky draw and was handed over the keys of his dream machine by the then Prime Minister Mrs. Indira Gandhi. The original 800 was based on the SS80 Suzuki Fronte, but a modernized version using the body of the second generation Alto (SB308) was presented in 1986.

Proposed phasing out

Maruti Suzuki is planning a phase out of Maruti 800 beginning in April 2010. Maruti Suzuki does not have plans to upgrade it to Euro IV or BS IV emission norms. Starting April 2010, Maruti will stop selling the car in 13 major cities – the four metros and 9 other cities including Kanpur, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune, Ahmedabad, Agra and Surat, where the law made it mandatory for the vehicles sold to be Euro IV compliant. Maruti 800 will be sold in other cities until 2015–16.

To Munsiyari in a Maruti, Uttarakhand Himalayas
Another reason cited is the model’s declining sales. Maruti 800 sales are down by 3.7% in the month of April 2010, when compared with April 2009. In April 2009, the total sales was 2345 and this year, it had gone to 2258. Total sales of Maruti 800 is 33028 for the period April 2009 to March 2010 ^[7] The Indian Automobile industry is the seventh largest in the world with an annual production of over 11 million vehicles and exports of about 1.5 million.^[8] In 2009, India emerged as Asia‘s fourth largest exporter of automobiles, behind Japan, South Korea and Thailand.^[9] In October 2009, the sales of Maruti 800 were 3,124; they declined to 2,631 units in October of the following year.^[10]
Changes

First Maruti 800 DX
After a full model change in 1986, the 800 has undergone some minor face lifts but overall it still remains the same as it was on introduction. The car has reported slipping sales in recent times, mainly due to the introduction of the Alto at a comparable price. The car produces approximately 37 bhp (28 kW; 38 PS) of power and runs on 12 inch wheels. Curb weight is 650 kg (1,433 lb) and 4 passengers (including the driver) fit in. Top speed is in the region of 125 km/h (78 mph) and the car is known^[who?] to deliver fuel economy better than 20 km/l (47 mpg)^{[clarification needed]} on clear and plain roads.^{[citation needed]} Maruti Suzuki had earlier launched a version with a 4 valves per cylinder engine producing 45 bhp (34 kW; 46 PS) coupled with a 5-speed manual transmission (currently found in the Suzuki Alto) but discontinued it after a couple of years.

Maruti 800 in Nainital hill
A Euro III emission compliant version of the car was released in 2005 to meet Indian emissions regulations. An LPG version of the vehicle was also released in 2008. As of September 2009, the company has yet to reach a decision regarding the manufacture of a Euro IV compliant version of the vehicle due because it would increase the retail price. However even stricter emissions regulations which come into effect by April 2010, would mandate Euro IV compliance in major Indian cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bangalore and 2015–2016 for the remainder of the country.The car was to be phased out during 2010^[11][12] but it still on sale in October 2011. Its main competitor is the cheaper Tata Nano (123,000 compared to 184,641 Rupees) which has an 8 percent smaller exterior size and a 23 percent larger interior space.^[13][14][15]

Technical specifications

Dimensions and weights

Overall Length 3,340 mm (131.5 in)
Overall Width 1,440 mm (56.7 in)
Overall Height 1,405 mm (55.3 in)
Wheel Base 2,175 mm (85.6 in)
Ground Clearance 170 mm (6.7 in)
Curb Weight 650 kg (1,433 lb)
Gross Vehicle Weight 1,000 kg (2,205 lb)

Fuel Economy

Mileage Highway (km/liter) 29.7 km/L (3.37 L/100 km; 70 mpg_-US)
MileageCity(km/litre) 16.1 km/L (6.21 L/100 km; 38 mpg_-US)
Mileage Overall (km/litre) 18.22 km/L (5.488 L/100 km; 42.9 mpg_-US)

Capacities

Seating capacity (person) 4
Fuel tank capacity (liter) 28

Performance

Maximum speed 145 km/h (90 mph

Malgudi’s Swami

He was the perfect visual representation of Malgudi’s Swami. Till then — this was the eighties — child actor Manjunath was a familiar face only to Kannada film watchers. It was actor-director Shankar Nag’s television serial Malgudi Days, based on R K Narayan’s novel, that made Manju a familiar face all over India. Malgudi Days also happened to be the first Hindi serial to be made in southIndia.
Manju’s slightly husky child voice and impish smile etched itself on the memories of serial watchers and movie goers the world over. Nag’s full-length movie version of Narayan’s Swami And Friends went on to bring Manju half-a-dozen international awards.
Today, Manju leads a life far removed from his tinsel days. He is the project leader of onlinebangalore.com, a website on the city of Bangalore, and is about to switch jobs. “I quit acting about five years ago, Now, I am completely focused on my career in managing content for Net publications,” he says, talking to rediff.com at his mother’s tiny house in Yeshwantpur, where he had come for a quick lunch in the middle of a busy day. “I belong to an era where the kind of films being made were solid, good and truly entertaining. I don’t want to depend on the kind of cinema being made now for my living. I would prefer to be able to choose particular roles that appeal to me. But, as of now, I am going to have no time whatsoever for cinema or television acting; my career is taking all my time and energy.”
Though the face has matured, Manju’s sparkling eyes and gamine grin remain unchanged. Always a rather short child, Manju has grown into a not-very-tall young man. Married last year to a woman in his current profession, he lives in Koramangala. Yet, all you need to do is go toTriveni Main Roadin Yeshwantpur and ask for the house of ‘Master Manjunath,’ which was his screen name, and anyone will show you the tiny house built long ago with Manju’s own earnings.
“I had the privilege of meeting R K Narayan just a couple of times when I was shooting for Malgudi Days,” says Manju now, a faraway look in his eyes. “I did not interact much with him because we were in the middle of hectic shooting schedules. I was just introduced to him and he patted me on the back and said good show or something like that.
“However, I will never forget one thing that he said to me: after the movie and the serial based on Malgudi Days became a great hit, there was a small celebration party at Woodlands Hotel. Mr Narayan was also there. It was then that he paid me the biggest compliment I have ever received in my whole life. He said, ‘Manju, you acted exactly as I imagined Swami to be.’ This statement meant more to me than all the international awards I got.
“Mr Narayan was a great person. He was not well on that day. His brother, Mr (the famed cartoonist R K) Laxman was also there. It was nice gathering of people. I did not get the opportunity to talk much with Mr Narayan but, even with the little that I did, I learnt a lot from him. I was already familiar with his writing as I had studied one of his short stories in school. Later, I went on to study English literature and got to know his writing even more. That was when my respect for him really grew.”
Interestingly, Manju had never read Swami And Friends before he enacted the role of Swami so perfectly on screen. In fact, he did not even know the outline of every story in advance. All he did was to think about the scenes to be enacted on any given day and try his best to bring them to life. “That’s how it should be,” insists Manju. “If I had known in advance what the conclusion of a story was going to be, I might have played my scenes differently.”
The times that Narayan actually came on the sets, he would be busy talking to Nag. “He would come to meet Shankar Nag and they would discuss scripting changes,” saysManju. “At that time, he would speak to me very informally and in a particularly friendly manner. It was only at that memorable party that we had a long conversation. Later, I met him at some award functions. But I cannot say that I was very close to him. He knew me probably only as the boy who played Swami, nothing more.”
How did Manju come to play Swami? “Shankar Nag suddenly called me up one day, said he was sending a car to pick me up,” recalls Manju. “There was a role he wanted me to try out for. I went to Woodlands, where there was a small casting room with a lot of kids. He asked me whether I could speak Hindi. I told him I did not know one word of that language! But Shankar knew me and knew that I could master anything quickly.
“He got me to try on a couple of costumes. And that was it! I have no idea why he chose me over all the others.” One clue could lie in the fact that Shankar and Manju had, by then, done a number of films together. Manju had even won a state award for his role in Shankar’s home production Parameshi Prema Prasanga. He was a particularly successful and popular child actor, known for his versatility and professionalism.
Initially, Manju did one episode titled Hero for the first block of 13 episodes of Malgudi Days. This story went down so well with the viewers that Shankar decided to devote the next 13 episodes entirely to Swami And Friends, with Manju in the title role.
The serial was simultaneously shot in two languages, Hindi and English. The episodes were also linked into a tightly made film, which won international acclaim. “Till today, I have never read the book Swami And Friends,” confesses Manju. “I have acted it out, so I know every line. I don’t feel able to read it now. At that time, I was going to full day school and I was also in the middle of a hectic career as a child star. I had no time to read books or do anything other than cope with my hectic schedules.”
Manju still considers Malgudi Days one of his toughest assignments ever. “I did not know a word of Hindi,” he explains. “I had to learn and dub for my own lines. It was like doing two films simultaneously, as we were doing it in two languages. We had a gruelling, three month schedule in the hilly region of Agumbe (on the South Karnataka coast). It was tremendously hot and I worked almost 14 hours a day. In a way, it was a unique experience. Shankar and the whole team were fantastic.”
Shankar, in fact, was a close family friend who kept popping in and out of Manju’s house. So there was no question of Manju not doing the role of Swami, once it was offered to him. “Doing a Hindi film was by itself a fantastic opportunity. Also, it would be aired on DD1, which was the only television channel those days,” Manju says. “I never looked at it as a chance to enact a literary masterpiece. Now, I’m glad I didn’t. There might have been too much pressure on me if I had!”
Manju admits all of them were basically working for Shankar Nag, and not for Malgudi Days or a Narayan serial. “We all trusted, loved and cared for him,” he says softly, speaking with a great-remembered fondness for Shankar, who died in a car accident 10 years ago. “We were all one close family. So much so, the person in charge of the food would offer advice on lighting! None of us kids and unit hands knew Mr Narayan. We were all there just for a Shankar Nag project and we worked out of love for him.”
Still, when Narayan passed on, Manju felt great regret. “I second Khushwant Singh’s suggestion that an Indian village should be named Malgudi in his memory,” he says. “I propose that Agumbe which, because of our film and serial, was immortalised in public memory as Malgudi should be chosen for that honour. That will be the most fitting tribute to Mr Narayan, and Shankar, and the greatest celebration of our best performance

Malgudi Days

Malgudi Days is an Indian television series based on the works of R.K. Narayan. The series was directed by the late Kannada actor and director, Shankar Nag and Carnatic musician L. Vaidyanathan composed the score. R. K Narayan’s brother and acclaimed cartoonist R. K. Laxman was the sketch artist.^[1] The series was made in 1986 by film producer T. S. Narasimhan with Anant Nag as the lead actor.^[2]
Thirty-nine episodes of Malgudi Days were telecast on Doordarshan. Subsequently, it was re-telecast on Doordarshan and later on Sony Entertainment Television, and Maa Television in Telugu. This television series was shot entirely near Agumbe in Shimoga District, Karnataka.^[3][4]
In 2004, the project was revived with film-maker Kavitha Lankesh replacing the late Shankar Nag as director.^[1] The new series was telecast from April 26, 2006 on Doordarshan.^[5]

Plot

Most of the stories in the series are one episode long. The stories are from the books A Horse and Two Goats, Malgudi Days, Swami and Friends and The Vendor Of Sweets.
Swami and Friends revolves around the everyday life of ten-year old Swaminathan, or Swami as he is known by other characters. Swami portrays the growing up pangs of a boy who despises school, as he makes excuses and roams around Malgudi with his friends. Swami’s father works in a government office and his mother is a housewife. At home, Swami shares his adventures with his aged granny, who lovingly addresses him as “Chamy.” Swami also has two close friends: Mani and the son of the Police Chief Superintendent, Rajam. Swami’s character was portrayed by Manjunath, a regular actor in many of Shankar Nag’s productions.
The Vendor Of Sweets narrates the story of a sweet vendor, Jagan, his business and confrontation with his son who had returned from abroad. The title role was played by Kannada actor and director Anant Nag, and most of the actors cast in this serial were from Kannada film Industry. It was directed by Anand Lal Das.^{[citation needed]}
Episode 1 titled Swami – Swami is a young child living in Malgudi with his parents and grandmother. Once while reading the newspaper, his father reads an article about the bravery shown by an 8-year old boy and feels that Swami should do something similar. Swami has the habit of sleeping with his grandmother after listening to a story told by her. This irritates Swami’s father. Swami’s father then challenges, or rather forces, him to sleep in his office. When Swami tells his friends of the ordeal, his friends warn him about a ghost living near the office. When Swami sleeps in his father’s office he has nightmares about the ghost and wakes up with a start. At the same time, Swami spots an intruder breaking into the office. Mistaking him for the ghost, Swami grabs the intruder’s leg and yells for help. The rest of the villagers rush inside the office and catch the intruder. The police tell Swami that the intruder was a thief wanted by the police and congratulate him. The incident is published in the Malgudi Times but little Swami is so scared after the incident that he starts sleeping with his grandmother again.
Episode 2 titled A Horse and Two Goats – Muni is a very poor man living in Malgudi with his wife. Every day, he takes his two goats to graze near an old statue of a horse outside. One day Muni’s wife requests him to buy some food but Muni doesn’t have any money. He goes to the grocer only to get kicked out because he had not settled previous debts. The same night, his wife tells him about a body found near the well and is afraid to go out for fear of the police. The next day, when Muni takes his goats out to graze, he spots a motor car. Out of the car comes a white man fromNew York who starts talking with Muni but he does not understand a word of it. He thinks that he is a policeman who has come for the body and starts telling his suspicions about other people. The conversation carries on with both persons not understanding each other. The tourist then examines the statue of the horse and makes an offer to buy it. Muni misunderstands it as an offer for his goats and is reluctant but when the American offers a hundred rupees, Muni relents. When he gets home he surprises his wife with the money and tells her that he sold off the goats. When they hear the bleating of their goats outside they find the goats in their yard with the statue gone.
Episode 3 – Thanappa is the village mailman who knows everyone and knows everyone’s business by virtue of reading out to the recipients the mail he delivers. Over the years he becomes good friends with Ramanujam and his family. He watches Ramanujam’s daughter Kamashi grow up and meets Ramanujam’s brother. When Kamakshi comes of age, Thanappa helps the family find a suitable match by telling them about a failed matchmaking attempt involving another family in Malgudi. The young suitor and Kamakshi are compatible and the wedding is arranged for the 20th, the last day before the young man leaves for two years of training. If the wedding isn’t held by that date, it won’t take place at all. Two days before the wedding, Thanappa is given an urgent letter to deliver to Ramanujam informing him of his brother’s serious illness. Thanappa goes to the house, but amidst the gaiety of the wedding preparation, decides not to deliver the letter. The next day a telegram arrives informing Ramanujam of his brother’s death. Thanappa again delays delivering the message. The wedding proceeds. Two days later Thanappa delivers the bad news to Ramanujam, with his sincere apologies.
Episode 4 – Charu is the village miser who cares more about money than his own family. He never spends a rupee when he doesn’t have to. One day in an indulgent mood he decides to take his grandson to see a movie. He won’t spend money on sweets, telling the boy they are not good for him. While Gopinath finds the movie entertaining, the boy is bored and finally sneaks out of the theater and sets off to meet his friends to play cricket. Gopinath eventually realizes the boy is missing and goes in search of him. Suddenly his money is of no benefit, as he searches fruitlessly for the boy. He buys a packet of sweets for the boy, and even pays homage to the gods, promising to offer a whole coconut if the boy is found. When darkness falls, he makes his way back to his daughter’s house, and struggles to find the words to explain the situation to her. Just as he is about to admit his mistake, his grandson comes bouncing into the house joyous at having won his gulli danda match.
Episode 5 titled The Jug Spirit – Seth is a merchant and a grocer who also owns a boarding house filled with tenants who constantly complain about his tight-fisted ways. One of his tenants, an exorcist makes a living by removing evil spells and spirits from afflicted individuals. Merchandise is disappearing from Seth’s shop, and while Seth suspects a thief, the trap he sets up reveals that the shop is overrun with rats. The exorcist suggests that Seth get a cat to stop the thievery. One night Seth is aroused from his sleep by a tremendous racket caused by a brass jug flying around the shop. Seth pleads with the exorcist for help. When the exorcist diagnoses a jug spirit as the source for the problems and enters the darkened shop to rid it of the demon, he is struck by the jug, which lands on the floor and releases a cat that was caught inside. As the cat and the exorcist emerge from the shop, Seth ridicules the exorcist that only a cat was in the jug. The exorcist acknowledges that a cat was in the jug, but then asks, “But what was in the cat?”
Episode 6 – Leela is a little girl. Leela’s mother Kamala works hard around the home. When she complains to her husband to find domestic help, Sidda overhears it and offers to work as their servant. Leela instantly takes a liking for Sidda and begs her parents to hire him. He works hard and becomes a favorite of Leela. One day Kamala sends Sidda to the market, and Leela begs to go along. When they return, Kamala notices that Leela’s necklace is missing. She questions Sidda, who does not answer her accusations but instead leaves the home. Kamala tells her husband, who reports the incident to the police. The police locate Sidda and take him to Leela’s house, where Kamala and her husband again confront him. Sidda maintains his innocence, but is taken away by the police for questioning. Later, Kamala finds the necklace in a jar in the kitchen. Leela’s father decides that Leela must not be given any more jewelry to wear, and decides to let the police know about the discovery the next day. Meanwhile, the police continue to beat up Sidda to extract a confession.

Characters

Swaminathan (Swami) – Master Manjunath

Swami’s father – Girish Karnad

Swami’s mother – Vaishali Kasaravalli

Swami’s grand mother – B Jayashree

Muniya (Muni) – Kanti Madiya

Muniya’s wife – B Jayashree

Shopkeeper – Somu

American (New Yorktourist) – Teddy White

Actors

Anant Nag (Episodes 10 and 32-39)

Dada (Episodes 30 and 31)

Girish Karnad

Vishnuvardhan (Episode 18)

Shankar Nag (Episodes 30 and 31)

Ramesh Bhat

R K Narayan’s ‘Malgudi Days’ – My Reflections

Posted by Roshmi Sinha Sunday, February 20, 2011

I guess blogging came about when folks moved away from their ‘Dear Diary’ moments onto the web. I wish Anne Frank had lived to see this day.

I read somewhere that if you own a blog, it better be something special. I have also read that if one is not putting up something useful or interesting, they are not blogging, they are ‘blagging’. Needless to say, I have no intention of doing the latter! Who would want to read about boring and sub-standard stuff? Not me, for sure. I feel that’s a criminal misuse of sacred space.

But, this being my blog post, I will write about things/events/situations that affected me.

I want to write about ‘Malgudi Days’ today.

In 2008, Sir Jeffrey Archer, the well-known English novelist, playwright and short story writer was on a trip toIndiato promote his latest book ‘A Prisoner of Birth’. During one of his interactions with the press and public, he mentioned about his regret for not having read R.K. Narayan’s works before. I am sure he must be doing everything within his powers to get himself acquainted with the same, including the classic ‘Malgudi Days’.

The ‘creator’ of ‘Malgudi Days’ – R. K. Narayan (October 10, 1906 – May 13, 2001) shortened from Rasipuram Krishnaswami Ayyar Narayanaswami at the behest of Graham Greene, was one of the best-known and widely read Indo-English writers. He created the imaginary town ofMalgudi, located on the banks of the river Sarayu and surrounded by the Mempi Hills, where realistic characters in a typically Indian setting lived amid unpredictable events. These characters have proved to be timeless. ‘Malgudi Days’ was my introduction to R.K. Narayan… and I love this classic author! I really enjoyed this collection… they are the kind of stories that will stay with you for several days after reading them.
There is a saying ‘Don’t judge a book by its movie’ or for that matter, serial, if I may say so. ‘Malgudi Days’ proved to be an exception. The serial was directed by the late Kannada actor/director, Shankar Nag in 1987, and was shot entirely near Agumbe in Shimoga district of Karnataka. Who can forget the famous ‘Ta na na tana na na naaaaaaaa’… the title song/melody (by L. Vaidyanathan) of the serial? It was as popular, if not more, than the stories dramatized by the serials themselves. One could almost feel the aroma of the lyrics!

Here is the link to this evergreen song: http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=bEq0tC3djcg&feature=related

Although television had arrived inIndiain the 1950′s, albeit in its black and white avatar, it wasn’t a mass media due to its high cost, logistics and other technical issues. The Government of India undertook several steps to popularize the medium. The 1970s and 1980s saw a boom in television programming. The Ministry of I & B – Government ofIndia… invited independent producers and directors to shoot TV serials on a regular basis. ‘Hum log’, ‘Buniyaad’, ‘Neem ka ped’, ‘Waghle ki duniya’, ‘Mungerilal ke haseen sapne’, ‘Nukkad’, ‘Karamchand Jasoos’, ‘Byomkesh Bakshi’, ‘Office Office’, etc., were some of the memorable serials of this era. These serials have eluded the calls of father time. ‘Malgudi Days’ was also one such TV serial which left an indelible mark on the Indian television scenario.

The stories revolve around the protagonist, ten-year old Swaminathan. ‘Swami’… to his friends and family. Swami portrays the growing pangs of a boy who despises school, as he makes excuses and roams around Malgudi with his friends, playing cricket and day dreaming along the way. Swami’s father works in a government office (of the British Raj era) and his mother is a housewife. At home, Swami shares his adventures with his aged granny, who lovingly addresses him as ‘Chamy’. Swami also has two close friends – the hotheaded Mani and the son of the Police Superintendent, Rajam – a cocky, brash, rich kid. Master Manjunath enacted Swami’s character while the sketches for the serial were done by R.K. Narayan’s younger brother and acclaimed cartoonist, R.K. Laxman. There were about 39 episodes in all. ‘Swami and Friends’, ‘Vendor of Sweets’, ‘The Undelivered Mail’, ‘A Hero’, ‘The Hoard’, ‘Leela’s Friend’, to name a few. No one has captured the essence of ruralIndialike R.K. Narayan and ‘Malgudi Days’ is a glittering example. Each story stands out for its simplicity, innocence and Indian ness. A must and a thoroughly enjoyable read. The TV series of the same name… has done complete justice to the original book.

Following is the link to these episodes for everyone who would love to relive their happy childhood and keep it for posterity: http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=R7xvU95eXLk

‘Malgudi Days’ has been an integral part of my growing up years. I still remember the excitement and the scramble to grab vantage spots in front of the television every time the serial came on air. As they say… ‘Old is gold’. Does that mean ‘New is silver’ or ‘new is bronze’ or ‘new is brass’ or ‘new is carbon?’… Hmmm. Food for thought. What say?

After the liberalization of the economy, with the advent of the cable TV, we were flooded with channels and thought we would be spoilt for choice! Since a mere DD telecasted so many good nay great serials, not to forget the two mythological epics ‘Ramayan’ and ‘Mahabharat’… we were about to see several high quality ones from every channel, each vying for the viewers attention.

Or so we thought. And were quickly brought down to terra firma, left to reminisce about the past glories of television serials. ‘Quality’ and ‘Quantity’ do not go hand-in-hand any more. Sadly.

How a village was transformed into R.K. Narayan’s fabled town: Early in the 1980s, director Shankar Nag handed John Devraj a sheet of paper. It was the script for Malgudi Days, based on R.K. Narayan’s stories set in a fictional town in Karnataka. From the words on that page, Devraj, a sculptor, musician, art director and town planner, was asked to create Malgudi in Agumbe, a village in the Western Ghats, roughly 400km fromBangalore, with a population of about 180 families.

Devraj began to fabricate carts, statues, trains, avenues, shops and temples. “I had to conceptualize everything from scratch,” he says. “I had to then make everything by hand-often working 20 hours a day.” Twenty-one years after Doordarshan took it off the air, Devraj’s handiwork is now available for viewing in Big Home Video’s two-volume DVD pack… as well as complete VCD set. Go grab them! What are you waiting for?

The task of building Malgudi was made even more daunting by Agumbe’s isolation and by Nag’s obsession with detail, note Devraj and several members of the crew. Production controller Jagadish Malnad recalls how one bright day, when everything was in place for a shot, a cloud suddenly floated in front of the sun. “Shankar motioned to me and asked me to move the cloud,” he says.

Nag, who was killed in a car accident nearBangalorein September 1990 at the age of 36, invested loads of energy and enterprise into imagining the minutiae of life in Malgudi. “Nothing you see on screen was a result of an accident or chance,” says Arundhati Nag, his wife, who also acted in the series. “He went about things with precision. He once asked Malnad to bring in a donkey (accompanied by its master) from Theerthahalli, 20km from Agumbe.”

Arundhati says the cast practically lived in the village “in fits and starts” over the three years it took to make the serial. “Agumbe was not accustomed to film crews, so they just let us into their homes,” she says. “The village became such a huge part of our lives that my daughter Kavya, who was a year old, went to school there.”

Like most of Narayan’s works, Malgudi Days is woven with ordinary concerns: the financial worries of a goat-herder, the glee with which a long-awaited letter is received. Nag was intent on preserving Narayan’s vision, says Ashok Mandanna, who played the role of a postman in the episode ‘The Missing Mail’. “We made the serial at a time when it was possible to take over an entire village and transform it into a fictitious place,” says Mandanna. “The logistics and cost of such an enterprise now would prevent people from remaking it.”

Arundhati agrees with Mandanna. “If Shankar were to make it today, I don’t know if he would try it,” she says. “I don’t think you can recreate what he did in 1987.” That became obvious when director Kavita Lankesh remade the series in 2006. Those episodes, which are also included in this package, lacked the full original cast and were shot in a bustling Agumbe that was twice removed from the sleepyvillageofNag’s time. No wonder they failed to impress audiences when they aired on Doordarshan.

Here are some excellent captures from Agumbe… almost 25 years after Malgudi Days was shot… courtesy Photographer Aniruddha Chowdhury (link).

Details of the book: Malgudi Days: R K Narayan, pp 246, Paperback, Indian thought publications/Penguin Classics. Flipkart (link)

Photograph: A caricature of people seated at the foot of a statue of a man. Two birds are hovering above the statue, a bicycle is parked at its side, a cow is roaming by near it, and a bus is seen in the backdrop. The people at the foot of the statue include a street vendor, an old man and two others; they are engaged in conversation. Pic courtesy link.