Professor's Corner: Encounters with R K Narayan by Jameel Ahmed:

It's not everybody who has had the privilege of being R K Narayan's neighbor for about two decades, which I did when I lived in Yadavagiri Extension in Mysore city. I had a chance "encounter" with him playing cricket with my younger brothers in the summer of 1982 and I developed a special personal relationship with him. It is only fitting that I should like to write about it on the first death anniversary of this literary genius, a noble soul with a warm and humane personality who lived in an "ivory tower" and was yet accessible to people.

It was on a hot afternoon in 1982 that I was playing with my younger brothers including then the probationary Sub Inspector of Police M Shakeel Ahmed on a vacant site in Mysore (where Dr Rudrappa Hospital now stands) by the side of R K Narayan's residence in the posh Yadavagiri locality. Suddenly the writer came out and asked us whether we could play cricket without making a noise. A little later, my brother and I left the place and resolved not to play cricket again near Narayan's house.

A week later, I ran into Narayan during one of his evening strolls on the Vivekananda Road, which he never used to miss when in Mysore. He looked a bit contrite for having chided us and asked me why we had stopped playing cricket beside his compound since all that he had asked us to do was not to make a noise while playing. I told him that noise or no noise, I could not countenance the idea of disturbing a literary genius of his stature even slightly. For, being an academic myself, I quite appreciated the importance of tranquility to intellectual pursuits of a high order.

Impressed Narayan not only shook hands with me with warmth and affection, but also held out the offer of availing of the vacant site to resume playing cricket. But I politely declined the offer. That marked the beginning of a warm and abiding "friendship" between us, though it may sound a bit presumptuous to be talking of making friends with Narayan. He used to take me along with him on his long strolls whenever I happened to be in Mysore during the summer and winter vacations. At that time I was working as a lecturer at Mangalore University.

A year later, in the winter of 1983, I had the honor of having tea with Narayan. An uncle of mine from Karachi happened to be visiting us that winter. He was amazed to know that the stern-faced old man out walking with a stick and asking me as usual, to join him on his evening jaunt was none other than R K Narayan. For a moment, my uncle would not believe me. But when I introduced him to Narayan next evening, he was not only convinced but also profoundly expressed with my proximity to a literary giant.

Next day, both of us were invited to Narayan's place for tea. He took us to his study where he worked on his novels and stories on his typewriter and offered us what to my mind is the best tea I have ever had in my life. Narayan spent a lot of time discussing a wide-range of subjects of importance to the people of sub-continent. As the world was witnessing a Cold War at the time, Narayan aptly summed up the situation of the sub-continent in his own inimitable style as a "playground for the super powers". That wonderful evening will remain etched in my memory for good. He also presented my uncle with an autographed novel of his.

My brother M Shakeel Ahmed maintained contacts with Mr. Narayan at another level, for, as the Sub Inspector of Police (S. S. B and Intelligence) during 1986-88 it was his pleasant duty to escort VVIPs and high dignitaries who called on the writer at his residence.

Narayan retained his affection for my family and me over the years to come. He used to look out for me on his evening strolls during my visits to Mysore city. During those long walks, he would discuss practically everything under the sun but his favorite theme was politics, and concern for the ordinary people.

When I asked him what it felt for a literary genius like him to be a nominated Member of Parliament to the Rajya Sabha in the mid-eighties as he was unfamiliar with the rough and tumble of politics, he acknowledged with his characteristic candor, laced with modesty, that it had robbed him and the literary world of what I considered to be his priceless time.

Prof. M Jameel Ahmed,
Department of political science,
Manasa Gangothri,
Mysore.

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