Chapter 1 Summary

In the first chapter Raju, who has recently been released from prison is sitting in an abandoned temple wondering what to do now that he is free. Raju is approached by a visitor named Velan, a man who lives in Mangal, a village not far from Raju's home village of Malgudi. Velan has just come from visiting his daughter who lives nearby. The narrative then shifts to the past as Raju remembers stopping at the barber shop located just outside the prison. Raju goes in for a shave and a haircut before beginning his life outside the prison walls. The barber tells Raju that he can easily recognize an ex-convict. The barber tells Raju that he can tell how long a man has been in prison simply by looking at him. Raju and the barber engage in a brief conversation during which the...