Summary

Part One opens with a description of Sriram, the novel’s 19-year-old protagonist. Sriram, whose mother died in childbirth and whose father died fighting in the British Army, lives with his grandmother who he refers to as Granny. Sriram and Granny live in the town of Malgudi, which is the fictional town in which many of Narayan's novels and short stories are set. Malgudi is located in southern India, specifically on the border of the states of Mysore and Madras. Sriram loves the photo of a European queen that hangs in the local neighborhood shop. Sriram offers to buy it, but Kanni, the shopkeeper, refuses to sell it. His grandmother reprimands him for being less studious than his father and grandfather. She announces that she plans to celebrate Sriram’s birthday whether he wants to or not.

The house on Kabir...