The House RK Narayan Built

Come with us on a tour of RK Narayan's home-turned-museum in Mysore.

In a quiet lane in Yadavgiri, Mysore stands a simple house with red oxide floors. It was home to RK Narayan, creator of Malgudi Days, Swami and Friends, The Guide and one of the stalwarts of Indian literature in English. The house is now a museum. It gives enough glimpses into the iconic writer's life but leaves you wishing for more.

RK Narayan lived here from 1950s to the 1990s and authored much of his work from here.

'In his autobiography, My Days, Narayan says that he picked out this particular spot to build a house because of the frangipani tree, which was in full bloom at the edge of the plot,' writes Hema Ramaprasad in Scroll. He describes his study as “a bay room with eight windows that affords me a view in every direction: the Chamundi Hill temple on the south, a variety of spires, turrets, and domes on the east, sheep and cows grazing in the meadows on all sides, and railway trains cutting across the east-west-slope.”

<b>This room with windows across the wall is one of the most striking ones in the RK Narayan Museum, looking out at the greenery outside. His study above has a similar design with eight bay windows.</b>

This room with windows across the wall is one of the most striking ones in the RK Narayan Museum, looking out at the greenery outside. His study above has a similar design with eight bay windows.

The house would have been lost to property development like most old houses across our cities do, had it not been for a public outcry and a newspaper campaign. After Narayan's death in 2001, his family could not maintain the sprawling home and sold it to a property developer. A Mysore-based newspaper campaign to preserve the author's legacy sparked enough public outcry to push the Mysore Urban Development Authority into action. The house was declared a heritage property and further construction wasn't allowed. Eventually, the government purchased it from the developer and restored it into a museum..

<b>Some of the author's personal possessions, like his shirts, jackets and pullovers, are on display. The cabinets and walls also showcase awards, medals and accolades bestowed on him. </b>

Some of the author's personal possessions, like his shirts, jackets and pullovers, are on display. The cabinets and walls also showcase awards, medals and accolades bestowed on him.

The Padma Vibhushan that Narayan received in 2000

<b>Though the home-turned-museum tour can be finished in an hour the displays and writeups accompanying the visitor throughout gives a good idea of the author's life. We learn how he fell in love with his wife Rajam when she was 15 and tragically lost her to typhoid in June 1939. A full picture of his suffering and eventual recovery can be gleaned by reading his highly autobiographical novel, The English Teacher. </b>

Though the home-turned-museum tour can be finished in an hour the displays and writeups accompanying the visitor throughout gives a good idea of the author's life. We learn how he fell in love with his wife Rajam when she was 15 and tragically lost her to typhoid in June 1939. A full picture of his suffering and eventual recovery can be gleaned by reading his highly autobiographical novel, The English Teacher.

The traditional flooring and almost bare walls give the impression of a man who probably led a sparse life. The door here leads to the study.

An article up on the wall by his friend and renowned journalist N Ram gives a glimpse of his often-troubled life.

The Frangipani Tree convinced Narayan to build a house here

<b>The bookshelf with some first editions of his popular novels. By Narayan's own admission, Swami and Friends would've been at the bottom of the Thames due to his inability to find any takers for it. His friend and mentor Graham Greene was instrumental in getting publishers for RK Narayan’s first books -- Swami and Friends, The Bachelor of Arts, and The English Teacher. It was Greene who advised Narayan to shorten his name from Rasipuram Krishnaswami Iyer Narayanaswami to RK Narayan.</b>

The bookshelf with some first editions of his popular novels. By Narayan's own admission, Swami and Friends would've been at the bottom of the Thames due to his inability to find any takers for it. His friend and mentor Graham Greene was instrumental in getting publishers for RK Narayan’s first books -- Swami and Friends, The Bachelor of Arts, and The English Teacher. It was Greene who advised Narayan to shorten his name from Rasipuram Krishnaswami Iyer Narayanaswami to RK Narayan.

<b>The sun-dappled, open, airy home would've been an ideal place for the author to work. In his time, it allowed him views up to Chamundi Hills, something no longer visible with higher buildings around. </b>

The sun-dappled, open, airy home would've been an ideal place for the author to work. In his time, it allowed him views up to Chamundi Hills, something no longer visible with higher buildings around.

As we left, we wondered how the writer's last years were spent in this massive home, left alone after the death of his wife and daughter Hema, whom he lost to cancer. As his friend N Ram says in the framed article: That day, just hours before he went on ventilator, he asked me, "Can you bring a diary today?" I said I would. He then asked, "Will it be a 2000 or 2001 diary?" I told him we would get him a 2001 diary.

Till his last minute, he thought only of writing. At the same time, he would say, "I have become lazy after I entered my nineties."

All photographs: Silver Talkies

Have you visited the RK Narayan House? Or any other author home that created an impression on you? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

About the author

Silver Talkies

Silver Talkies is a pioneering social enterprise on a mission since 2014 to make healthy and active ageing a desirable and viable goal for older adults. Their belief is that active ageing is the most promising and economical form of preventive healthcare and with an empowering and enabling environment, older adults can age gracefully and with dignity.