Planning a trip to Mysore? Make sure you head to Vivekananda Road because that’s where you’ll find the RK Narayan Museum. The experience is designed along the lines of Shakespeare’s house in Stratford-on-Avon (England), the author’s house has been restored to resemble the original structure, where RK Narayan is said to have lived for almost four decades (and wrote many of our favourite Malgudi stories). Converted into a museum and memorial, the two-storey bungalow holds rare photographs, awards, books, and clothes, all collected from the novelist’s friends and family members.
While the childhood photos (including one of Narayan playing cricket), family portraits and coloured stills from Malgudi Days (the TV show based on his popular novel) might take you back in time, there’s plenty more to gawk at. Apart from clothes, audio cassettes and some furniture pieces (we’re hoping we’ll get to see his writing desk) which belonged to the author, the exhibits include a shelf holding a collection of his books, dictionaries and published works. Look around and you’ll also find quotes by RK Narayan as well as his contemporaries (about his works).
