India

=**What do I need to know about ... India?**=

Brief Description
The novel is set in a fictional south Indian village called Malgudi. R. K. Narayan is famous for creating this setting and most of his novels take place in this village. The novel is also set during the British rule in India.

Its role in the novel
The British Raj had an important impact on Indian system of education. Very often, it was Christian missionaries who set up schools all over India. The British goverment wanted clerks for low-paid adminstrative jobs. As a result, English language was learnt in a mechanical way and the emphasis was on rote-learning rather than independent thinking. This is clearly seen in Krishna's college where the boys 'mug' up their work.