Portrayal of Cultural Identity in R.K. Narayan’s Swami and Friends

Abstract

Cultural Identities are the distinct identities of people or groups in cultural and sub cultural categories and in social groups. If we look at the category of culture we are often born into our cultural identities. It is that which make up cultural identities such as sexuality, gender, religion, ethnicity, social class, or religion. One notable example of cultural identity in our literature is found in R.K. Narayan’s work, ‘Swami and Friends’. In the present novel we found colonial India during the British Raj and it follows the life of ‘Swaminathan’, a young boy growing up in the fictional town of Malgudi. This research paper aims at the study of cultural identity in the said novel.