Set in India's pre-independent era, in a sleepy fictitious town, Malgudi, Malgudi Schooldays (Puffin Classics) revolves around the adventures of a typical school boy named Swami. His notorious gang of friends, include Mani, Somu, Samuel, Pea, Sankar and the latest entry, Rajam. Swaminathan is a boy who shudders at the very thought of school.