The News Minute | October 10, 2014 | 4.20 pm ISTWhat better day to wonder about the actual location of Malgudi than one when uncle google celebrates the 108th birthday of novelist R.K. Narayan? The town is the backdrop of most of the late novelist and short-story writer’s tales starting with his first novel Swami and Friends.The consummate artist and word-smith that he was, Narayan often spoke of Malgudi as representing a microcosm of India complete with a river running alongside. This hasn’t prevented people from coming up with explanations about the name. Some say it is a combination of Mysore and Lalgudi (the late violin virtuoso) that speaks to Narayan’s love for music and the city of Mysore. There are others who say it is a reference to Coimbatore. The closest is one theory which says Malgudi is a combination of Malleswaram and Basavangudi, two areas in Bangalore. If you know more, tell us. In the meantime, we at The News Minute salute the man from Malgudi who kept millions of people enthralled with his books and short stories.