Malgudi Railway Station, by public transport.

From Shimoga, I travelled to Malgudi, the fictional village made famous by the novels of R.K. Narayan. The real name of the village is Arasalu.

Had an early breakfast and headed to the bus station.

Took a bus going to Hosanagara. 

Got down at Arasalu. The ticket was ₹48 (60 cents).

The old Arasalu station has been restored and converted to Malgudi Station and....

......Malgudi Museum.

At the entry to the station/museum.

It's a small museum but well kept.

The museum has artefacts and articles mentioned in R.K. Narayan's novels, like this petromax lamp.

A pendulum clock.

Old Bakelite switches.

The main character, Swami.

The ticket counter.

The fare chart.

An old railway coach has been converted to Malgudi Chai.

A cafe.

The entire place (station + museum + cafe) is run by one person, Praveen.

Had a chai in Malgudi Chai. 

Since the next train to Shimoga was after a few hours, I walked to the bus stop and took a bus back to Shimoga.

There is so much that can be done. They can sell special prints of R.K. Narayan's books. They could sell this stamp with a special cover and a cancellation. As a philatelist, I would have loved to buy it. 

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