The Vendor of Sweets

Main issue – Generation Gap

Main points

1. Hero of the Novel

2. Jagan is 60 years old
3. A widower - sweet maker - vendor of sweets qualities of Jagan
4. Follows Gandian Principles & Bhagavat Gita
5. Mali is Jagan’s son
6. Mali fails to study at Malgudi College. Announces to go to America to become a writer
7. After 1 or 2 years Mali returns to India
8. Mali returns with Grace
9. Grace is half Korean half American
10. Mali placed to manufacture and market with American Collaboration novel writing machine
11. Mali asks money (capital) for this and tells him that American help us to set up the plan & run it for 6 months & then quit
12. Jagan thinks that it is much better to vend sweets than vend story-making gadgets
13. Talking to Grace, Jagan learns that She is not wife of Mali & he wants to get rid of her
14. Jagan is confused at the times & manners
15. When Jagan learns that Mali has been arrested for the illegal possession of liquor, he sends the cousin to help him
16. At the end of story, Jagan is ready to give up vending/selling sweets and retire to retreat.
17. But he doesn’t forget to take the cheque book with him.
18. “Conquer taste & you will conquer the self” said by Jagan to cousin
19. Cousin was a listener & arrived Jagan’s shop at 4.30pm & like to taste the new sweets.
20. Jagan’s characters & qualities
a. He gives up salt, sugar & rice
b. He wore a jibba [Kurta] over his dhotty
c. That Khadi spun by himself.
d. He never had more than set of clothes at a time.
e. Combination of traditional & Contemporary
f. Jagan used sandals made of the leather of an animal which had died of old age. Jagan is a combination of strength and
weakness
g. In his dress and habits he was a follower of Gandhi
h. Opposed to the use of tooth-brush
21. Important facts about Jagan’s sweet shop
a. Jagan had 4 cooks; a front stall boy, head cook’s name is Shivaram
b. He had employed a watchman, a Khaki-clad ex-army man. Jagan called his watch man “captain”.
c. Jagan’s chair was got for Mr.Noble an Englishman, the District Collector.
d. When the sweets were being cooked he read the verses from the Gita.
e. Jagan asked his watchman not allow any beggar at the shop except on Fridays
f. Jagan was considered the cash received after 6pm & the as which he used to take home to avoid the tax
22. Jagan’s book “Nature cure & Nature diet” was waiting to be published for many years, to Nataraj’s “The truth Printing Press.
23. Jagan’s wife- Ambiga,died of brain tumor inspite of all medical care by Dr.Krishna
24. Mali wanted to invest in a machinery Factory.
25. Jagan decided to leave his business because of Chinnadurai.
26. Jagan learnt making sweets when he was in the jail.
27. Chandrakala sweets made Jagan famous in the town.
28. All the relation of Jagan had ortrained him because he had a Christian girl as his daughter In Law.
29. 5 thousand rupees was demanded by Jagan’s father in dowry.
30. “You are my saviour” said by The cousin.
31. “Equanimity is more important than anything else in life” said by Jagan.
32. Grace used to address Mali as “MO”, and Mali to Grace as “Honey”
33. “Diet has a lot to do with the colour of one’s hair” said by Jagan to Chinnadurai.
34. “Money is an evil” said by Jagan.
35. “Our merchants are becoming heartless” said by Jagan.
⮚ Jagan is the symbol of good.
⮚ The cousin is the symbolof humanity.
⮚ Mali is the symbolof of evil.
36. At the end of the novel Jagan goes to retreat on the site of river.
37. “I know the place, it is very dirty, it is about the sub jail of Malgudi”
38. “I don’t accumulate it just grows naturally” said by Jagan to the cousin.
39. “I like to work. What else I be doing all day” said by Grace.
40. “Oh Grace,you must not .Iam not used to it” said by Jagan.
41. On Chinndurai’s advice Jagan entered the vanaprastha Ashram.
42. At the Jagan handovers his shop to his cousin.
43. Jagan went to the temple of Santana Krishna to have the blessing of God before Mali’s birth.
44. Santana Krishna temple was situated on Badri hill.
45. Jagan sells excess yarn to local handloom committees.
46. “Your headache has made you crazy” said by Jagan to Ambiga.
47. Mali refused to study because he did not find study interesting.
48. Jagan had to leave the college because, he was a Gandhiji’s follower who asked the students to take part in non -cooperative
Movement.
49. The cousin takes Mali for conversation about his future plans of Ananda Bhawan Restaurant.
50. Jagan keeps two account books to avoid paying income tax.
51. Jagan used Margosa twigs to brush his teeth.
52. Grace had composed all those letters which Mali sent to Jagan from America.
53. Jagan recollected the time of his bachelorhood and his marriage with Ambiga..
54. Ambihga belonged to Kuppam village.
55. The Vendor of Sweets is the biography of a fictional character named Jagan who is a sweet Vendor of Malgudi.
56. This novel was published in 1967by Viking Press.
57. The novel was produced into a part of the Hindi TV series “Malgudi Days”
o Jagan_ Hero of the Novel, A follower of Gandhi in his youth.
o Mali - Jagan’s son, blames his father for his mother’s death.
o The Cousin_ Helpful to Jagan.
o Grace_ Mali brings her with him from America.
o Ambiga _ Wife of Jagan.