R K Narayan was also honored with the Sahitya Akademi Award for this book. Set during Mahatma Gandhi's Quit India movement, this novel explores the unusual yet comic love story of Sriram.

The panel have chosen these novels on the theme of Coming of Age ... Swami and Friends by R. K. Narayan; The Country Girls by Edna O’Brien; The Harry Potter series by J. K.