Malgudi was envisioned by R.K. Narayan, the eminent writer, for his numerous books. Located somewhere in South India during the British times, the fictional town had the Mempi Hills as the backdrop with tigers and bamboo forests. The town had a college called Albert Mission College, and a cinema hall called the Palace Talkies. Along the market road were Dr Pal’s Tourist Bureau, and the offices of the Daily Messenger. The statue of a former British governor, Sir Frederick Lawley, after whom the Lawley Extension housing project was named, stood imposing at the market.
