 Malgudi evolved with the changing political landscape of India . In the 1980s , when the nationalistic fervor in India dictated the changing of British names of towns and localities and removal of British landmarks , Malgudi 's mayor and city council removed the long @-@ standing statue of Frederick Lawley , one of Malgudi 's early residents . However , when the Historical Societies showed proof that Lawley was strong in his support of the Indian independence movement , the council was forced to undo all their earlier actions . A good comparison to Malgudi , a place that Greene characterised as " more familiar than Battersea or Euston Road " , is Faulkner 's Yoknapatawpha County . Also , like Faulkner 's , when one looks at Narayan 's works , the town gets a better definition through the many different novels and stories . 
