Somu is one of Swami’s friends from the Mission School. He is the class monitor and gets along well with everyone, students and teachers, although he does not excel academically. Swami thinks of Somu as the “uncle of the class.” When Somu treats Swami unkindly, the experience is one of the first times that Swami is forced to admit that the people around him are more complex than he might have guessed. Later in the novel, Somu disappears from the group of friends after failing an exam, and thus not being promoted to the next grade.
Somu Quotes in Swami and Friends
The Swami and Friends quotes below are all either spoken by Somu or refer to Somu. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 4
Quotes
This was probably Swaminathan’s first shock in life. It paralysed all his mental process. When his mind started working again, he faintly wondered if he had been dreaming. The staid Somu, the genial Somu, the uncle Somu, was it the same Somu that had talked to him a few minutes ago? What was wrong in liking and going about with Rajam? Why did it make them so angry?
Chapter 6
Quotes
The company was greatly impressed. Rajam then invited everyone to come forward and say that they would have no more enemies. If Sankar said it, he would get a bound notebook; if Swaminathan said it, he would get a clockwork engine; if Somu said it, he would get a belt; and if Mani said it, he would get a nice pocket-knife; and the Pea would get a marvellous little pen.
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Somu Character Timeline in Swami and Friends
The timeline below shows where the character Somu appears in Swami and Friends. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1
...but his four best friends, who are introduced one by one. The first friend is Somu, the class monitor, who is a mediocre student but relaxed and well-liked by everyone, including...
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Chapter 4
...with contempt” at how small and unintelligent they are. Eventually he happily runs into Sankar, Somu, and the Pea, who he had thought were not at school. However, his three friends...
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...he feels unsure of who his friends are and confused that someone as nice as Somu could be so angry with him. Swami returns home and watches water and debris rush...
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Chapter 5
...Sankar in anger. The three begin to fight in earnest and they only stop when Somu and Mani enter the classroom and separate them. Swami, Mani, Somu, Sankar, and the Pea...
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Chapter 6
...On the way, Mani muses about the ways that he’d like to inflict violence on Somu, Sankar, and the Pea. When they arrive at Rajam’s house, Rajam peeks out but then...
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When Swami and Mani open their eyes, they discover that Somu, Sankar, and the Pea are in the room with Rajam. Swami is embarrassed at his...
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...and the other four boys soon do the same. The Pea receives a fountain pen, Somu gets a new belt, Mani gets a new knife, Sankar receives a bound notebook, and...
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Chapter 10
Swami realizes that his friendships with Somu, Sankar, and the Pea are not meaningful to him outside of school. His friendships with...
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Chapter 13
...school, though he does not yet have close friends there. Back at the Mission School, Somu was left behind after failing an exam, Sankar moved away after his father was transferred,...
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