What is your understanding of friendship that exists among Swami and the rest of the friends? Give a reasoned answer.

Belonging to a group is central to the story and Swami's life. The novel shows that belonging is not an easy, smooth affair, but often happens through exclusion, hierarchy, and competition. Swami feels confidently established as the charismatic head of his friend group, but Rajam's arrival threatens to displace him. Instead, Swami befriends Rajam, but then Swami's old friends feel abandoned by his new friendship and start mocking Swami as Rajam's "tail." This is eventually resolved when Rajam proposes that they all form a cricket team. Thus, they all belong together in one unified identity as a team, but their sense of camaraderie is sustained through the exclusivity and competition of sports.