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India Today
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- India Today
How Ruskin Bond turned his quiet hill life into timeless literary magic
On a fog-drenched morning at a railway station, a 12-year-old boy in his second year of boarding school stood alone on Platform 8, nervously waiting for his train. A kind stranger -- a woman with gentle eyes -- offered him warmth, comfort, and a moment of unexpected brief encounter etched itself into the boy's memory. Years later, it would bloom into one of India's most tender short stories, The Woman on Platform boy, of course, was Ruskin Bond. While this beloved short story isn't strictly autobiographical, Bond's stories, like that misty morning, are often rooted in real-life moments -- quiet, almost forgettable fragments that he turns into luminous tales. (Photo: PTI) Whether it's the sound of a train whistle, the rustle of deodar leaves, or a fleeting friendship with a stranger, he has the rare gift of making the ordinary unforgettable. His stories don't shout; they whisper their way into your like you are curled up on a rug in his room cluttered with books, paper and writing material, listening to him tell you about something that happened over two decades ago, and watching it come alive behind your IN THE HILLS, HEART IN THE STORYadvertisementBorn on May 19, 1934, in the scenic town of Kasauli in Himachal Pradesh, Ruskin Bond grew up amidst hills and heartbreak. His father, Aubrey Bond, served in the Royal Air Force, and his mother Edith Clarke was of Anglo-Indian his parents separated, young Ruskin was shuttled between schools and towns -- Jamnagar, Dehradun, Shimla -- clutching tightly to books and imagination as sources of loss of his father when he was just ten years old left a gaping hole, one that echoes through many of his stories. There is a deep melancholy in Bond's works, but it is always softened by his empathy and wit. (Photo: India Today) He once wrote, 'It is always the same with mountains. Once you have lived with them for any length of time, you belong to them.' And in many ways, he was during his years at Bishop Cotton School in Shimla that he discovered his love for won multiple prizes for his essays and stories, but no one could have guessed that by the age of seventeen, he would pen The Room on the Roof -- the semi-autobiographical story of Rusty, a lonely Anglo-Indian boy searching for freedom and friendship in a postcolonial won the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize in 1957 and introduced the world to Bond's lyrical LANGUAGE OF STILLNESSThere's a certain softness to Ruskin Bond's writing -- an almost old-world charm that makes you slow down. His stories don't chase drama; instead, they offer you a chair, pour you a cup of tea, and tell you about the time he met a talking ghost, or the boy who climbed trees just to be closer to the language is deceptively simple. But simplicity is his superpower. His prose is filled with sensory details: the scent of rain on pine needles, the murmur of a stream behind an old house, the crunch of gravel underfoot in a sleepy Mussoorie lane. These aren't just descriptions -- they are experiences. (Photo: India Today) advertisementHis writing carries what many fans call a 'slice-of-life' quality -- stories that feel as if they could have happened to you, or someone you this gentle storytelling is also a reflection of Bond himself. A quiet observer. A lover of nature. A believer in the beauty of small is no coincidence that he chose to live most of his life in the slow, leafy embrace of the WHERE THE STORIES BREATHEIn 1963, Ruskin Bond settled in Mussoorie, a hill town that would become both his home and his Landour home -- modest, filled with books and sunlight -- sits like a watchtower over the valley, from where he has watched generations grow up on his like Roads to Mussoorie and Mussoorie and Landour: Days of Wine and Roses read like love letters to the hills. The colonial charm, the winding roads, the sudden downpours, and the sound of monkeys chattering on rooftops—all of it seeps into his writing. (Photo: India Today) advertisementEven the most fantastical of his stories feel grounded in real smells, sights, and textures. You can almost hear the rustle of a ghost's sari in A Face in the Dark, or feel the old-world melancholy of Time Stops at is a time-travelling quality to Bond's world -- it feels suspended, outside the rush of modern NEVER GREW OLDTo read Ruskin Bond is to meet Rusty -- again and again. The boy with wide eyes and a curious heart lives on, not just in the books, but in Bond himself. Even at 91, he writes with the enthusiasm of a child spotting his age, his energy is infectious. He's said before that one must never grow too old to climb trees -- and it shows. His recent works are still brimming with life, mischief, and tender nostalgia. (Photo: India Today) Bond's fans adore him not just for his books, but for who he is. For years, readers would line up outside the Cambridge Book Depot in Mussoorie every Saturday, hoping to meet the legend in person. He would sign books, chat softly, share stories, and occasionally pose for photos with the same warmth you find in his recently, due to health concerns and the pandemic, he's stepped away from these public meetings -- but his readers continue to leave letters at his doorstep, hoping he'll read BY GENERATIONSOver the last six decades, Ruskin Bond has written more than 500 stories, novels, and essays, traversing every genre from horror to romance, children's tales to historical fiction. But no matter the genre, what ties them together is The Blue Umbrella, the poignant story of a girl and her umbrella in a remote village, to A Flight of Pigeons, set against the backdrop of the 1857 Revolt, Bond's stories always return to themes of belonging, loss, kindness, and the passage of stories for children -- marked by warmth and curiosity -- have become part of school curriculums and bedtime routines alike. There's a timelessness to he once said, 'Books are like friends, you meet them again and again.' (Photo: India Today) HONOURS, BUT ALWAYS HUMBLEBond has received the Sahitya Akademi Award (1992), Padma Shri (1999), and Padma Bhushan (2014), among many other accolades. But he has never let fame distance him from his a world of celebrity writers and viral authors, Ruskin Bond remains refreshingly unaffected -- still the man who watches clouds drift by from his window and writes about stories continue to inspire readers to pause, to observe, and to find magic in the mundane. In a noisy, distracted world, his books are gentle reminders to slow down and listen -- to trains, to trees, to The Room on the Roof once said: 'The world seemed very quiet, as though it were holding its breath.'And perhaps, when we read Ruskin Bond, we do too.
The Hindu
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
Ruskin Bond books
'Memory is a writer's best friend,' Ruskin Bond writes in his latest book, a charming collection of vignettes and ruminations drawn from a life lived quietly, gracefully and always on his own terms. While the book, which hit the bookstores on May 19th, Bond's 91st birthday, is a definite must-buy, there are others by this beloved writer that you shouldn't miss. Here are some of them The Room on the Roof Written when Bond was just 17, this charming bildungsroman chronicles the adventures of a 16-year-old orphaned Anglo-Indian boy, Rusty, who runs away from home. Along the way, he makes deep, abiding friendships, experiences love and heartbreak, and garners life-enriching experiences, with his coming-of-age journey spilling into Bond's next book, Vagrants In The Valley. The Room on the Roof, which went on to win the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize in 1957, is also a portrait of post-independence Dehradun, taking you straight into the heart of the markets, bylanes, food and culture of this town, located on the foothills of the Himalayas. A Flight of Pigeons Set in Shajahanpur, around the time of the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857, A Flight of Pigeons tells the story of a young girl, Ruth Labadoor, who witnesses her father being murdered in front of her in a church by the mutineers and is forced to go into hiding with her family. The book, which was made into a film, Junoon, by Shyam Benegal, details how the family survives this turbulent period. Rain in the Mountains: Notes from the Himalayas 'It is always the same with mountains. Once you have lived with them for any length of time, you belong to them. There is no escape,' writes Bond in his 1993 book Rain In The Mountains: Notes From The Himalayas, a semi-autobiographical selection of musings, essays, poems and stories, chosen from writing created over a twenty-five-year period, between the seventies and the nineties. In Grandfather's Garden A personal favourite that always leaves me chortling and wanting more, In Grandfather's Garden has a vast selection of unforgettable characters, both human and non-human. These include the rather high-strung Aunt Mabel, an incredibly annoying Uncle Ken, an extremely cool Grandfather with a penchant for snakes and crocodiles and a long-suffering, though fairly level-headed, grandmother. The Blue Umbrella Published in 1992, The Blue Umbrella, set in Garhwal, Uttarakhand, is a lovely little book about a little mountain girl named Binya and the dainty blue umbrella she falls in love with, offering a deeply immersive jaunt through small-town India.
Hindustan Times
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Never too old to dream, says India's much loved storyteller Ruskin Bond on 91st birthday
New Delhi, Author, raconteur and simply one of India's most loved storytellers Ruskin Bond turns 91 on Monday, quietly rebelling against the lyrics of the song that still enchants him - 'When I Grow Too Old To Dream'. '… it's a pretty song, an old Nelson Eddy favourite, but the words are wrong. We are never too old to dream,' the indefatigable Bond writes in his latest book 'Life's Magic Moments' that launched on his birthday. His birthday is always an occasion. And the book's official launch, planned at Mussoorie's Cambridge Book Depot, close to his home in Landour, was set to be one too. However, it was called off by the author as a mark of respect for the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack. His latest book at just 120 beautifully illustrated pages is a treasure trove of life lessons, musings, and memorable quotes. It's a ramble through Bond's life from his favorite flowers and unputdownable books to his obsession with pickles and his sunroom at the famed Ivy Cottage, his residence in Landour. He speaks eloquently of the loneliness of a writer and, most importantly, his dreams. "... These are some of the things I dream of: apple, peach and plum trees in bloom.. finishing the book I'm writing, and I dream of seeing the books I wrote last year appear in the coming months... Seeing my family prosper... All the books I am going to read the new ones and the old favourites. "I dream of old friends, and I dream of new friends. I dream of a world where flowers still bloom and birds still sing. I dream of things that didn't happen. Perhaps they will one day," Bond writes. Born on May 19, 1934, in Kasauli, Bond grew up in Jamnagar, Shimla, New Delhi, and Dehradun. He made Landour his permanent home in 1963. Landour, the quiet mountain town in Uttarakhand, has for years drawn fans hoping to catch a glimpse of the reclusive Bond perhaps sipping tea at the famous Chaar Dukaan, a cluster of shops along a winding road, or through the window of his sunroom. When Bond's grandson Sidharth created his Instagram account, which in no time amassed over two lakh followers, Bond jokingly said, "I hope they all don't turn up here together one day." "Lots of people come, knocking at the door, ringing the bell, wanting to meet me. Now, how can I spend all day meeting them? Still, I meet people sometimes when I can," Bond told PTI last year in an interview on his 90th birthday. It has been nearly 70 years since the release of his debut novel "The Room on the Roof" in 1956. Almost 500 books later, Bond reflects on a "fairly satisfying literary journey" in his latest. He says three simple items have sustained him throughout the years "a large notepad, a ballpoint pen, and a pair of old reading glasses", still resting beside him on his table. A lifelong writer something he always aspired to be Bond also shares his thoughts on his journey in 'Life's Magic Moments'. It can be a 'lonely path' and one that demands resilience through 'heartbreaks' and a commitment to writing for oneself. "An author is his own best audience. After all, his little masterpiece may not find more than a handful of readers, so he must not be content with the satisfaction that he derives from his creative effort. "My first book of poems sold 20 copies. I gave away a few copies, hoping for some kind reader's approval. When I asked one of them if he liked the book, he said 'Terrific! The illustrations were great!" writes Bond, as always gently blending wit with wisdom. Bond has received numerous awards and honours, including the Sahitya Akademi Award for English writing in 1992, the Padma Shri in 1999, the Padma Bhushan in 2014 and the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship in 2021. The ace raconteur, whose repertoire includes short stories, essays and novellas, lives in a house overflowing with books: on shelves, in boxes, in drawers, under his desk, in the attic, and even beneath his bed. But then books are his friends and from the looks of it he doesn't like to part with most, except for the few that he gives away willingly, according to the book. His "special friends" include an early Penguin edition of Richard Jefferies' "The Story of My Heart", JR Ackerley's "Hindoo Holiday" , P.G Wodehouse's "Meet Mr. Mulliner". In fact, according to Bond, "good books make good doctors" too as it helped him recover from his illness. "Stacy Aumonier's short stories saw me through hepatitis when I was fifteen. Wlliam Saroyan made a hospital bed tolerable when I was twenty... How fortunate are we who read books! It's like finding an oasis in the desert of existence," he explains. The eternally optimistic Bond, who carries little regrets and immense gratitude, says in his latest work that his ability to "look on the bright side, hope for the best, and place trust in fellow humans" even when that trust was occasionally misplaced has helped him navigate the 90 years of his life. Grappling with dwindling eyesight and gout, Bond still finds childlike joy in the smallest of things like a cosmos flower in bloom, the song of a whistling thrush, or the glow of fireflies on a rainy night and vouches for the quiet strength of a 'cheerful disposition' in a world consumed by power. "Who would want to go down in history as a Putin or a Trump or one of the thousand others seeking power and glory... Don't make a lot of noise. Just go out quietly and plant your seeds, and one day the world will be green again, and marigolds will grow from the barrels of guns," he concludes. "Life's Magic Moments", published by Penguin Random House India and priced at ₹399, is available for purchase across online and offline stores.
