Ruskin Bond

Ruskin Bond
Bond in 2012
Born	(1934-05-19)19 May 1934 Kasauli,Punjab States Agency,British India (Now inSolan district,Himachal Pradesh,India)
Occupation	Author poet
Language	English
Alma mater	Bishop Cotton School
Notable works	The Room on the Roof Our Trees Still Grow in Dehra A Flight of Pigeons The Blue Umbrella Granny's Tree Climbing Angry River
Notable awards	John Llewellyn Rhys Prize(1957) Sahitya Akademi Award(1992) Padma Shri(1999) Padma Bhushan(2014)

Ruskin Bond(born 19 May 1934) is one of the fellows of thesahitya akademiand a renown Indian author. His first novel,The Room on the Roof,was published in 1956, and it received theJohn Llewellyn Rhys Prizein 1957. Bond has authored more than 500 short stories, essays, and novels which includes 69 books for children.He was awarded theSahitya Akademi Awardin 1992 forOur Trees Still Grow in Dehra.He was awarded thePadma Shriin 1999 andPadma Bhushanin 2014.He lives with his adopted family inLandour, Mussoorie,in the Indian state ofUttarakhand.

Life

Ruskin Bond was born on 19 May 1934 inKasauli,Punjab States Agency,British India.His father, Aubrey Alexander Bond,was born in a military camp in Shahjahanpur, a small town in north India.

In a small school in the Jamnagar palace for their princes and princesses, where Ruskin also studied for his first six years. He taught English to the princesses ofJamnagar palaceand Ruskin Bond and his sister Ellen lived there till he was six. Later, Ruskin's father joined theRoyal Air Forcein 1939 and Ruskin along with his mother and sister went to live at his maternal home atDehradun.Shortly after that, he was sent to a boarding school in Mussoorie. When Ruskin was eight years old, his mother Edith Clarkeseparated from his father and married a Punjabi Hindu, Hari. His father arranged for Ruskin to be brought to New Delhi where he was posted. He was very close to his father and describes this period (1942–1944) with his father as one of the happiest times of his life. When he was ten, his father died due to malaria, while he was posted in Calcutta.He was buried in the Bhowanipore War Cemetery in Calcutta.Ruskin was at his boarding school in Shimla and was informed about this tragedy by his teacher. He was thoroughly heartbroken. Later, he was raised in Dehradun.

He attendedBishop Cotton Schoolin Shimla, graduating in 1951. He won several writing competitions in the school including the Irwin Divinity Prize and the Hailey Literature Prize. He wrote one of his first short stories, "Untouchable", at the age of sixteen in 1951.

Following his high school education he went to his aunt's home in theChannel Islandsin 1951 for better prospects and stayed there for two years. In London when he was 17 years old, he started writing his first novel,The Room on the Roof,the semi-autobiographical story of the orphaned Anglo-Indian boy named Rusty; he did various jobs for a living. It won theJohn Llewellyn Rhys Prize,(1957) awarded to a British Commonwealth writer under 30. He moved to London and worked in a photo studio while searching for a publisher. After getting it published, Bond used the advance money to pay the sea passage toBombayand settle in Dehradun.

He worked for a few years freelancing fromDelhiand Dehradun.He sustained himself financially by writing short stories and poems for newspapers and magazines. On his youth, he said, "Sometimes I got lucky and some [work] got selected and I earned a few hundred rupees. Since I was in my 20s and didn't have any responsibilities I was just happy to be doing what I loved doing best."In 1963, he went to live inMussooriebecause besides liking the place, it was close to the editors and publishers in Delhi. He edited a magazine for four years. In the 1980s,Penguinset up in India and approached him to write some books. He had writtenVagrants in the Valleyin 1956, as a sequel toThe Room on the Roof.These two novels were published in one volume byPenguin Indiain 1993. The following year a collection of his non-fiction writings,The Best of Ruskin Bondwas published by Penguin India. His interest in supernatural fiction led him to write popular titles such asGhost Stories from the Raj,A Season of Ghosts,andA Face in the Dark and other Hauntings.Since then he has written over five hundred short stories, essays and novels, includingThe Blue Umbrella,Funny Side Up,A Flight of Pigeons(Hindi film junoon was based on this story) and more than 50 books for children. He has also published his autobiography:Scenes from a Writer's Lifedescribes his formative years growing up in Anglo-India and a furtherautobiography,Lone Fox Dancing,was published in 2017.The Lamp is Litis a collection of essays and episodes from his journal.

Ruskin Bond with his sister, Ellen. This photograph dates back to 1938.

Since 1963 he has lived as a freelance writer in Mussoorie, a town in the Himalayan foothills inUttarakhandwhere he lives with his adoptive family inLandour,Mussoorie's Ivy Cottage, which has been his home since 1980.Asked what he likes the most about his life, he said, "That I have been able to write for so long. I started at the age of 17 or 18 and I am still writing. If I were not a professional writer who was getting published I would still write."

His sister Ellen lived inLudhianawith his stepsister until she died in 2014. He also has a brother, William, who lives in Canada.

Writing life

Most of his works are influenced by life in the hill stations at the foothills of theHimalayas,where he spent his childhood.The Room on the Roof,was written when he was 16 and published when he was 21. It was partly based on his experiences at Dehradun, in his small rented room on the roof, and his friends. His earlier works were written without it being meant for any particular readership.His firstchildren's book,Angry River,published in 1972, had its writing toned down on a publisher's request for a children's story.On writing for children, he said, "I had a pretty lonely childhood and it helps me to understand a child better."Bond's work reflects hisAnglo-Indianexperiences and the changing political, social and cultural aspects of India, having been through colonial, postcolonial and post-independence phases of India.

Ruskin Bond said that while his autobiographical work,Rain in the Mountains,was about his years spent in Mussoorie,Scenes from a Writer's Lifedescribed his first 21 years.Scenes from a Writer's Lifefocuses on Bond's trip to England, his struggle to find a publisher for his first bookThe Room on the Roofand his yearning to come back to India, particularly toDoon."It also tells a lot about my parents", said Bond. "The book ends with the publication of my first novel and my decision to make writing my livelihood", Bond said, adding: "Basically, it describes how I became a writer".

Being a writer for over 50 years, Bond experimented with different genres; early works includefiction,short stories,novellawith some beingautobiographical.Later, he tried outnon-fiction,romanceandbooks for children.He said his favourite genres areessaysand short stories.He considers himself a "visual writer" because for short stories, he first imagines it like a film and then notes it down. For an essay ortravelogue,such planning is not needed for him. He feels the unexpected there makes it more exciting.Bond likesJust WilliambyRichmal Crompton,Billy BunterbyCharles Hamiltonand classics such asAlice in Wonderlandand works byCharles DickensandMark Twain.

Filmography

The 1978BollywoodfilmJunoonis based on Bond's novelA Flight of Pigeons(about an episode during theIndian Rebellion of 1857). It was produced byShashi Kapoorand directed byShyam Benegal.

The Rusty stories have been adapted into aDoordarshanTV seriesEk Tha Rusty.Several stories have been incorporated into the school curriculum in India, includingThe Night Train at Deoli, Time Stops at ShamliandOur Trees Still Grow in Dehra.

In 2005, the Bollywood directorVishal Bhardwajmade a film based on his popular novel for children,The Blue Umbrella.The movie won theNational Film Award for Best Children's Film.

Ruskin Bond made his maiden big-screen appearance with ainVishal Bhardwaj's film7 Khoon Maafin 2011, based on his short storySusanna's Seven Husbands.Bond appears as a bishop in the movie withPriyanka Chopraplaying the title role.Bond had earlier collaborated with Bharadwaj inThe Blue Umbrellawhich was also based on one of his works.

Parchhayee: Ghost Stories by Ruskin Bond,an Indian webseries onZee5based on ghost stories by Bond, has also been released.

Rusty

Rusty is a popular fictional character created by Ruskin Bond. Rusty is a sixteen-year-old Anglo-Indian boy living inDehradun.He is orphaned and has no real family. He starts living with his guardian Mr John Harrison, who is stern and harsh in his manners. Rusty is obliged to follow the orders and rules of his guardian and doesn't dare to disobey him. He feels helpless because he knows that if he disobeys Mr John, he will get caned. He doesn't have any real friends and he finds himself very lonely in his guardian's house.He lives in the European part of Dehradun, but wants to embrace Indian culture and lifestyle.He makes friends with some Indian boys in the local marketplace. He hides the fact from Mr John and continues to go on secret adventures with them. Very soon he decides to run away from the captivity of Mr John and go back to England. Rusty's character offers a teenager's perspective who is battling with his confusions about life, relationship, happiness and love.

Inspiration for the character

Rusty was created by Ruskin Bond to write stories about his own past. His first book,The Room on the Roof,which he wrote at the age of 17, was a semi-autobiographical story with Rusty being the protagonist.It was based on his friends and the time he spent in a rented room, when he was inDehradun.Most of Rusty's initial years are set in the location of Dehradun, a scenic place in northern India. Ruskin Bond was deeply attached to Dehra and most of his stories are inspired by the hills and valleys of this region.

Novels and short stories featuring Rusty

*The Room on the Roof

• Vagrants in the Valley(a sequel to Room on the Roof)
• Rusty, the Boy from the Hills(collection of short stories)
• Rusty Runs Away(collection of short stories)
• Rusty and the Magic Mountain
• Rusty goes to London
• Rusty Comes Home
• The Adventures of Rusty(collection of short stories)
• Delhi is not far
• Rusty plays Holi
• Rusty and the leopard

Novels

• The Room on the Roof
• Vagrants in the Valley
• Rusty Runs Away
• A Flight of Pigeons
• The Sensualist
• The Panther's Moon
• Once Upon A Monsoon Time
• Delhi is Not Far
• Angry River
• The Woman on Platform 8
• Strangers in the Night
• All Roads Lead To Ganga
• Tales of Fosterganj
• Maharani
• Leopard on the Mountain
• Grandfather's Private Zoo
• The Blue Umbrella
• Too Much Trouble
• When The Tiger Was King
• Cherry Tree
• The Great Train Journey
• Children Of India
• Owls In The Family
• Dust On The Mountain
• The Adventures Of Toto
• The House Of Strange Stories'
• Big Business
• When the Night Falls
• the season of ghost

Memories

• Landour Days – A writer Journal
• Scenes from a Writer's Life
• With Love From The Hills
• Roads To Mussoorie
• Looking for the Rainbow
• Till the Clouds Roll By
• Coming Round the Mountain
• A Song of India
• All the roads lead to Ganga

Non-fiction

• It's a Wonderful Life: Roads to Happiness
• A Golf Story: Celebrating 125 Years of the Bangalore Golf Club
• Happy Birthday, World!

See also

• List of Indian writers

External links

• Interview with Ruskin Bond by Atula Ahuja