My name is Bond…Ruskin Bond

 

 

I don’t quite remember when I began reading books written by the legendary author Ruskin Bond but I took to his writing like a duck takes to water. The simplicity of his writing appealed to me tremendously. I continue to read his work and eagerly wait for a new release because at ninety the man is still writing. The celebrated author turned 90 in May this year and said that he would continue writing for as long as possible.

Mr. Bond, quips, “Just like old soldiers never die, they just fade away, old writers never die, they simply go out of print." Born in Kasuali on May 19th, 1934 Ruskin Bond in a career spanning 60 years has penned novels, essays, poems, short stories, and some spooky stories that are loved by adults and children alike.  He wrote his first short story, ‘The Untouchable’ when he was just 16.   The Illustrated Weekly of India serialized Mr. Bond’s first novel, ‘A Room on the Roof’ and another legend, cartoonist Mario Miranda created the illustrations for the same. The Hindi movie Junoon is a screen adaptation of his historical novel, ‘A Flight of Pigeons.’

Ruskin Bond considers himself lucky as he could pursue his passion and earn a living from it. His writing reflects his deep love for and deep connection with nature. His works centre around themes of nature, love, friendship, loss, loneliness and the complexities of life and human relationships. His early childhood days were spent in the cities of Jamnagar, Dehli, Shimla, Mussoorie and Dehradun.  At30, he decided to move to Dehradun to be a full-time writer. He lives in Mussoorie with his adopted family.

The prolific author has been the recipient of numerous awards for his contribution to literature. He was awarded the Sahitya Akademi award in 1999 for his book, ‘Our Trees Still Grow in Dhera.’ Besides being awarded the John Llewellyn Rhys prize in 1957 for his book, ‘The Room on the Roof,’ he is also the recipient of the Padma Sri and Padma Bhushan awards. The fame he enjoys has left him untouched and he remains a modest, humble and warm human being.

His latest book, ‘Hold onto your Dreams’, which he has published at ninety is a testament to his enduring legacy. When asked, “What is the one dream that you are holding on to?” he replied,

“The one dream that I hold on to is the dream itself because I’m still dreaming. From 9 to 90, I’ve held onto dreams. There are one or two that are to be fulfilled and made real. So don’t stop dreaming, no matter how old you are and how much you have achieved, because you can always do things better. You can write a better book, find a piece of music, a better song or a better painting. You could always be better, so hold on to your dreams.”

Taking a cue from Ruskin Bond, I shall continue to dream and you too do the same. I can't name any favourite books because I've enjoyed everything which I've read. 

This post is my entry to Blogchatter's July TBR challenge.