Autobiography of Ruskin Bond Essay

Ruskin Bond was born in a military hospital in [Kasauli] to Edith Clerke and Aubrey Bond. His siblings were Ellen and William. Ruskin’s father was with the Royal Air Force. When Bond was four years old, his mother was separated from his father and married a Punjabi-Hindu, Mr. Hari, who himself had been married once. Bond spent his early childhood in Jamnagar and Shimla. At the age of ten Ruskin went to live at his grandmother’s house in Dehradun after his father’s sudden death in 1944 from malaria. Ruskin was raised by his mother, who remarried an Indian businessman. He completed his schooling at Bishop in Shimla, from where he graduated in 1952 after having been successful in winning several writing competitions in the school like Irwin Divinity Prize, Hailey Literature Prize. Ruskin’s love for books and writing came early to him since his father had surrounded him with books and encouraged him to write little descriptions of nature and he took his son on hikes in the hills. After his high school education he spent four years in England. In London he started writing his first novel, The Room on the Roof, the semi-autobiographical story of the orphaned Anglo-Indian boy Rusty. It won the 1957 John Llewellyn Rhys prize, awarded to a British Commonwealth writer under 30. Bond used the advance money from the book to pay the sea passage to Bombay. He worked for some years as a journalist in Delhi and Dehradun. Since 1963 he has lived as a freelance writer in Mussoorie, a town in the Himalayan foothills. He wrote Vagrants in the Valley, as a sequel to The Room on the Roof. These two novels were published in one volume by Penguin India in 1993. The following year a collection of his non-fiction writings, The Best of Ruskin Bond was published by Penguin India. His interest in the paranormal led him to write popular titles such as Ghost Stories from the Raj, A Season of Ghosts, A Face in the Dark and other Hauntings. The Indian Council for Child Education recognized his pioneering role in the growth of children’s literature in India, and awarded him the Sahitya Academy Award in 1992 for Our Trees Still Grow in Dehra. He received the Padma Shri in 1999. Media-shy, he currently lives in Landour, Mussoorie’s Ivy Cottage, which has been his home since 1964 Filmography Based on Bond’s historical novella A Flight of Pigeons (about an episode during the Indian Rebellion of 1857), the Hindi film Junoon was produced in 1978 by Shashi Kapoor and directed by Shyam Benegal). Ruskin Bond made his maiden big screen appearance with a cameo in Vishal Bhardwaj’s film 7 Khoon Maaf, based on his short story Susanna’s Seven Husbands. Bond appears as a Bishop in the movie with Priyanka Chopra playing the title role.[2] Bond had earlier collaborated with him in the The Blue Umbrella which was also based on his story. Literary style Most of his works are influenced by life in the hill stations at the foothills of the Himalayas, where he spent his childhood. His first novel, The Room On the Roof, was written when he was 17 and published when he was 21. It was partly based on his experiences at Dehra Dun, in his small rented room on the roof, and his friends. Since then he has written over three hundred short stories, essays and novels, including Vagrants in The Valley, The Blue Umbrella, Funny Side Up, A Flight of Pigeons and more than 30 books for children. He has also published two volumes of autobiography. Scenes from a Writer’s Life describes his formative years growing up in Anglo-India; The Lamp is Lit is a collection of essays and episodes from his journal. Bond said that while his autobiographical work, Rain in the Mountains, was about his years spent in Mussoorie, Scenes from a Writer’s Life described his first 21 years. Scenes from a Writer’s Life focuses on Bond’s trip to England, his struggle to find a publisher for his first book The Room on the Roof and his yearning to come back to India, particularly to Doon. â€Å"It also tells a lot about my parents,† said Bond. â€Å"The book ends with the publication of my first novel and my decision to make writing my livelihood,† Bond said, adding, â€Å"basically it describes how I became a writer†. His novel, The Flight of Pigeons, has been adapted into the Merchant Ivory film Junoon. The Room on the Roof has been adapted into a BBC-produced TV series. Several stories have been incorporated in the school curriculum in India, including â€Å"The Night Train at Deoli†, â€Å"Time Stops at Shamli†, and Our Trees Still Grow in Dehra. In 2007, the Bollywood director Vishal Bharadwaj made a film based on his popular novel for children, The Blue Umbrella. The movie Works †¢ House †¢ Garland of Memories †¢ The Boy Who Broke the Bank †¢ Bus Stop, Pipalnagar †¢ Funny Side Up †¢ Rain in the Mountains-Notes from the Himalayas †¢ Our trees still grow in Dehra †¢ A Season of Ghosts †¢ Tigers Forever †¢ A Town Called Dehra †¢ An island of trees †¢ The Night Train at Deoli †¢ A Face in the Dark and Other Hauntings †¢ Potpourri †¢ The Adventures Of rusty †¢ The Lost Ruby †¢ Crazy times with Uncle Ken †¢ The Death Of Trees †¢ Tales and Legends from India †¢ Hip Hop Nature Boy and Other Poems Novels †¢ Room On The Roof †¢ Vagrants in the Valley †¢ Scenes from a Writer’s Life †¢ Susanna’s Seven Husbands †¢ A Flight of Pigeons †¢ Landour Days – A writers Journal †¢ The Sensualist by Ruskin Bond †¢ The Road To The Bazaar †¢ The Panther’s Moon †¢ Once Upon A Monsoon Time †¢ The India I love †¢ The Kashmiri Storyteller †¢ The Blue Umbrella †¢ The Tiger In The Tunnel †¢ Delhi is Not Far †¢ Animal Stories †¢ Funny side up †¢ Ruskin Bond’s children omnibus Ruskin Bond’s autobiography in Penguin’s Independence list âÅ"“ Scenes from a Writer’s Life, the autobiography of eminent English author Ruskin Bond; will be published in September this year as part of Penguin India’s †50 Years of Independence† series. âÅ"“ Bond said that while his earlier autobiographical work, Rain in the Mountains was about his long years spent in Mussoorie, Scenes from a Writer’s Lifedescribed his first 21 years. âÅ"“ â€Å"Looking back, I find that those earlier years of my life have more incidents resulting from youthful enthusiasm,† said the writer. â€Å"Two-thirds of the book talks about my life in Dehra Dun as a young boy,† he added. âÅ"“ Scenes from a Writer’s Life dwells on Bond’s trip to England, his struggle to find a publisher for his first book The Room on the Roof and his yearning to come back to India, particularly to Doon. â€Å"It also tells a lot about my parents,† said Bond. âÅ"“ â€Å"The book ends with the publication of my first novel and my decision to make writing my livelihood,† Bond said, adding, â€Å"Basically it describes how I became a writer.† âÅ"“ Speaking of his life in the mountains over the past four decades, Bond says, â€Å"Given the choice, I would not have done differently. When you have received love from people, and the freedom that only the mountains can give, then you have come very near the borders of heaven.† âÅ"“ Other books to be published by Penguin India as part of this series include Satish Gujral’s A Brush With Life (memoirs), R K Laxman’s comic account of his life titled, The Tunnel of Time, B K Karanjia’s Godrej: A Hundred Years, and R K Narayan’s collection of essays titled How to be a Writer in India and Other Uncollected Essays. âÅ"“ To mark the 50th anniversary of Partition, Penguin India is publishing a selection of stories by Saadat Hasan Manto titled Mottled Dawn: Fifty Sketches and Stories of Partition. Urvashi Butalia’s Partition Voices is a meticulous account of the traumatic event, recorded in the voice of survivors and others on whom Partition left its imprint. âÅ"“ Colours of Independence, a lavishly illustrated art book, is also being brought out on the occasion. In this book, 50 of India’s finest painters and artists interpret, through original paintings and drawings, the 50 key events in the country’s life since Independence. Short Information about Ruskin Bond: âÅ"“ Ruskin Bond was born in Kasauli, Himachal Pradesh, on 19th May, 1934, and grew up in Shimla, Jamnagar, Dehradun and Mussoorie. As a young man, he spent four years in the Channel Island and London. He now lives in Landour, Mussoorie, with his adopted family. âÅ"“ In the course of a writing career spanning thirty five years, he has written over a hundred short stories, essays, novels and more than thirty books for children. Three collections of short stories, The Night Train at Deoli, Time Stops at Shamli and Our Trees Still Grow in Dehra have been published by Penguin India. He has also edited two anthologies, The Penguin Book of Indian Ghost Stories and The Penguin Book of Indian Railway Stories. Bonds writing is greatly influenced by the hills, and the valley of Dehra Dun, where he spent his childhood. Ruskin Bonds first novel, The Room on the Roof, written when he was seventeen, won the John Llewellyn Rhys Memorial Prize in 1957. Vagrants in the Valley was also written in his teens and picks up from where The Room leaves off. These two novellas were published in one volume in 1993. His non-fiction writing, Rain in the Mountains was also much acclaimed. Since then he has written several novellas (including Vagrants in the Valley, A Flight of Pigeons and Delhi Is Not Far), essays, poems and children books. Ruskin Bond has also written over 500 short stories and articles that have appeared in a number of magazines and anthologies. His novel, The Flight of Pigeons was adapted into a movie, Junoon. He received the Sahitya Academy Award in 1992 for Our Trees Still Grow in Dehra and the Padma Shri in 1999 for children literature Life and works Bond started displaying his literary talent in England. He wrote his first novel named ‘Room On The Roof’ when he was all of 17 years. The book made him win prestigious ‘John Llewellyn Rhys’ Prize that is awarded to British Commonwealth Writers who are under the age of 30. The book was primarily based in and around Himalayas and was successful in capturing its beauty and ethos in a manner that was never tried before. Its sequel named ‘Vagrants in the Valley’ followed it. Riding on the success of these two novels, Ruskin took the journey back home. Ruskin Bond has now been writing for more than 5 decades. He has stressed more on the local elements of Himalayas in his writings. His writing style is distinct in a way that it tries to make reader understand the landscape and ethos through carefully mastered words. His writings have won him both tremendous critical acclaim as well as a long list of fans through out the literary world. Replete with unassuming humor and quiet wisdom, his stories manifest a deep love for nature and people. His mesmerizing descriptions about the flora and fauna of Himalayas can not be missed in his 100 something short stories, essays, novels, and more than thirty books of children that he has written. His works has inspired several generations of writers, authors and scriptwriters. His novel named ‘The Flight of Pigeons’ has been adapted into the acclaimed Merchant Ivory film Junoon. Another less known novel named ‘The Room on the Roof’ has been adapted in to a BBC produced TV series. Nevertheless his greatest achievement comes from the fact that several of his short stories from his collections have been incorporated in the school curriculum all over India. It includes jewels such as The Night Train at Deoli, Time Stops at Shamli and Our Trees Still Grow in Dehra. In spite of all these successes, Bond can be concluded today as a media-shy and reclusive literary genius. He spends his days with his adopted family at a place close to Dehradun. He received the Sahitya Academy Award for English writing in India for ‘Our Trees Still grows in Dehra’ in 1992. He has also been conferred with Padma Shri, one of the most prestigious civil awards in Ind ia.