The Lost Pearl of Paradise: In Search of a Fairy by Abiral

Do acquaint yourself with the young mint fresh author: Abiral.

I was curious about the unusual sounding name and was told that it meant "continuous" - as in "aviral dhara". And that it should have been A"v"iral (instead of A"b"iral) - but the regional influence made its presence felt. Being from the east myself, I immediately understood that bit, since we say: "abiral dhara" - for something that flows continuously, perpetually or perennially.

Now for my verdict: This is not a run-of-the-mill story and stands out among the deluge of dreck camouflaged as bestsellers - in our bookstores these days … and is light on the wallet too. Debutant author Abiral Kumar has impressed with his maiden offering and will certainly be someone to watch out for in the future.

The storyline: The Lost Pearl of Paradise: In Search of a Fairy is a story set in modern times, about something that's so much older.

Set deep in the forests of Brahmaputra, this is a story of fate, of fortune, of sacrifice, of friendship, of duty, of rage and resistance, of transformation, of courage and steadfastness; and of relationship in all its myriad shades.

It is an unusual - a hatke - tale woven with abuse, lies, compassion, tenderness, history, trickery, deception and mayhem … but is ultimately a tale of hope and survival.

A story of men and women - transcending great odds. A story of a boy and a girl - overcoming great barriers - of time, of space and geography, in some of the most interesting, enchanting … yet treacherous terrains on earth - where peace jostles with turmoil and violence fights hope and redemption.

It is full of everything; greed, love, innocence, mystery, apathy, horror, grief, et al … are in abundance on the grounds surrounding the mighty and holy Brahmaputra, and so are magic, honour, destiny and romance. And the story plays out, tying in a romantic love story in a most unique way.

But can the past save the future?

The Book Blurb: What if the religious vision of evolution of humans was not entirely true? What if the holy books, prophets and the historians neglected one small detail that is bound to prove costly?

A fragment of the most ancient civilization, surviving till date, is brutally slaughtered in the forests of Brahmaputra. Everyone is dead except for a sixteen-year-old girl who has to drink her own blood to survive. The clues left behind by her father lead her to the mountains where she was born – only to discover that her quest has just begun.

An ancient prophecy foretold of a girl, named Pari, who is destined to bring forth a goddess. Destined to lead the most ancient civilization lost in oblivion towards a new dawn.

Destined to be sacrificed…

All goes as foretold, until she meets Abiel, a small insignificant boy, a negligible dent in her destiny..that is bound to change everything!

The future of the human civilization depends vastly on its past..and the war is on the verge of happening…

The plot: The prodigal son returns … but is it for good? Why does he want the pearl then?

Two feuding brothers - handsome but no longer young: each with a mission of his own. What is it and who wins?

Two children – innocent and pristine – meet and then part. Will their paths cross again?

A young girl - not yet out of her teens. But why is she looking for the pearl too?

An idealistic young man, son of a powerful minister, answers the call of the mountains and becomes a wanderer, shunning his destiny as his father's heir. Why is he searching for a fairy?

What makes him, a non-violent man, handsome and in the bloom of his youth, risk his all?

And will he find his fairy?

Well, don't expect me to play the spoiler. I will not reveal any more than I have already done. So if you want to know more, get hold of the book and read all you can.

Each character is a mere pawn in this bizarre game of life and death, of power and pelf, of past and future … and each with a story to tell. Or hide.

My two pence: Abiral has a way with words and is quite the storyteller. Frankly I am marveling at his caliber and also doffing my hat - at his amazing imagination. To conceive of such a fantastic plot and then weaving it in words - verse and prose - is no mean feat, even for a seasoned author. What to say of someone who was merely 15-years young!

The book jacket cover is also quite well done. And though the book blurb does give away some clues about the story resting within its pages, it still manages to withhold most of it.

The few typos could and should have been easily pruned out.

However, some sharp editing - to tighten up the plot - would have been welcome. The encounters, the conversations (especially between Pari and Abiel), the character developments - all could have been a bit more compact - in order to maintain the pace and subtlety, while guarding against some events and characters getting too predictable or over done.

The conversation bits should have come out separately, instead of being lumped together in paragraphs. Also some rearranging of the chapters/narrative would make for a smoother flow of the plot/storyline.

And I wish some more thought had been given to the choice of the titles - of each chapter. Frankly, there is great scope for innovativeness here - something Abiral is quite capable of doing justice to. The existing titles sort of rob off the charm and suspense of the following pages, somewhat diluting the interest, and given the nature of the book - that is simply not done.

All those sub-titles in caps … need to go. Time to put on the proverbial thinking cap.

This brings me to the book blurb. Umm, time to reach for the metaphorical screwdriver here as well, and a few turns of it and I firmly believe it will reveal only what it should and whet the readers appetite.

Abiral has chosen to take the road less traveled vis-à-vis the spate of new authors who have presented themselves for us to sink our teeth into. The story at the heart of this novel is most fascinating. And given the kind of events woven into the narrative: taut drama, twists, suspense, conflicts, mystery, romance, surprise elements, a few heart tugging moments, the works …  the pruning off of the deadwood - would only ensure that it continues to retain its charm till the last page has been turned, instead of having its pace and flavour interfered with.

But all said and done, this is the work of a 15-year-old schoolboy. A very promising budding author at that … whose perspective, writing style and imagination will bowl you over.

The story resting within the pages of this book is fresh and there isn't any sense of déjà vu, meaning one does not get the feeling of plodding through rehashed stuff. You know, old wine in new bottle and all that.

My rating: I'm going with a 3.5/5 - for Abiral's maiden offering: amazing concept backed by a limpid writing style. He is one author whose literary progress I'll watch with interest. I now look forward to reading the rest of the trilogy, and am quite sure that their narrative will sweep me up in its fold and keep me there.

In Ruskin's writings we come across "Pari Tibba" quite often. Hopefully someday we'll get acquainted with "Ganji Pahadi" - through Abiral's prolific pen - when the pen is not busy writing some or the other eggjam paper that is!

Details of the book: The Lost Pearl of Paradise: In Search of a Fairy/ Author: Abiral/ Publisher: Frog Books [An imprint of Leadstart Publishing Pvt. Ltd]/ Publishing Date: 2012/ ISBN-10: 9381576687/ ISBN-13: 9789381576687, 978-93-81576-68-7 / Pages: 273/ Price: Rs.195, US $8 [Rs. 184 on Flipkart].

Photograph: The book jacket cover of The Lost Pearl of Paradise: In Search of a Fairy. Picture courtesy: link.

The book can be obtained from: Flipkart

Get in touch with Abiral at: me.abiral@gmail.com

Meet Abiral - Author of "The Lost Pearl of Paradise: In Search of a Fairy"

The author: Abiral is a seventeen-year-old schoolboy who is now busy feasting on "mama ka grub" and booking his appointments with the sleep fairy - having spent a considerable amount of positive energy writing his 12th standard board exams. But somewhere between the fifteenth and sixteenth step of his life, he wrote his maiden novel - The Lost Pearl of Paradise: In Search of a Fairy - the first of a trilogy, and aspires to write nothing less than a hundred more!

Sometime in early December (2011) this young schoolboy-cum-budding-author wrote to me - with a request to review his upcoming debut novel. He gave me a glimpse of the novel and also mentioned that he is a student at the Oak Grove School - Mussoorie. He was preparing for his CBSE (XII) board exams then. The book summary piqued my interest sufficiently enough, since the genre fascinates me too, so needless to say, I acquiesced to read the book and then share my thoughts.

Frankly I was pleasantly surprised since school kids these days aren't exactly known to read books ... much less write them.

I wished him the very best … in his quest to become an author and hoped that his dreams come true some day. And that may the Paramatma, Lady Luck and the Fairy - from "The Lost Pearl of Paradise" - bless him. However, given the Mussoorie connection, I enquired whether there was a budding Ruskin Bond in our midst (though I am perfectly aware that there cannot be another Ruskin Bond, ever.)

That's when he came back saying that the evergreen Mr. Bond is reading his debut novel too! Frankly, it's such an honour and more. It's priceless, really - for any author, and not just a budding one. Abiral is very fortunate indeed.

But that's not all; after reading his book, Mr. Bond summoned him to his home and even offered to write the whole foreword - an opportunity that Abiral politely let go of - and chatted about other things instead.

Umm, must be a bunch of those mountain butterflies traipsing in his tummy!

Frankly, I am still shaking my head in disbelief, 'coz I don't think Ruskin has offered to write the foreword for many books or authors. He perhaps turns down such requests - and several of them - daily.

Though Abiral insists that he tried his best … yours truly has advised him to read that Robert Bruce and the Spider story once again - so as to fully grasp the meaning of the word "try" - if he still wants to cherish Ruskin's foreword on his maiden offering, that is.

Gallant lad that he is … he mentioned something about the struggle that a mint fresh author has to go through. And yours truly interjected with: a foreword by Ruskin or no foreword by Ruskin … the struggle is constant, however, it'll be something to cherish about and tell his future grandkids and great-grandkids - since you see, I am no believer in the Mayan prophesy. 

And who knows … given his passion for athletics and his being a prolific triple jumper as well, he may just hop, skip and jump over all those literary struggles, while slam-dunking his way through them at other times, guitar in hand!

But jokes apart … having read his maiden offering, I would say it's great to know that Abiral has chosen to become a writer - though for now an English Honours course in DU probably beckons.

He also has a passion for poetry - from the time he was a wide-eyed ten-year-old, and having read a few of those pieces, I am one of his creative cheerleaders. He already has several books floating in his head, so we are unlikely to ever find him polishing doorknobs instead of sitting down to write.

Frankly, we need genuine writers/authors and not adulterated ones, like some 'popular' writers (that includes a few so-called award winning ones as well) - that churn out soporific novels at regular intervals, yet deftly masquerade as 'best selling authors' and 'opinion makers' - dispensing it left, right and centre. What?

And oh, before I forget, Abiral is also the "mountain eagle" that delivered my letter to Ruskin - when that hardly working "mountain snail" did not.

If any of you wish to get in touch, his address is: me.abiral@gmail.com

Note: I will put up my review of The Lost Pearl of Paradise within a couple of days. So, do stay tuned!

Photograph: The mint fresh author himself.

There is no greater reward than this :)

The greatest compliments are unexpected indeed.

A schoolteacher - Lekshmy - wrote the following lines after reading my review of "Ruskin Bond's Book of Nature":

Dear Roshmi Sinha,
This is an amazing review. I am a school teacher and I was wondering how to inspire my students to read more than their English textbooks. In my English class I read the lines from your review and showed it to them. They were pretty much excited. So I typed three short stories of Ruskin Bond and uploaded it in the school website. They all enjoyed it very much. Now they all are fans of Ruskin Bond. Thank you very much for inspiring my students. I wanted you to know that you were the key that unlocked the door of a wonderful world for eighty two students.
Lekshmy

Her note made my year! I felt humbled and enthused beyond words. It was wonderful to know that the magical mystique of Bond's beautiful words and the lilting charm of his prose have lost none of their appeal. And the children are indeed fortunate to have a teacher like Lekshmy. No?

However, I also felt that she shouldn't be thanking me. She should thank Ruskin Bond instead - for writing such charming stories filled with warmth, gentle humour, adventure and serene wisdom - and for bringing such joy to our lives.

Therefore, I have taken the liberty to share his address with them and hopefully they will write to him - soon. All his 82 young fans! Wouldn't that be super exciting!

As for the master storyteller - he really is a class act!

I am now reading his Roads to Mussoorie and will be reading Landour Days next.

Photograph: Pic courtesy: link.

Delhi Is Not Far by Ruskin Bond.

Ruskin Bond steals into our thoughts and captures our hearts with his effortlessly charming stories. Having read a few of his books, I now know Bond's stories of rural India will stay with me forever. His is the quiet voice that leads to calm, restful communities and characters we feel we all know. I first heard of Ruskin Bond after a friend recommended him to me... when I was a schoolgirl - and I am eternally grateful.

Ruskin Bond - the name conjures up misty hills, lush green valleys, gurgling brooks, long languid stroll through the forests, small-town vibes and of course, Dehradun or simply Dehra. But one reading of 'Delhi Is Not Far' is not enough... to quench one’s thirst, so to speak. Bond's intensity of living, his joie de vivre and the breadth of his experiences are easily perceptible throughout each of his books... and that is Ruskin Bond's signature style. And it is infectious... I tell you!

'Delhi Is Not Far' is a 1994 collection of Bond's writings, from his first published poem ('Lost,' published in the Illustrated Weekly of India in 1952) to extracts from his more recent novels/novellas. Short stories, vignettes, travel pieces, poetry and two novellas are included in this collection. This is a sequel to his earlier two novellas - 'The Room on the Roof' and 'Vagrants in the Valley'. The narration is much like in the form of a diary... where the past, the present and the future crisscross effortlessly. A slow but charming story of a (imaginary?) town called Pipalnagar. I am yet to read 'Vagrants in the Valley' and am currently reading 'The Room on the Roof' which he wrote as a 17 year old boy way back in 1951. It was published when he was 21 and brought him the John Llewellyn Rhys Memorial Prize in 1957. I actually started off with this trilogy in reverse chronological order! The other day, I had been to Crossword and Reliance TimeOut (both bookstores) but 'Vagrants in the Valley' proved to be elusive. I guess I will have to try some other day. Instead I picked up 'Tales of the Open Road' by whom else but Ruskin Bond!

The narrator - Arun, a struggling writer of cheap Urdu thrillers, feels trapped in dull and dusty Pipalnagar, where nothing ever happens. He hopes to write a blockbuster one day, and escape to Delhi. Meanwhile, he falls in love with a young prostitute, Kamla, and befriends the homeless orphan, Suraj. Written in 1960 and published now for the first time as a stand-alone novella, 'Delhi Is Not Far' is a memorable story about desire, love and loss in small time India... where Delhi is the metaphor for 'dreams accomplished'.

Ruskin Bond has been writing for decades, quietly. He is not a recluse but does not make a song and dance about his books: novels, novellas, short story, poem, travelogue, essay... yet he has written on every genre for over half a century and counting. At the ninth edition of the Vodafone Crossword Book Awards held in Mumbai in Aug., 2010 the soft-spoken Bond was in a jocular mood, remarking how now that authors have become celebrities, they’d rather stay away from the limelight. "Writers are best read, but not seen in public, because most of them are not good-looking," he said, leaving the audience in splits. For Bond, anonymity has come at a hefty price. The author narrated an incident at a bookstore many years ago, when he spotted a copy of one of his books at the very bottom of a shelf. He reminisced, "Once in 1967, India Book House published a book of mine. Like every author I would go to the bookshop and look for my book. Once I went to a small bookshop in Shankar Nagar in Delhi. I found my book below a pile of Harold Robbins, who was a very popular author during those days. I looked around, making sure no one was watching, and removing my book from under the pile, placed it on top. The shopkeeper saw me and, replacing it back in its original position, said, Yeh chalta nahin hai! Well, to teach the bookshop owner a lesson I bought the book (chuckles)!"

Bond says his early work was fiction, short stories, and novella - some of it autobiographical. Then, when he was in his forties he started writing non-fiction, even children's books and that his favourite forms are essays and short stories. On being asked if he liked writing for children or adults he said, "I enjoy writing for both. I like writing funny stories for kids and making them laugh. Kids are very bright and it's great fun writing for them and interacting with them. For instance, in Delhi not long ago, a teacher asked a nine-year-old girl, 'What do you think of Mr. Bond as a writer?' Now that was quite a serious question. She looked at me, thought hard and said, 'You are not a bad writer.' I thought it was a great compliment (laughs)."

He says he has run out of ghosts, but will try to write more ghost stories and make them scarier. "Actually I write ghost stories when I run out of people and I have nothing else left to write. To be perfectly honest, I haven't yet met one though hill-stations are supposed to be the favourite haunt of ghosts" he states. His collection of ghost stories was roundly criticized by critics (who else!) but went into its 2nd edition the very next day. I guess critics should not take themselves and their jobs too seriously. What?

But his evocative stories set in small Hindi-speaking Indian towns and villages in the Himalayan foothills are delightful in the way that they capture the daily lives of common people, including gardeners, shopkeepers, tongawallas, sweepers and servants, kite makers, tea boys and street urchins. These stories tend to grow on you and bring to life a whole community forgotten by most Indian writers who generally like to set their books in the big cities/metros and target the multiplex crowd. While Bond's quiet humour and affection for the little people shines through in his writings... which stands apart from the big-noise books currently out there.

This book brings together some of Bond's best short stories. My favourites are the title story "Delhi is not far", for the way it shows even the poorest have aspirations and dreams; the beautiful "Time stops at Shamli", an evocative almost-love story; and "A job well done" where Dukhi, the gardener metes out a terrible, yet matter-of-fact revenge on a bullying master. The long neglected small towns of India are beginning to change now, with the arrival of cable television, mobile phones, designer clothes and a greater consumerism but Bond's stories have a timeless feel to them. I can still believe the characters that people his books are still there, eking out a difficult living.

Book Summary of Delhi Is Not Far: Momentous things happen elsewhere, in the big cities of Nehru's India. In dull and dusty Pipalnagar, each day is like another, and 'there is not exactly despair, but resignation'. Even the dreams here are small: if he ever makes it to Delhi, Deep Chand, the barber, will open a more up-to-date salon where he might, perhaps, give the Prime Minister a haircut; Pitamber will trade his cycle-rickshaw for the less demanding scooter-rickshaw; Aziz will be happy with a junk-shop in Chandni Chowk. None, of course, will make that journey to Delhi.

Adrift among them, the narrator, Arun, a struggling writer of detective novels in Urdu, waits for inspiration to write a blockbuster. One day he will pack his meagre belongings and take the express train out of Pipalnagar. Meanwhile, he seeks reassurance in love, and finds it in unusual places: with the young prostitute Kamla, wise beyond her years; and the orphan Suraj, homeless and an epileptic, yet surprisingly optimistic about the future.

Few authors write with greater sensitivity and skill about little India than Ruskin Bond. 'Delhi Is Not Far' is a memorable story about small lives, with all the hallmarks of classic Ruskin Bond prose: nostalgia, charm, underplayed humour and quiet wisdom.

This is yet another classic masterpiece by Ruskin Bond, I loved this book for its simple narration style and the way he pulls you into the story. Go for it... you will be well rewarded.

Details of the book: Book: Delhi Is Not Far/ Author: Ruskin Bond/ ISBN: 0144000954/ ISBN-13: 9780144000951, 978-0144000951/ Binding: Paperback/ Publishing Date: 10/26/2005/ Publisher: Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd/ Edition: 1st Edition/ Number of Pages: 120/ Price: Rs. 150/ Language: English.

Photograph: The book jacket cover: Ruskin Bond's novella 'Delhi Is Not Far'. Pic. courtesy: Link

Ruskin Bond's Book of Nature.

This one came along with the delightful 'Book of Humour'. Well, almost. They were separated by just 4 days. Which does not make them twins... even fraternal ones at that... but so what, both make for a very good read!

I finished reading this book a while back... and I wonder how Ruskin Bond manages to weave such simple, joyous tales all the time. Refreshing, fragrant with the smell of nature, and a charm that makes you want to read them again and again. They never let your interest drift or your mind to wander. This one is yet another gem from his treasure-trove. When you relax in your small verandah or on a garden seat, take this book with you and open it at any page. You will be well rewarded.

Having grown up in the hills, in the lap of nature... in once idyllic Mussourie, Kasauli, Shimla, Dehradun and Jamnagar... no one understands nature like Ruskin Bond and it takes his ability to put this wonder into words. He is indeed nature's favourite child. He has celebrated the wonder and beauty of nature as few other contemporary writers have, or indeed can... for over fifty years and counting. Apparently he has yet to lose faith in Indians. In 2009, a report was published which stated that he was seen going down to the Mall in the evenings and stopping drivers, pleading with them not to honk so much. Bond was 75 then. You have to be made of something special to be that age and yet optimistic about changing Indians. It is an indication of his love for the hills and for nature and speaks volumes of the incorrigible optimist that he is. He is a believer in universal culture. Only someone like him can weave such tales, given the serenity and lyricism of his prose. No one else can. For sure!

In these pages, he writes of leopards padding down the lanes of Mussoorie after dark, the first shower of the monsoon in Meerut that brings with it a tumult of new life, the chorus of insects at twilight outside his window, ancient banyan trees and the short-lived cosmos flower, a bat who strays into his room and makes a night less lonely. He captivates with his collection of nature pieces... not just from the Himalayan foothills that he has made his home, but also from the cities and small towns that he lived in or traveled through as a young man. And he is young at heart. Always. Forever. No wonder he has few equals. He shares a deep camaraderie with nature and his stories flow smoothly like a sparkling brook... no dramatic flourishes, no villains, ugly fights, in them. There is warmth and plenty of it and the simple pleasures of life... which make them so very endearing.

He is a painter of words. Bond uses his pen as a brush to paint captivating images of his observations on and his experiences with nature and beckons his readers into his imagination... like the sweet fragrance of a flower in full bloom during spring. A book that relaxes the eyes, rests the mind, lulls the noise and lets one drift into the idyllic life with nature that most of us are unable to lead... thanks to incessant 'development' made in the name of 'progress'. The 'Book of Nature' is liberally sprinkled with gentle humour and gives you the feeling... that you are having a one-on-one conversation with the narrator himself over a cup of freshly brewed filter coffee. Or even a cup of masala chai. It is very, very soothing... almost like a lullaby on a hot summer afternoon. While the fragrance of his words... lingers on and on and on.

Some snippets about Bond: Come every Saturday, the portly figure of Ruskin Bond can be seen at the Cambridge Book Store sipping hot tea and obliging autograph hunters. Opened in 1952, just two years after Bond finished his schooling, he fondly savours the nostalgia of this place.

"I still remember buying Agatha Christie's 'Death on the Nile' in 1965 for Rs. 3 from this store," says the creative writer strolling down memory lane, while having a cup of tea. Thanks to Bond's voracious appetite for words in black and white, the store has remained in business. "Bond is a loyal patron of our book shop and his presence provides readers a chance to interact with him," states 85-year-old LD Arora, the owner of the shop. Unfazed by tourists and their accompanying children, who keep pestering him for autographs, he revels in showing his funny side to all the visitors.

"His mere two hours presence at the shop sells about 50-100 books every Saturday," discloses Sunil Arora, the owner's son and a personal friend of Bond.

When Jalandhar's Vandana and Delhi's Shelly Jain hurriedly purchased Bond's books to get them signed, an avid soccer lover opted for his autograph on a Ronaldo picture. "I am also a Ronaldo fan," reveals the storyteller later, while trying to catch soap bubbles blown by playful children in the shop. Clad in a red jumper, the ageing writer still retains his loyal readers, who seem to keep increasing by the day.

"He has an elephant's memory," recalls a lady from Delhi, who had last met Bond 21 years ago during a visit to the hill town as a student of St Thomas' School and now seen getting a couple of Bond's books autographed for her children. Funnily, when the poor weather dampened Arora's business, it was a good time for writers, points out Bond giving slight heartburn to his friend. But how would he walk up to his Landour home without an umbrella?

Ergo, went the shop assistant and came with a bunch of colourful umbrellas. And Bond selected the obvious – the blue umbrella. Was that meant for Biniya - the 11 year old girl and the protagonist of his famous story 'The Blue Umbrella'? Well, nobody knows. (But as it turned out later, Bond's beloved Blue Umbrella had a gaping hole and had to be replaced).

In 2007, Bond's short story 'The Blue Umbrella' was made into a film... directed by Vishal Bharadwaj (of 'Kaminey' fame). It had a great lyrical feel and very good cinematography. As far as acting is concerned, Pankaj Kapoor, because of his tremendous histrionic skills, completely dominated the film.

Vishal liked another of his four-page short story, 'Susanna's Seven Husbands'. Bond expanded it into a 200-page piece, which could be filmed. The movie was titled 'Saat Khoon Maaf'... and the cast included Priyanka Chopra, Naseeruddin Shah, John Abraham, Irrfan Khan, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Anu Kapoor and Vivaan Shah. Bond's protagonist was a femme fatale who bumps off her seven husbands. He had to find ingenious ways of bumping seven people off while writing the story. According to Bond... that's something he cannot generally contemplate. Interestingly, during production, the film underwent two name changes. The project was initially titled 'Seven', which was then replaced by 'Ek Batta Saat' and finally 'Saat Khoon Maaf'.

It seems that the eminent author from Mussoorie is now enjoying his newfound love of acting in films nowadays. He shot a video, along with the noted Uttarakhandi singer Meena Rana recently. Ruskin Bond, speaking to The Tribune, said earlier he used to feel uncomfortable acting, but after his stint in 'Saat Khoon Maaf' directed by Vishal Bhardwaj, he is now getting used to the arc lights and the glamour world. However, his first love remains writing books, especially for children.

His novella 'A Flight of Pigeons', a story set in Shahjahanpur during the revolt of 1857 was made into 'Junoon' (1978)... starring Shashi Kapoor, Shabana Azmi, Nafisa Ali, Ismat Chughtai, Tom Alter, Deepti Naval, Jennifer Kendal, Pearl Padamsee, among others... and directed by Shyam Benegal. According to Bond... it was true to the story, only the ending was changed slightly. It was a good film, probably a bit too opulent. The acting, particularly Naseeruddin Shah's, was excellent.

Ruskin Bond has his modest home miles from the madding crowds in picture-postcard pretty Landour, a quaint little 'town' above Mussoorie. His tiny living room is filled with books, pictures and 'trophies'. The writer's familiar chubby face is now framed by hair that was 'more-salt-less-pepper' and combed neatly, like a schoolboy's. His eyes are sparkling blue, his complexion a healthy pink, and his smile ever so engaging. While his voice is deep and resonant. Bond has written in almost every genre - short story, novel, poem, travelogue, essay etc... and counts essays and short stories as his favourite forms. Prolific and popular, witty and wise, charming and cherubic, Ruskin Bond commands adulation across regions, age groups and gender. Here is a writer who has defied genres, challenged conventions and remained enduring and endearing down the years... and he believes that in order to become a good writer one has to be confident and perseverant. He says, "At times, when the chips are down and you are disappointed, you have to stick to this. I have seen young people who entered this field, but quit after some time and joined other creative streams like advertising or journalism. I stick to writing, since I had no other alternative."

Ruskin Bond Profile: Ruskin Bond (born 19 May 1934) is an Indian author of British descent. He is considered to be one of the icons among Indian writers and children's authors and a top novelist.

In 1992, he received the Sahitya Akademi award for English writing, for his short stories collection, Our Trees Still Grow in Dehra, by the Sahitya Akademi (India's National Academy of Letters). He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1999 for contributions to children's literature. He now lives with his adopted family in Mussoorie.

Ruskin Bond was born in Kasauli (Himachal Pradesh). His father was Aubrey Alexander Bond who served in the RAF during World War II. He had one sister and brother – Ellen and William Bond. When the writer was 4, his mother separated from his father and married a Punjabi-Hindu Mr Hari who himself was married once. At the age of 10, Ruskin went to his grandmother's place in Dehradun. He has been living in Landour since the 1960s, and has previously stayed at Shimla, Jamnagar, Mussoorie, Dehradun, and London.

Details of Book: Ruskin Bond's Book Of Nature/ Author: Royina Grewal/ Pages: 312/ ISBN: 0143064231/ ISBN-13: 9780143064237, 978-0143064237/ Publishing Date: 06/01/2008/ Publisher: Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd./ Price: Rs. 299/- (paperback).

Photograph: Pic courtesy: link.

The name is Bond. Ruskin Bond!

I am already on my third blog.

I am getting to be quite a prolific blogger now. Which surprises me. It took me three months to get the better of procrastination and here I am writing my third blog in less than three days! Not bad at all!

The great tennis player John McEnroe once said 'I'll let the racket do the talking'. Taking a leaf out of his book, I'll let my blog do all the talking!

I have been choosing diverse topics for my blog. You see, "Change" is the buzzword these days. Infact, Barack Obama made "Change" the Numero Uno word for the year 2008 and he has yet to become the official President of the US of A. Hence, even though officially 'Change' is yet to replace yet another word, rather alphabet 'W' (Dubyaman still rules), "Change has come to America" to quote Obama again. To quote the celebrated actor, director, environmentalist and Hollywood Icon Robert Redford, "Change is in the air. Change is, of course, inevitable. It could bring good times. It could bring bad times."

We all know, America is the sole super-power. Therefore, I conclude that even I have been bitten by the "Change" bug! Its no longer 'its easy to catch a cold', rather 'its easy to change!'

I have chosen to write about Bond in this blog. No... not James Bond. This is the other bond, Ruskin Bond, and he is quite famous in his own right. Yes Sir, he is! Well, in the same breath, Yes Madam, he is! I am all for equal opportunity/affirmative action!

Infact, I will write about his book published last year - 'Book of Humour'. It is a book I can read over and over again. And... so can you.

I think it was published in January/February 2008 and like a true blue fan, I immediately hot-footed it to the nearest book-store to grab a copy. Talk about exercising the mind and body together or should I say 'multi-tasking?!' Or even 'Time management!'

Ruskin Bond was born in Kasauli, Himachal Pradesh, in 1934, and grew up in Jamnagar (Gujarat), Dehradun and Shimla. In course of a writing career spanning forty years, he has written over a hundred short stories, essays, novels and more than thirty books for children. He has also published two volumes of autobiography, 'Scenes from a Writer's Life', which describes his formative years growing up as an Anglo-Indian in India. His first novel 'Room on the Roof', written when he was only seventeen, received the "John Llewellyn Rhys Memorial Prize" in 1957. Quite an achievement for a teenager! 'Vagrants In The Valley' was also written in his teens and it picked up from where 'The Room On The Roof' left off.

He received the "Sahitya Akademi" award for his publications in English in India and was awarded the "Padma Shree" in 1999.

Ruskin Bond is one of my favourite authors. His work is published by Penguin Books India. It is common knowledge that it is every authors dream to have their work published by Penguin.

He is one of the greatest storyteller/writer and I do not mean in the Indian context only. I feel, he has not got his due. Generation after generation of people have grown up and continue to grow up and still read his books. There is an invisible 'bond' between him and his readers. He is quite a poet too. I would say, he is our resident "Robert Frost" or "William Wordsworth" in prose.

His 'Book of humour' is actually divided into 5 parts/sections, all of them inter-woven with the narrative. He is not named 'Bond' for nothing!

'Crazy Relatives,' 'Crazy Creatures,' 'Crazy Places,' 'Crazy People' and 'Crazy Writer' are these five sections.

Playful tigers, elephants, crows, ghosts and old favorites like Uncle Ken, Miss Bun, the author's slightly eccentric grandfather and Bond himself weave in and out of the pages of this wildly eclectic, thoroughly delightful and absolutely irresistible book.

Uncle Ken is quite a character. He leads a charmed life and has no worries about earning a living. Having been blessed with several doting sisters, he is a frequent unannounced 'guest' at the author's grandmother's place too. That way, he never quite has to earn his keep either! The author's grandmother nevertheless is concerned about his future and tries to get him some job every now and then. Quite easy ones at that. But, Uncle Ken manages to 'lose' them all with such alacrity that everyone seems to have given up on him as being a 'fool'.

But is he really?

The author's slightly eccentric grandfather cannot be missed either. With his penchant for 'collecting pets' of all shapes and sizes, hiding them away from the ever-watchful eyes of the author's granny. He is another enduring character. Ruskin Bond must have had a very interesting time growing up in the hills, moving from one adventure to another surrounded by these 'characters' and much more. Most of us would have gladly exchanged places with him.

Marked by the signature charm and underplayed humour of one of India's best loved writers, Ruskin Bond's 'Book of Humour' succeeds in making even the hardened among us crack a smile. A delectable offering from a writer who not only knows how to make us laugh but also knows how to laugh at himself. The reader will have a gentle smile that will never cease all through the book and will linger on ones lips even after the last page has been read.

Bond's subtle wit weaves its magic again!

I am now looking forward to reading 'Ruskin Bond's Book of Nature'.

Photograph: The cover page of Ruskin Bond's 'Book of Humour'.