Ruskin Bond- An Endearing Personality

Ravi Valluri

My name is Bond. Ruskin Bond.

James Bond, 007 the secret agent, double agent and counter agent is the peerless British Secret Service fictional character created by Ian Fleming in 1953. Spectre is the 24th movie in the series and the roles have been essayed by several stunningly handsome and gifted actors like Daniel Craig, Sean Connery, Pierce Brosnon, Roger Moore, David Niven and Barry Nelson among others.

The other Bond is not a fictional character, but flesh and blood person. He is Ruskin Bond. The celebrated author (was born on May 19th a Taurine in 1934) perhaps not so well known in England he is an extremely gifted Anglo- Indian writer born in Kasauli (nestled in the Shivalik Hills) a quintessentially quaint, British kind of habitat in Himachal Pradesh which was bequeathed to thenatives by the Raj. This is where Khushwant Singh used to spend his summers, ruminate, think about the opposite sex in an animated manner, have his peg of whisky and produce prolific literature .

Among prominent English writers of Indian origin like Nirad C Chaudhury, VS Naipaul, Khushwant Singh, RK Narayan and so many more, Ruskin Bond (the endearing and enduring Bond) and RK Narayan are protuberant for their remarkable simplicity.

Ruskin Bond writes, “To be able to laugh and to be merciful are the only things that make man better than beast.”

His English parents (Edith Clarke and Aubrey) were born in India. His siblings were William and Elen. Pangs and twinges of loneliness are reflected in his writings so are ghosts, plants, children, hills and animals. His parents separated when he was barely four. At this crucial juncture, his grandmother stepped in and raised him till he was ten at Dehradun.

His father Aubrey Alexander Bond, tutored princely subjects in India and Ruskin also happened to spend some part of his early childhood at Jamnagar in Gujarat. Today, Jamnagar is the centre of world’s largest oil refining –hub, run by the Reliance Petrochemical Industry. Ruskin Bond was schooled at the Bishop Cotton School at Shimla from where he graduated in 1951. That year at the tender age of 16 he forayed into the literary world by writing a short story called the “Untouchables”.

When war broke out, Ruskin’s father joined the Royal Airforce where he worked from 1939 to 1944 and his mother migrated to Dehradun (in the present-day Uttarakhand).

His father succumbed to jaundice in Calcutta (Kolkata). At that point in time father and son could barely correspond and interact as the illustrious son was being schooled at Shimla.

Ruskin Bond pored over the letters of his father and wept in a hushed corner. He could not attend his father’s funeral. This was a cruel and brutish blow to the youngster. Several winters later in circa 2011, he stumbled upon his father’s grave in Kolkata.

Meanwhile seeds of resentment grew in Ruskin while interacting with his Panjabi Hindu businessman stepfather. His mother and the new father had settled in Dehradun and that is where he spent his summer vacations. It was almost fortuitous that a writer was born. There was a tremendous biological need to dabble with ink and pen.

After his schooling, wanderlust drove Ruskin to England and the strapping young lad of 17 years sailed to that distant land. There were some relatives in London, including his aunt. He stayed on in England till 1955 and wrote his first novel, ‘The Room on the Roof” against an Indian background. The novel received acclaim and was awarded though he did not receive the prize as he had left the English shores by then.

What prompted Ruskin Bond not to join the hallowed Civil Services? May be divine willed it that way. Had he done so, then who would have produced this copious literary output.

The Ruskin Bond’s writings have ranged from seamless love stories, to the colour and mystique of romance and he is presently focussing on mirth and humour.

“I love watching children grow. You cannot be a serious writer if you are not interested in people. I find people interesting so that I can’t get bored. Age has not taken a toll on my writing but on my tummy” guffaws Ruskin Bond.

The literary giant was feted with John Llewelly Rhy Prize in 1952(for Untouchables), Sahitya Akademi Award in 1992, Padma Sri in 1999 and with Padma Bhushan in in 2014. His first novel was followed by a sequel “Vagrants in The Valley”. He has written more than 45 books and among them 30 books for children.

Some of his prominent works include “A flight of pigeons “(which was filmed by Shyam Benegal as a national award winner Junoon), Sensationalist, ‘Time Stops at Shamli’ and ‘Shooting at Mango Top’.

While the British laid the foundations of the life line of our nation (the railways), Ruskin Bond though not suffering from hodophobia remained a poor traveller. He was prone to water-borne diseases, frequent skin eruptions and could not easily embrace unfamiliar food. He was however fascinated by railway platforms, be it at Kalka or Saharanpur. This fascination led to works like “A Night Train at Deoli”, “The Woman on Platform 8 “, “The Tunnel” and “The Eyes Have It.” He was equally fascinated with the bookstalls located on the platforms.

As he spent large part of his life at hill stations, including presently at Landour (Mussorie), his writings have been influenced by events which enveloped him and have traces of melancholia and gentleness about them.

“I may not be a great writer, but I hope that some readers will pick up and hold my works like a round pebble they have found on the beach,” writes Ruskin Bond.

While one Bond (the super spy) unleashes the gun, and philanders with voluptuous women of the world, the other Bond wields the pen and writes charming and endearing stories.

Also Read: India Much Cleaner After Swachh Bharat Mission: Ruskin Bond