A beautifully written account of the childhood of one of India's favourite writers
'I am now over eighty years old. A very grand age, when I am allowed to sit back and listen to birds, examine the shapes of mountain ranges, and let my mind wander. These days I find my thoughts going back to my childhood all the time…We become like little children when we are old!'
In this beautiful, heartfelt and often humorous mini-autobiography, beloved storyteller Ruskin Bond relives the days of his childhood and teenage. He writes of carefree days in the port city of Jamnagar where little boy Ruskin read books upside down, wandered into rambling empty palaces, went for rides on lurching boats and in swooping, looping aeroplanes, and listened to tall tales told by a loving ayah and a colourful cook. He also describes his schooldays in Shimla-being dressed up as Humpty Dumpty for his very first stage performance, making friends, planning pranks and discovering a secret tunnel. He remembers his days in Delhi, where he lived with his father for one magical year when they explored monuments and cinema halls and became each other's closest companions. And he recalls his time in Dehra when he developed his love of reading and writing, cycled far and wide and loafed in the bazaar with new-found friends, and finally set out on the path of becoming a writer.
Funny and imaginative, nostalgic and tender, this timeless book-embellished with lovely colour illustrations-is a record of a very special childhood.
About the Author
Ruskin Bond was born in Kasauli in 1934, and grew up in Jamnagar, Dehradun, Delhi and Shimla. He lived in England for four years, returning to India in 1955. He is the author of over a hundred books of fiction, non-fiction and poetry. Among them are The Room on the Roof, A Flight of Pigeons, The Night Train at Deoli, Time Stops at Shamli, The Blue Umbrella, Rain in the Mountains, A Book of Simple Living, Friends in Wild Places and Lone Fox Dancing. He received the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize in 1956, the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1993, the Padma Shri in 1999 and the Padma Bhushan in 2014. He lives in Landour, Mussoorie with his adopted family.
Sunaina Coelho (Illustrator) grew up in New Delhi and studied at the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad. She currently lives in Kochi, with her husband Fahad Faizal and their baby boy.
She and Fahad have a company called Babakiki, where they create animated and illustrated products for various companies. In her free time she enjoys exploring cuisines, books and most importantly, the outdoors.
Loading...
