Ruskin Bond is an eminent contemporary Indian writer of British descent.

He prolifically
authored inspiring children’s books and was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award to honor
his work of literature.

Born on May 19, 1934, in Kasauli, India, he was the son of Edith Clarke and Aubrey Bond.
His father served in the Royal Air Force and frequently moved from places to places along
with his son. When he was eight, his parents separated and his mother left him. She married
to a Punjabi-Hindu. Bond had a complicated relationship with his mother, who was rarely
there to offer him affection and they eventually grew distant. His father’s undivided attention
helped him grow. He felt loved and secure but his tragic departure from his life left him
lonely and broken. Following the sudden demise of his father, he moved to Dehradun where
his grandmother raised him. He received his early education from Bishop Cotton School in
Shimla. During his school years he won several writing competitions, including the Hailey
Literature Prize and the Irwin Divinity Prize. In 1952, he completed his graduation and
moved to England and stayed at his aunt’s house for four years.

The first twenty years of his life groomed him to be a good writer as it developed his
personality in such a way. Despite his suffering and lonely childhood, Bond developed an
optimistic outlook on life. He chose the path of becoming an earnest writer that his father
wished him to follow. Therefore, he found solace in reading books that habit was also
inculcated in him by his father. Some of his favorite reads include T. E. Lawrence, Charles
Dickens, Charlotte Brontë and Rudyard Kipling.

At the age of 17 in London, he began to write his first novel, The Room on the Roof. The
novel charts the life of an orphaned Anglo-Indian teenager. He runs away to live with his
friends as he escapes the tyranny of his strict guardian. The book has a strong
autobiographical element as it’s based on his actual experiences living in a small rented room
on the roof in Dehradun. It was not published until he was twenty-one. He was awarded John
Llewellyn Rhys Memorial prize for his first novel. Its success gave him an impetus to write
its sequel Vagrants in the Valley.
Subsequently, he returned to India and worked as a journalist in Delhi and Dehradun for a few years.
Later, he relocated to a town in the Himalayan foothills, Mussoorie, where he pursued freelance
writing since 1963. His essays and articles were published in numerous magazines, such as The
Pioneer, The Leader, The Tribune and The Telegraph. Till now he has written over three hundred
short stories, essays and novels and over thirty children’s books. Additionally, he penned two
autobiographical volumes; Scenes from a Writer’s Life  and The Lamp is Lit; Leaves from a Journal.
The first one details his formative years in India and the second one is based on journal entries,
essay collection and episodes about his years making it as a freelance writer.

Some of other notable works of Ruskin Bond include Blue Umbrella, A Flight of Pigeons  and  Funny
Side Up. His works have also been adapted for television and film. A BBC TV-series is based on his
debut novel, short story “Susanna’s Seven Husbands” was adapted into a film as 7 Khoon Maaf and
film Junoon  is inspired by his A Flight of Pigeons.

Early Life and Childhood of Ruskin Bond

Ruskin Bond was born on 19 May 1934 in Kasauli, Punjab State Agency, British
India. His father, Aubrey Alexander Bond was an English teacher and had taught
English to the Princess of Jamnagar Palace. Ruskin’s mother, Edith Clarke was a
homemaker. He had a sister named Ellen who sadly died in 2014. He has also a
brother, William Bond who lives in Canada. Ruskin grew up with his family in Kasauli
till he was six-year. Thereafter, his father joined the Royal Air Force in 1939, and the
rest of his family needed to live at Ruskin’s maternal home in Dehradun.

His father was his everything. Although, unhappily his father died in 1944 due to Malaria
disease. At that time, Ruskin was in a boarding school in Shimla and was thoroughly
heartbroken after knowing about this tragedy. He then grew up with his mother and
stepfather in Dehradun.
Education of Ruskin Bond
Ruskin Bond started his elementary education at Bishop Cotton School in Shimla.
He was a very studious and intelligent student in his school. He was extra fabulous
in literature and writing. Following this, he has been awarded two big awards in his
school time.

Those are Irwin Divinity Prize and Hailey Literature Prize. Ruskin graduated from
Bishop Cotton School in 1950 and started his career.

Begin of Ruskin Career

Ruskin Bond begins his career with his first novel, The Room on the Roof. The novel
consists of an autobiographical story of an orphaned Anglo-Indian boy name, Rusty.
For his writing, he was awarded the JohnLlewellyn Thys Prize in 1957. He then
moved to London and worked in a photo studio yet he searched for a publisher. After
publishing his novels, he used his money to come back to India and settled in
Dehradun.

Ruskin worked as a freelancer for a few years in Delhi and Dehradun. He wanted to
stabilize himself financially and he succeeded to do it. He wrote several short stories
and poems for newspapers and magazines. This helped him sustaining himself
financially. Once he said that, in my 20s, sometimes I got lucky and some work got
selected and I earned a few hundred rupees. I was just very happy to be doing what
I loved doing best. Back in 1963, Ruskin Bond moved back to Mussoorie because it
was near to the editors and publishers in Delhi.

Rise of Ruskin Career and Popularity

In 1980, an Indian book and story publishing company established name, Penguin. The
company approached Ruskin to write some books for them. Thereafter, he wrote the sequel of
The Room on the Roof in 1965 and named Vagrants in the Valley. Both of the novels at a
time by the Penguin India in 1993. Further, the company published a collection of his non-
fictional writings, The Best of Ruskin Bond  in the same year.
Ruskin has always an interest in supernatural fiction writings and this led him to write several
stories including, Ghost Stories from the Raj, A Face in the Dark, A Season of Ghosts, and
many more. After these, Ruskin Bond has written over 500 short stories, essays, and novels.

Who is Ruskin Bond?

Ruskin Bond is an award winning Indian author of British descent, much
renowned for his role in promoting children’s literature in India. A prolific writer,
he has written over 500 short stories, essays and novels. His popular novel
‘The Blue Umbrella’ was made into a Hindi film of the same name which was
awarded the National Film Award for Best Children's Film, in 2007. He is also
the author of more than 50 books for children and two volumes of
autobiography. Born as the son of a British couple when India was under
colonial rule, he spent his early childhood in Jamnagar and Shimla. His
childhood was marred by his parents’ separation and his father’s death. He
sought solace in reading and writing, and wrote one of his first short stories at
the age of 16. He then moved to the U.K. in search of better prospects, but
returned to India after some years. He earned his living by freelancing as a
young man, writing short stories and poems for newspapers and magazines.
A few years hence he was approached by Penguin Books who published
several collections of his work, helping establish him as a popular author in
India. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1999 and Padma Bhushan in 2014.

Ruskin Bond never married. He lives with his adopted family in Mussoorie.

Ruskin Bond received the Sahitya Academy Award in 1992 for ‘Our Trees Still
Grow in Dehra’.
He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1999 and Padma Bhushan in 2014.

Few Ruskin Bond Stories set in the Hills

The Blue Umbrella’
The novel ‘The Blue Umbrella’ is one of his best known works. The story is
about a little girl who trades her old leopard claw necklace for a pretty, frilly
blue umbrella. Set in a small village in Himachal Pradesh, it is a simple yet
heartwarming story which was later adapted into a Hindi film by Vishal
Bhardwaj and a comic by Amar Chitra Katha publications.
2.The Hidden Pool 

Laurie, an English boy in a small hill town in India, strikes up an unlikely friendship
with Anil and Kamal. One day, the three discover a secret pool near the mountain
side. There, they plan their latest escapade yet- a trek to the Pindari Glacier, where
no one from their place has gone before
The Wind on Haunted Hill 

On a stormy evening, in search of shelter, Usha rushes into the ruins on Haunted
Hill, grim and creepy. Inside the tin roof groans, strange shadows are thrown against
the wall and little Usha shivers with fear because she isn’t alone. This book is a
typical Bond-style horror with chilling descriptions along with subtle humour.

9. Rusty, The Boy from the Hills 

This book narrates the stories of Rusty, a quiet, imaginative and sensitive boy who
lives in his grandparents’ house in pre-Independence Dehradun. Though he is not
the adventurous sort himself, the strangest and most extraordinary things keep
happening around him, and so the stories he has to tell are simply fascinating. This
book follows the most exciting years in Rusty’s life – early childhood to early teens.
Ruskin Bond created Rusty to spin stories about his own past.

10. Rain in the Mountains: Notes from the Himalayas (Claim the book)

Rain in the Mountains is a collection of stories, snippets, essays and poems penned
by Ruskin Bond after having lived in many small towns across the Himalayas. When
it describes the beauty of Himalayan wilderness, this book will strike a chord even
with those who are very unfamiliar with nature’s beauty. Vivid descriptions of clear
blue skies, chirping skylarks and sparkling streams make this book an excellent
companion for contemplation and quiet reading.
11. A Face in the Dark 

Ruskin Bond once famously said that while he does not believe in ghosts, he sees
them all the time- in the woods, in a bar, in a crowd outside a cinema. A Face in the
Dark is a collection of supernatural tales narrated in a very natural manner. The
stories have eerie settings such as a spooky pine forest, an abandoned cemetery
and a haunted house.

Role of Hills in Ruskin Bond Stories

Ruskin Bond’s stories portray the struggles and simplicity of the people of the Garhwal
Himalayas, his adopted home

A number of his stories are set in and around Dehradun and the
Mussoorie Hills.