Böcker av Ruskin Bond

Tall and sturdy, their leaves gently rustling in the wind, trees form the backbone of life on Earth. They never discriminate between life forms while welding them from the heat or showering them with their bounty. But these providers of life have always been taken for granted, chopped down or burnt to ashes to accommodate the March of modernity. In this book, Ruskin Bond gives a humane touch to these gentle giants, from the legendary Willows, who do more than 'weep', to the godlike deodars, who are forever trying to reach the heavens to live up to their name. Through captivating quotations and classic illustrations, The trees of Dehra will remind you that endangering these silent chroniclers of the past will endanger the future of our planet too.

'I thought of running away with Kamla. When I mentioned it to her, her eyes lit up. She thoughtit would be great fun. Women in love can be more reckless than men! But I had read too manystories about runaway marriages ending in disaster, and I lacked the courage to go through withsuch an adventure. I must have known instinctively that it would not work. Where would we go,and how would we live? There would be no home to crawl back to, for either of us.'Seldom do we come across a person who leaves behind an impression on our very being. Call itbeing enamoured or moved, the memories we shared with them can catch us unawares even yearsdown the line. It is not for the world to decipher what bond we shared and nurtured with them, orhow real or surreal it was. This is our secret alone, meant to be kept close to the heart.In The Girl on the Train, we see tales of longing and lost bonds being traced again in Ruskin Bond'ssimplistic narration. With these stories, you might once again walk down the memory lane of allthose cherished moments gone by.

Mystery, drama, and a hint of the supernatural are all expertly woven together in this compelling story set in the hills.

'I've come to see you, ' she said. 'For a long, long time, I hope.' And I took her by the hand and led her into my home, my garden of books.

'Granny was a genius. You'd like to know why? Because she could climb trees. Spreading or high

'What should he be like, this lost man? A romantic, a man with a dream, a man with brown skin and blue eyes, living in a hut on a snowy mountaintop... a man who owed allegiance to no one... who was his own master, who lived at one with nature knowing no fear. But that was not Major Roberts-that was the man I wanted to be.' It is believed that the foundation of every good relationship-platonic or otherwise-is friendship. The familiarity and ease that grow in friendships is what get many of us through a hard day. But it is not just the long-lasting associations that help us through life; it is also the acquaintances that we collect along the way. People are a sum of parts-of ephemeral yet significant encounters, and enduring and monumental intimacies. What makes a person whole is all the parts of themselves- good, wonderful, bad, ugly. In The Yellow Umbrella, with the story titled the same that has never appeared in print before, Ruskin Bond takes us down memory lane with nuggets from his past. The parts that made him who he is: unattainable love, intriguing friends, sturdy companions and books that help us through a rainy day.

His tales of India are fresh yet age-old; the scents, sights and languor of the Indian scene have rarely been captured with such ease and authority?'-National Herald 'Ruskin Bond has a magnificently simple and immensely moving style, compassion and a love and reverence for life'-Indian Express 'A writer of great gifts.'- New Statesman One of the country's foremost writers.'- Sunday Chronicle 'The country's best-loved English-language storyteller...seldom disappoints his readers... If you want the...pleasures of a good story, you can't go wrong with Bond.'- Live Mint One of India's best-loved storytellers.'- The Hindu The twenty-one stories in the book are the greatest pieces of fiction written by Ruskin Bond. Chosen by the author himself, from a body of work built over fifty years (starting with his award-winning first novel, The Room on the Roof, and ending with Tales of Fosterganj) this collection includes well-known masterpieces like 'The Night Train at Deoli', 'The Woman on Platform No 8', 'Rusty Plays Holi' (from The Room on the Roof), 'Angry River', 'The Blue Umbrella', 'The Eyes Have It', 'Most Beautiful', 'Panther's Moon', as well as newer stories like 'An Evening at the Savoy with H.H.' (from Maharani) and 'Dinner with Foster' (from Tales of Fosterganj). Taken together, the stories in A Gathering of Friends show why Ruskin Bond has long been regarded as one of the pillars of Indian literature. This is a book that will delight his legions of fans as well as those lucky few who are new to his fiction.

One of India's finest and most prolific writers, Ruskin Bond has been putting pen to paper for well over six decades. Since The Room on the Roof-his award-winning debut novel which introduced readers to the unforgettable Rusty, the orphan from Dehradun-Bond has created characters both charming and eccentric, which have endured in popular imagination. And, in what is perhaps his most towering achievement, Bond has brought to pulsing life the mountains, valleys and rivers of Garhwal, as well as the quiet magic of small, tucked-away places, in book after book.The Writer on the Hill is a comprehensive selection of Bond's fiction and non-fiction, both popular and little-known. In 'Masterji', a young man meets his old Hindi teacher on a train platform, in handcuffs. In the excerpt from The Room on the Roof, Rusty stands up to his bullying guardian. 'Man and Leopard' describes, in mesmerizing prose, a heart-breaking encounter between man and the wild. And, in 'Once upon a Mountain Time', Bond creates a charming portrait of his little patch of earth in Mussoorie.A tribute to one of the most popular and loved writers of India, The Writer on the Hill is also a celebration of the quiet, unhurried life, lived at one's own pace. This volume will delight Bond's fans everywhere.

As a writer, I have difficulty in doing justice to momentous events, the wars of nations, the politics of power; I am more at ease with the dew of the morning, the sensuous delights of the day, the silent blessings of the night, the joys and sorrows of children, the strivings of ordinary folk and, of course, the ridiculous situations in which we sometimes find ourselves.'We often view the daily happenings around us as ignorable; as things that aren't really worthy of being remembered, cherished or recorded. Little do we realize that these days make us who we are, becoming important milestones in our lives where we form eternal bonds, branch out of our comfort zones, experience our first heartbreaks, dream big dreams as well as get struck by failures. It is these ordinary days that contain things, people and moments, that are perhaps, the most magical entities in our lives. In Adventures in Reading, Ruskin Bond weaves together personal memories and his turbulent yet uplifting journey as a writer. His own experiences as well as the diverse characters in his tales teach us not just various lessons on human nature and relationships, but also to make the most of our daily lives.

Ruskin Bond is a master of the short story. This pitch-perfect collection brings together the very best tales he has written in the twenty-first century. The book starts with the title story, 'Song of the Forest', which has never been published before, and includes extraordinary pieces of fiction like 'A Man Called Brain', 'Rhododendrons in the Mist', and 'Miracle at Happy Bazaar'. Dazzling, comic, and gripping, Song of the Forest is the latest masterpiece from India's most beloved writer.

It was a small island in the middle of a big river, and just large enough for Sitaand her grandparents to live with their three goats, the hens, a vegetable patchand a peepul tree. But one day, the river fl ooded and took everything with it,including Sita.How will Sita survive when the angry river sweeps her away? Find out in thisclassic story of courage and friendship, now in a brand new look.

'Unable to stand the whole weary and sordid business, Mr Fennimore hit upon a solution.Loading his revolver, he moved to his wife's bedside and shot her through the head.'It is the many myths and legends that make a place interesting. With the beautiful tales of nature's gifts, there exist stories of nature's wrath. There exist stories of spooky, haunted housesand of forests where ghosts dwell. There will be naysayers who will deny the existence of the paranormal, but it is the mystery of the unknown that attracts a traveller to a destination.In Legends of the Hill, Ruskin Bond puts together a selection of stories and personal essays that take us into this world of the unknown that lives among the majestic hills. From girls who disappear from dilapidated train stations and murder mysteries that remain unsolved, to lovers who live on as ghosts-a world of intrigue awaits!

'But Miss Gamla did not like small boys. Or big boys, for that matter. She placed us high on her list of pests, along with monkeys (who raided her kitchen), sparrows (who shattered her sweetpeas) and goats (who ate her geraniums). We did none of these things, being strictly fun-loving creatures; but we did make a lot of noise, spoiling her afternoon siesta.'We often look back at our time as children and think about them as the good old days-days full of mischief, wonder, curiosity and adventure. These are the days when we form lifelong bonds and make memories that become our balm on the hard days that life throws at us. These are the carefree days of galivanting, letting your imagination run wild and formulating grand plans.In Boys Will Be Boys, Ruskin Bond puts together a collection of stories and personal essays that capture the magical days of childhood. From adventures with wild animals and running amuck in ponds to finding ways of surviving algebra, a world of adventure awaits!

Ruskin Bond, Indias most loved author, puts together his favourite sayings, aphorisms and quotations in this delightful little book on life and living. Drawing on his own observations and life experiences and those of his favourite authors, he presents thoughts on nature, friendship, love, family, money, enemies in short, pithy statements. This is a book you can dip into anytime, and come up with something that will make you smile or think with its wit and gentle common sense.

The Shadow on the Wall brings together Ruskin Bond's most chilling works of fright and terror. The twenty-one stories in this book include classics such as 'A Face in the Dark', 'The Chakrata Cat', and 'Susanna's Seven Husbands', along with a dose of eerie new tales that have never been published before. In 'The Shadow on the Wall', a young writer finds an unlikely first reader in a ghost; 'The Doppelgänger' is a creepy account of beings that occupy two places at once; 'Haunted Places' is a spooky look at the world around us. From horrifying stories of chance encounters with hill station spirits, hauntings in abandoned mansions, malignant and mischievous jinns and shape-shifters, to prets and Mussoorie's Bhoot-aunty, the twenty-one tales in The Shadow on the Wall showcase Ruskin Bond's talent as a master of horror fiction.

After class hours, or whenever I was free, I would slip into the library and sit amongst these hundreds of books, reading them, arranging them, cataloguing them or just being with them. Here I made many lifelong friends.'' There are many who as they grow older, long to reach out to their friends from school. And then there are others who are lucky enough to have friends from school as a constant presence in their life. As we grow older and embrace (or at least try to) the myriad aspects of adult life, we often like to look back at our school days and reminisce about ''simpler times''. The bonds we make in school are some of the most cherished relationships of our life, and are often what brings us solace on a hard day. In My School on the Hill, Ruskin Bond brings us a collection of short stories that remind us of the beauty, the excitement, the joy, the confusion and the love we felt as schoolgoing children. From cricket matches in random empty fields, to Boy Scouts adventures, to finding peace in the quiet school library-this book has something for anyone looking for a moment of joy

'The adventure is not in getting somewhere, it's the on-the-way experience. It is not the expected; it's the surprise. Not the fulfilment of prophecy, but the providence of something better than that prophesied.' The world has a lot to offer to the people who seek new experiences and are curious about the places, each distinctly unique, that makes up the world and the people that inhabit these places. Although one lifetime is not enough to visit and know every place in the world, we have books that introduce us to new cultures, foods and peoples. In All about My Walkabouts, Ruskin Bond offers us delightful stories from his travels around the world. From the stories from Indian hills, to the streets of London, to small towns in India like Mathura and Meerut, this book is for children and adults alike.

I needed a friend but it was not easy to find one among a horde of rowdy, pea-shooting fourth formers, who carved their names on desks and stuck chewing gum on the class teacher's chair. Had I grown up with other children, I might have developed a taste for schoolboy anarchy; but, in sharing my father's loneliness after his separation from my mother, I had turned into a premature adult.' There is no telling where friendships might be made and how. Friends of My Youth is a collection of short stories by Ruskin Bond on how little and almost seemingly insignificant incidents of life can lead us to the person in whom we may find a companion, a comrade. These are the stories of how unknowingly, at times, friends are found and how they help eliminate our loneliness or become partners in crime in our personal missions. Narrated with utter simplicity, the tales make for a delightful remembrance of the friends made in the early years of life.