The name is Bond....... Ruskin Bond

Meeting the wordsmith

The drive up to Landour in Mussorie is breathtaking, it's as if you are in another world another era, far removed from the Mussorie mall with its' chana sellers, the rickshaws and the telescope walas who want to show you the 'points' through their vintage telescopes.

We so much wanted to meet the old wordsmith Ruskin Bond, he and Mussorie go together like Dehradun and stick jaws from  Elloras. The wife had done a neat piece of detective work, she searched internet links and phone numbers and finally got through to Sunil Arora the proprietor of the Cambridge Bookstall on Mussorie mall.

We were a little let down when Sunil told us that Rendezvous with Ruskin Bond is on Saturdays  where visitors can meet the old gent and get their autographs and photos. We would be reaching Mussorie on Sunday and would miss the rendezvous.

Sunil is such a wonderful person, he heard the disappointment in our voices and told us that he would speak with Sir (that's how he addresses Ruskin) and see if he would agree to meet us at his home in Landour.

You should have seen the smiles on our faces when Sunil told us that Ruskin Bond would meet us at his home, wow!!

 

We set off eagerly on the short taxi ride  up the winiding road to Landour, clutching the books that we wanted autographed, my daugher had taken along a small box of chocolates for the author. We climbed up the red steps to his house, not knowing what to expect

Ruskin Bond himself greeted us warmly,  the gold rimmed glasses highlighting the twinkling childlike blue eyes and made us comfortable in the small and cosy living room. He was wearing a dressing gown, it was similar to the one my grandfather used to wear on winter mornings. Ruskin coughed a little as we talked about the weather and how last night's rain had lowered the temperature.

The conversation moved on to his early life, how he became an author and published his book 'Room on the Roof' at the age of seventeen. He spoke of his time at school when the emphasis used to be on building a strong body through sports and a strong character, aided along the way by a whack on the ears of the quick address of the master's cane. Ruskin told us how rival schools would tease them by calling their school Bishop Woollens instead of Bishop  Cottons.

He told us about his days in Delhi when the city was only the old city and Lutyens' Delhi and colonies like Karol Bagh and Shahdara. A time when the iron railway bridge was the only way to get into Delhi. Gurgaon was actually a collection of gaons or villages and reaching there from Delhi was an expedition in itself!

Writing is a talent said Ruskin and the way to become a writer is to read a lot and write a lot. As far as making a living from it, well it is much easier now, though the percentage of readers hasn't increased the sheer growth in the number of readers ensures that one can make a decent living if one is good.

We spoke about our favorite stories and books right from the 'Boy without a face' to the 'Room on the Roof'.

It was wonderful meeting Ruskin Bond, such a nice person, so sweet and down to earth. As I walked down the steps of Ivy Cottage, I felt happy that I had finally met the author in person and that too in his home. Bit like sighting a tiger in the jungle, his natural habitat.