I have never read Ruskin Bond maybe because not interested in fiction and the day my wife insisted i should read one, i relented ,and was one of the most interesting books i have ever come across. After reading few of his books i can safely say that Ruskin books are ones that can cheer up your otherwise dull day or soothe you down after hectic day. He beautifully and intuitively spun simple life stories . Most of his novels take place in scenic,serene city of Dehra Dun with incidents of nearby jungles and mountains adding more funn. The themes of his writings show inspirations from his friendships and relationships with the locals and even strangers beside nature (he seems very infatuated with).
His books are about simple joys of life like flowers blooming, joys of riding bicycle early morning, scent of earth after first splash of rain etc. Not many writers have the mettle to write simple stories without dabbling into philosophy or politics and still keep readers captivated.
Where do you get to read such magnificent lines eloquently and effortlessly conveying a message in innuendos, so enjoy reading "Rusty" as it portrays life beautifully.Some of the most impressive lines i have enjoyed reading...
"Drunkenness is really a vice because it degrades a man and humiliates him. Prostitution is degrading but a prostitute can still keep her dignity. Thieving is degrading according to the character of theft.Begging is degrading but it is still not as undignified as drunkenness. In all vices victim is aware of his degradation but in drunkenness we lose our pride our heads and above all our natural dignity."
"My old lama will, I am sure, be among the first to return ,even if he has to walk all the way over the mountain passes .Maybe that's why he plods up and around this hill every day. He is practicing for the long walk back to Tibet ".
"I watched him until he was far along the path. I wondered how long he could last. Perhaps a year or two, perhaps a day ,perhaps an hour. But whenever or however he died, it wouldn't be death. He was too old to die. He could only sleep. He could only fall gently , like an old brown leaf."
"The sick and the dying are heartened by the thought that people are still well enough to feel reckless , indifferent to each other's safety! In Delhi there's feverish desire to be first in line, the first to get anything ... In Delhi , to be second in the race is to be last"
