Classic Ruskin Bond Vol. 2- The Memoirs by Ruskin Bond

“ I was hoping that there was still room in this world for a simple storyteller, one who strives to give pleasure to both child and adult, not by hiding our scars but by showing that we can be beautiful in spite of them.”

Wholesome….this one word sums up the entire feel of this book. Simply wholesome. India Today, in writing of our dear Mr. Bond wrote, “ Our very own resident Wordsworth in prose.” A truer description can’t be ascertained.

Over the years, there are some places, some peoples’ companies, which provide all the comfort and solace to our troubled minds. They are our people or places of power. This book can be your book of power.

Wonderfully conceptualized, the omnibus has works ranging from his youth, on to his middle age, and still on... A treasury of purely non-fictional works, the book brings us a step closer to the real Ruskin Bond and his life. His major works being semi-autobiographical, a reading of the omnibus brings us closer to reality and helps us differentiate between what’s real and from where Bond’s imagination takes over.

True Bond lovers will find themselves enveloped in sheer delight as they’ll come across the many people and places which inspired the author’s works.

Peppered with numerous positive credos, “Refuse to lose” (one which I took to heart particularly), the book has just the right parts wisdom portioned with the right parts fun.

Many of the pieces published here are those that are experiencing the joy of print for the first time. In ‘Scenes From a Writer’s life’, we discover Bond’s first attempt at an autobiography. ‘Landour Days’- a particularly enchanting read, divides an entire year into the months and expands on the small fleeting moments of joy each one brings. The refreshing journal segments cleverly placed in the omnibus provide the ideal breathing spaces to the readers acting as a window into the author’s personal life, into his literary, yet not so literary vistas.

Character sketches, travelogues, essays on flowers, rivers, people, reflections, epigrams, journal extracts…you name it, we have it! Did you know Bond took on the job of a veggie seller once? Wanna know more? Go on…

Although each piece is different and unique in its own way, a common vein that runs through each is the celebration…of love, of nature, of life. Bond’s extraordinary ability to celebrate the most ordinary of things makes this book a truly beatific celebration of the festivity called life.

A comforting read, this book allows you to go at your own pace, according to your mood of the day and lets you choose. It isn’t one of those compulsive reads that keeps you hooked with the ‘What next’ quotient, yet leaves your heart yearning for more. Read just one piece, or read an entire segment, it will suffuse your heart with the same…..well, it’s actually indescribable. It’s something you’ll get only once you read this collection. There’s so much more to it. Wanna find it out? Well then, grab a copy of the book, find a cosy nook and dive in !

And yes, of course,

Happy Reading!!