Ruskin Bond: My first book of poems sold 20 copies

Author raconteur and simply one of Indias most loved storytellers Ruskin Bond turns 91 on Monday quietly rebelling against the lyrics of the song that still enchants him When I Grow Too Old To Dream its a pretty song an old Nelson Eddy favourite but the words are wrong We are never too old to dream the indefatigable Bond writes in his latest book Lifes Magic Moments that launched on his birthdayHis birthday is always an occasion And the books official launch planned at Mussoories Cambridge Book Depot close to his home in Landour was set to be one too However it was called off by the author as a mark of respect for the victims of the Pahalgam terror attackHis latest book at just 120 beautifully illustrated pages is a treasure trove of life lessons musings and memorable quotesIts a ramble through Bonds life from his favorite flowers and unputdownable books to his obsession with pickles and his sunroom at the famed Ivy Cottage his residence in Landour He speaks eloquently of the loneliness of a writer and most importantly his dreams These are some of the things I dream of apple peach and plum trees in bloom finishing the book Im writing and I dream of seeing the books I wrote last year appear in the coming months Seeing my family prosper All the books I am going to read the new ones and the old favouritesI dream of old friends and I dream of new friends I dream of a world where flowers still bloom and birds still sing I dream of things that didnt happen Perhaps they will one day Bond writesBorn on May 19 1934 in Kasauli Bond grew up in Jamnagar Shimla New Delhi and Dehradun He made Landour his permanent home in 1963Landour the quiet mountain town in Uttarakhand has for years drawn fans hoping to catch a glimpse of the reclusive Bond perhaps sipping tea at the famous Chaar Dukaan a cluster of shops along a winding road or through the window of his sunroomWhen Bonds grandson Sidharth created his Instagram account which in no time amassed over two lakh followers Bond jokingly said I hope they all dont turn up here together one dayLots of people come knocking at the door ringing the bell wanting to meet me Now how can I spend all day meeting them Still I meet people sometimes when I can Bond told PTI last year in an interview on his 90th birthdayIt has been nearly 70 years since the release of his debut novel The Room on the Roof in 1956 Almost 500 books later Bond reflects on a fairly satisfying literary journey in his latestHe says three simple items have sustained him throughout the years a large notepad a ballpoint pen and a pair of old reading glasses still resting beside him on his tableA lifelong writer something he always aspired to be Bond also shares his thoughts on his journey in Lifes Magic Moments It can be a lonely path and one that demands resilience through iquestheartbreaksiquest and a commitment to writing for oneselfAn author is his own best audience After all his little masterpiece may not find more than a handful of readers so he must not be content with the satisfaction that he derives from his creative effortMy first book of poems sold 20 copies I gave away a few copies hoping for some kind readers approval When I asked one of them if he liked the book he said Terrific The illustrations were great writes Bond as always gently blending wit with wisdomBond has received numerous awards and honours including the Sahitya Akademi Award for English writing in 1992 the Padma Shri in 1999 the Padma Bhushan in 2014 and the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship in 2021The ace raconteur whose repertoire includes short stories essays and novellas lives in a house overflowing with books on shelves in boxes in drawers under his desk in the attic and even beneath his bedBut then books are his friends and from the looks of it he doesnt like to part with most except for the few that he gives away willingly according to the bookHis special friends include an early Penguin edition of Richard Jefferies The Story of My Heart JR Ackerleys Hindoo Holiday first published in 1930 PG Wodehouses Meet Mr MullinerIn fact according to Bond good books make good doctors too as it helped him recover from his illnessStacy Aumoniers short stories saw me through hepatitis when I was fifteen Wlliam Saroyan made a hospital bed tolerable when I was twenty How fortunate are we who read books Its like finding an oasis in the desert of existence he explainsThe eternally optimistic Bond who carries little regrets and immense gratitude says in his latest work that his ability to look on the bright side hope for the best and place trust in fellow humans even when that trust was occasionally misplaced has helped him navigate the 90 years of his lifeGrappling with dwindling eyesight and gout Bond still finds childlike joy in the smallest of things like a cosmos flower in bloom the song of a whistling thrush or the glow of fireflies on a rainy night and vouches for the quiet strength of a iquestcheerful dispositioniquest in a world consumed by powerWho would want to go down in history as a Putin or a Trump or one of the thousand others seeking power and glory Dont make a lot of noise Just go out quietly and plant your seeds and one day the world will be green again and marigolds will grow from the barrels of guns he concludesLifes Magic Moments published by Penguin Random House India and priced at Rs 399 is available for purchase across online and offline storesThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoeveratOptionskeyd0ddb8ef8f1a62a8cdd22fac27fc5ea7formatiframeheight90width728params