India Today
Dear Mr. Bond,
I remember the day you breezed into Chennai for the launch
of your book titled ‘Hip Hop Nature Boy and Other Poems’. There was an eager
audience at the Taj waiting to lap up your every word, and you did not disappoint
us in the least. When you spoke, it was with your inimitable humour, and you
had us all in splits with your witty one-liners.
I was one of the lucky journalists who got an opportunity
to interact with you over a two-hour interview. Mr. Bond, those were two
precious hours in my literary life, where you regaled me with nuggets about
your Victorian grandmother who believed that children should be seen and not heard,
and your father who inspired you with his storytelling skills to stimulate your
reading and imagination.
An Encounter that I will Always Remember!
I felt a kinship with you when you spoke of how the
classics, including Wuthering Heights, had inspired you, and did so even when
you reread it as an adult. Writing was considered unfashionable when you were young
and people suggested that you join the Army instead, instead of wasting your
time with words. I remember chuckling when you added, “Thank God I didn’t, for otherwise,
the Army would have been in bad shape.”
As we continued speaking, the hours went by and I
remained mesmerised. It was such a pleasure to talk about your love for India, and
its little seaside resorts, the Army cantonments and the tiny, neglected spots
that make up our fascinating country. You also appreciated the effort that had
been made to turn your books into celluloid – ‘A Flight of Pigeons’ into
Junoon, ‘Susanna’s Seven Husbands’ into Saat Khoon Maaf and of course, ‘The
Blue Umbrella’ which won the National Award for Best Children’s Film.
Times Now
BollySpice.com
There is no doubt that you are one of our best known and
popular writers, amiable and pink-cheeked, and your writing is like the rustling
of leaves on a balmy summer afternoon. Or the gentle flowing of a river that chuckles
its way over rocks and eddies. However, I remain entranced with your funny bone,
and that too stems from my having spent time, listening as you waxed eloquent
on your life and your writing and how self-deprecating you were when you joked about your musical
abilities.
“But it would be a grave mistake to ask me to sing. Birds
fall silent, cows rush across the road and cars crash!”
Do you believe in ghosts? I recall your answer to that.
“I don’t believe in ghosts, but I keep seeing them. I
actually make them up.”
I will always cherish the advice that you offered me and
all writers.
“Put down what you see or read in a journal and be
interested in the world and its people.” Advice that I have taken very
seriously!
As our conversation came to an end, I felt that it had
been an enlightening and entertaining two hours. My final question to you
brought forth the most amusing reply.
Do you ever say to people, “My name is Bond; Ruskin Bond?”
You countered that by talking about your uncle, a dentist
who was the namesake of James Bond.
“When my uncle passed away, I wrote his epitaph;
‘Stranger, approach this spot with gravity. James Bond is
filling his last cavity.”
And that is the essence of the one and only Ruskin Bond!
Happy birthday to the amazing pen smith who makes every story feel like home! You're truly one in a million!
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