Ruskin Bond is an Indian author of British descent. His name was Owen Ruskin Bond, his father chose the name Ruskin for him. Bond lives in Landour, Mussoorie. He is one of the most beloved and well-known authors for a rather versatile genre, however, short stories and essays remain his favorite to write. He was a shy and reclusive literary genius.
Wiki/Biography
Ruskin Bond was born on Saturday, 19 May 1934 (age 89 years; in 2023) in Kasauli, Punjab State Agency, British India. His zodiac sign is Taurus. He is fondly called Rusty. His father, Aubrey Alexander Bond was a Royal Air Force (RAF) officer in India. Edith Clarke, her mother was a housewife. Ruskin Bond went to a boarding school in Mussorie before he was sent to another boarding school in the hills of Shimla; Bishop Cotton School. He graduated from this school. He has experimented with different genres like romance, fiction, poetry. He often states that his writing is a reflection of his life. The highly respected and loved author has a rather simple writing style, about his writing style, the author says it is simple but conversational and encourages young writers to try the same.
Physical appearance
Height (approx): 5′ 3″
Weight (approx): 90 kg
Hair Color: White
Eye Color: Blue
Family
Ruskin Bond belongs to a British family living in India. His parents separated when he was young. He has an Indian Hindu Punjabi stepfather.
Parents & Siblings
Ruskin Bond’s parents.
Ruskin bonds with his sister Ellen
His father, Aubrey Alexander Bond was a Royal Air Force (RAF) officer in India. Edith Clarke, her mother was a housewife. His father also taught English to the princesses of the Jamnagar Palace. While his father taught them, his sister and he lived there until the age of six. His parents separated when he was only four years old. He was raised primarily by his maternal grandmother. He lost his father early and was completely heartbroken because he was close to him. He often described the time he spent with his father as the best time of his life. His mother married a Punjabi Hindu named Hari. He was then raised by his mother and stepfather. He lost both his parents early, when they were in their fifties.
Wife & Children
Ruskin Bond celebrated his 87th birthday with his adopted family
Ruskin Bond never married and had no biological children, although he did have an adoptive family. Ruskin Bond when asked why he did not marry, recalled not being a ladies’ man. He shared an incident where he felt his neighbor was interested in him only to find out that he wanted some help with grammar and composition. The writer also shared that he is a romantic and wants to get married if the love story has certain obstacles, from the end of the girl that he will win for his happiness forever, because from the end there will be no obstacles because there is no one to stop him.
Early Life
Ruskin Bond was born in Kasauli in a military hospital. He graduated from Bishop Cotton School, Shimla. He witnessed turmoil early in his life, when his parents separated, he was forced to be raised by his maternal grandmother. He was very close to his father who arranged for him to come and live with his father in Delhi. Looking back on that time, he said, that was the best time in his life. He was completely distraught after receiving the news of his father’s loss during the war in Calcutta. Her childhood was marred by her parents’ separation, writing provided her solace and escape. He often describes his work as a reflection of his life. He had a rather difficult childhood and often claimed it was lonely and disturbed. He wrote his first story at the age of 16; Cant touch. At the age of 21, his first novel was published, The Room on the roof.
Career
The author is loved by all generations and highly respected as well. The author is known for his works such as popular children’s books that tend to leave an impression on every child while growing up. He has worked on many books, he enjoys his work as much as his readers. In its early years, Bond had to struggle until overseas publications gained a foothold in India. The Illustrated Weekly of India and The Statesman were his main sources of income from the 1950s to the 1980s making him about 35 to 50 rupees per writing. Things took a turn for the happier when publishing houses started finding their way into India, Penguin India came in 1985 changing the publishing landscape forever. It was first published in 1987 with only six books. followed by Harpercollins in 1992. Although Rupa was established earlier in 1936, it gained momentum after their arrival. The same goes for many other local publishers. His first novel ‘The Room on the Roof’ was illustrated by legendary cartoonist Mario Marinda. It was released in 1956 and since then he has many works to his credit. The writer is happy with whatever he makes and is quite satisfied. He lived a simple and peaceful life as he wished but he also stated,
“Of course, I want a royalty check, but my wish is very simple. I didn’t have a very happy childhood so I want to make sure that my grandchildren have a secure life, as do Rakesh and Bina. [his adopted family]”
Ruskin Bond has worked on about 500 books. His works have also been adapted into Bollywood films; the movie Junoon is based on his famous novel, A Flight of Pigeons (about an episode of the rebellion during 1857) produced and directed by Shashi Kapoor and Shyam Benegal respectively. Another novel by Bond, The Blue Umbrella, written in 1980 was adapted into a film, in 2005 directed by the famous director Vishal Bhardwaj. Indian film 7 Khoon Maaf, a black comedy, adapted from the novel Susanna’s Seven Husbands, the film underperformed, although it made a profit against the budget, as claimed by its producers. The stories written by Ruskin Bond were made into the TV show ‘Ek Tha Rusty’. After a gap of 15 years, the show was remade with the name Ek Tha Rusty 2. Her great-granddaughter Srishti Bond, from her adopted family played the role of Kamla (the author’s one-time love interest) in the serial Ek Tha Rusty 2 . Srishti said the series pays tribute to her grandfather’s literary career spanning 6 decades. He has written two autobiographical volumes as well; Scenes from the Writer’s Life and Lights On. Bond remains a reclusive, somewhat shy literary genius. The author won the 2017 Atta Galatta Literary Festival Book Prize in the non-fiction category for his autobiography.
Ruskin Bond with his great-granddaughter Srishti.
Controversy
The author landed himself in the soup when he wrote a light erotic story for Debonair magazine. He was charged with obscenity. He recalls that time as not fun at all, as the case lasted for about 2 years. He said the reason for the warrant issued against him was not the content but because the author edited a print magazine during the Emergency when strict restrictions were imposed on the media. The charge was eventually dropped, he jokingly shared with the judge that he liked Bond’s work
Awards, Honors, Achievements
John Llewellyn Rhys Prize 1957
Sahitya Academy Award 1992
Padma Shri 1999
Padma Bhushan 2014
Favourite
- Books: Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
- Authors: William Wordsworth, Henry David Thoreau, Anton Chekov, Ernest Bates, Emily Bronte, Graham Greene
Facts/Trivia
- She wanted to be a tap dancer when she was young.
- He has shared that he is lazy and often gets angry when it rains.
Life is fleeting. So one should take time and get real pleasure from life, from friendships, love relationships, from things that give you pleasure, be it books or movies or any form of mentally stimulating satisfaction.
Categories: Biography
Source: SCHOOL TRANG DAI
