Author, raconteur and simply one of India’s 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”.
“… it’s 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 “Life’s Magic Moments” that launched on his birthday.
His birthday is always an occasion. And the book's official launch, planned at Mussoorie’s 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 attack.
His latest book at just 120 beautifully illustrated pages is a treasure trove of life lessons, musings, and memorable quotes.
It’s a ramble through Bond’s 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 I'm 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 favourites.
"I 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 didn't happen. Perhaps they will one day," Bond writes.
Born on May 19, 1934, in Kasauli, Bond grew up in Jamnagar, Shimla, New Delhi, and Dehradun. He made Landour his permanent home in 1963.
Landour, 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 sunroom.
When Bond's grandson Sidharth created his Instagram account, which in no time amassed over two lakh followers, Bond jokingly said, "I hope they all don't turn up here together one day." "Lots 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 birthday.
It 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 latest.
He 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 table.
A lifelong writer -- something he always aspired to be -- Bond also shares his thoughts on his journey in “Life’s Magic Moments”. It can be a “lonely path” and one that demands resilience through “heartbreaks” and a commitment to writing for oneself.
"An 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 effort.
"My first book of poems sold 20 copies. I gave away a few copies, hoping for some kind reader's 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 wisdom.
Bond 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 2021.
The 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 bed.
But then books are his friends -- and from the looks of it he doesn’t like to part with most, except for the few that he gives away willingly, according to the book.
His "special friends" include an early Penguin edition of Richard Jefferies' "The Story of My Heart", JR Ackerley's "Hindoo Holiday" (first published in 1930), P.G Wodehouse's "Meet Mr. Mulliner".
In fact, according to Bond, "good books make good doctors" too as it helped him recover from his illness.
"Stacy Aumonier's 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! It's like finding an oasis in the desert of existence," he explains.
The eternally optimistic Bond, who carries little regret 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 life.
Grappling 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 “cheerful disposition” in a world consumed by power.
"Who would want to go down in history as a Putin or a Trump or one of the thousand others seeking power and glory... Don't 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 concludes.
"Life's Magic Moments", published by Penguin Random House India and priced at Rs 399, is available for purchase across online and offline stores.
