THE EVER BELOVED MR BOND

In conversation with the grand old man of Indian storytelling

- Naorem Anuja

Few writers can make the old mountains sing like Ruskin Bond. His timeless stories have introduced countless readers to the mountains of Garhwal, its tall deodars, and to the lively characters and ghosts that people his Himalayan universe, transporting readers back to simpler times. As a writer who seems endlessly delighted by children and their world, Bond’s writing is bracingly real, often relaying the knottiest ideas about loss and loneliness in granular detail that resonates across ages. Reader’s Digest spoke with the grand old man of Indian storytelling over a lively phone call, just after his 87th birthday last month.

Your first book was published when you were 21—almost right after school. At 87, you are writing still. Is it safe to say that, for you, the joys of writing outweigh the anguish?

Oh yes! For me there is no anguish to writing at all, or I wouldn’t be writing. I like to enjoy my work and I think I have succeeded. That’s why I have been able to continue writing without a break for 70 years.

I was 17 when I wrote my first novel—it took me a couple of years to find a publisher. Over the years there have been lots of ups and downs but I have kept going simply because I truly love writing. And I have been fortunate in that, for most of those 70 years, I have been able to make a living off it. To be able to live off doing something you enjoy, that’s what makes it so worthwhile for me.

Much of your work draws heavily from your own life. Is it good writing advice to say that people should stick to writing what they know? Or could that potentially be limiting?