The Old Man and the Hill

Some books feel like a warm hug—comforting, steady, and quietly restorative.

- By RASHMI GOPAL RAO

Ruskin Bond’s latest, Life’s Magical Moments, is one such companion. Published as he turned 91 last May, the book gathers reflections, anecdotes and what he fondly calls his “ramblings” into a tender meditation on gratitude, nature, books and the art of living simply.Drawing deeply from his personal life, Bond writes of the modest tools that sustained him for decades—a pen, reading glasses, a large notebook on a sunlit table. There were difficult phases when he took on other jobs to make ends meet, but writing was always the anchor he returned to once he felt financially secure. “What a delight it is to sit here in my little sun-room, surrounded by geraniums, pen in hand, pad before me...” he writes, capturing the quiet joy of routine. He observes that happiness is never constant; contentment lies in finding