Famous author Ruskin Bond to host birthday feast in Mussoorie today

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he is not able to be among his fans to celebrate his birthday and he is disheartened, says his son Rakesh Bond.

Mussorie: Famous author and Padma awardee Ruskin Bond is celebrating his 88th birthday today. His fans are extending their warm regards and heartily felicitations since Wednesday. Ruskin Bond was born on 19th May 1934 at Kasauli, Himachal Pradesh. He is the son of Aubrey Bond and Edith Clarke. His father had passed away during his childhood. Subsequently, he was brought up in Mussorie, Jamnagar, Shimla, Dehradun, and London. He lives in Mussorie with his family for the last 59 years. He is celebrating his birthday along with his family with utmost simplicity.

Ruskin Bond, on his 88th birthday, will distribute copies of his new book-'Listen To Your Heart-The London Adventure' to his friends. Rakesh Bond, the son of Bond's adopted son Prem Singh, says the writer wants to celebrate his birthday simply with his family and friends complying with the COVID-19 guidelines. He says Bond is continuously writing books while staying at home. He writes two to three books every year with the same zeal and passion while being healthy and fit. He says Ruskin Bond has thanked his well-wishers.

Rakesh Bond says he is very happy with the love his grandfather is receiving. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he is not able to be among his fans to celebrate his birthday and he is disheartened. Rakesh Bond says his grandfather is continuously writing books for his readers and fans and he is dedicating one of the books to his fans on his birthday this year. Ruskin Bond's granddaughter-in-law says he does all his work at home. He is still working as a writer. Ruskin Bond has promised his children, that he is going to write a book for them.

Cambridge Book store owner Sunil Arora says he used to organize a program every year on Ruskin Bond's birthday at his store but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it could not be organized for the last two years and it will not be organized even this year, and because of which his fans are a little upset this year too. He went to Ruskin Bond's place a day before, to extend his warm greetings on his 88th birthday and he prayed for his long life. His famous books include -' The Blue Umbrella', 'The Night Train at Delhi', 'Delhi is not for Ruskin, 'Our Tree grow in Dehra', 'Time Stop at Shamli', 'A Face in the Dark and Other Hunting', 'Coming Around the Mountain', 'A Season of Ghost'.

Ruskin Bond's family hails from Britain. He was fond of reading and writing since childhood. He wrote his first story 'Room on the Roof' when he was only 17. In 1957, he was awarded John Llewellyn Rhys Prize for Commonwealth writing. Ruskin Bond has written more than 100 stories, novels, and poems. In 1963, he shifted to Mussoorie. There are many Bollywood films made on Ruskin Bond's novels. In 1999, the Government of India honored him with the Padma Shri Award in the field of literature, and in 2014, he was given Padma Bhushan. He was given Sahitya Akademi Award in 1992 for his book 'Our trees still grow in Dehra'.