Mussoorie (Uttarakhand): The author of more than 500 short stories and several novellas, Ruskin Bond, turned 85 on Sunday. In a candid conversation with ETV Bharat, Bond, the country's most loved author said that there are a greater number of writers in the country than readers.
"Writing has become quite fashionable now, it was not the case 50 years ago. Sometimes I feel that there are more writers than readers. Writers sometimes get their books published or get them self published, they might be disappointed if they don't get a wide readership," said Bond while.
When asked if he was excited about his birthday, the author replied, "I haven't paid much attention to my age, I feel no different from last year."
Continuing with the tradition of celebrating his birthday with a new book, Bond celebrated his 85th birthday by releasing a new book titled, 'Coming Round the Mountain’ published by Puffin Books, launched at Cambridge bookstores, Mussoorie on Sunday.
Speaking about this unique tradition and giving a sneak-peak into his new book, Bond said, "It's nice to release a new book on my birthday. My new book is about school days in the year 1947, the year of independence, and how it affected the school children and the schools itself. It's about the changes that took place at the time."
"It is to tell children of today about what it was like last year. I hope it would be interesting for the young readers," he added.
When asked if he believes that the culture of reading is slowly diminishing among the younger generation, the author said, "Some prefer to read e-books, which is okay. Let them read whichever way they are comfortable."
He, however, added, "The charm of the printed paper can never go out."
A favourite among children, and equally popular with the adults, several of his fans and admirers flock Bond's house to wish him on his birthday every year.
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Speaking to ETV Bharat, Varun, a Bond fan, flew into Mussourie just to wish the writer on his birthday.
"We planned our vacation around his (Ruskin Bond's) birthday so that we can celebrate with him.
Born in Himachal Pradesh’s Kasauli in 1934, the eminent writer grew up in Jamnagar (Gujarat), Dehradun, Delhi, and Shimla. Following his high school education, he went to his aunt’s home in the United Kingdom’s Channel Islands in 1951 and stayed there for two years until he moved to London.
The Padma Shri recipient wrote his first short story when he had just left school. Two years later, his first novel, ‘The Room on the Roof’, was accepted by a London publisher.
