E-Paper
From Mussoorie’s Landour, Ruskin Bond’s New Year wish for his readers
Ruskin Bond who turned 86 in May this year has been busy as ever writing his next book, this time his lockdown diary, which, he says, may likely be titled ‘It is a Wonderful Life’.
Writer Ruskin Bond has wished his readers and countrymen a Happy New Year, hoping the coming months are going to be much better.
Bond in a video message said, “Happy New Year…friends, readers, countrymen… have a great 2021. I know you had a difficult 2020…we all have in our different ways… but everyone I know has been very patient, very good... And I hope and feel that things are going to be much better in the coming months …so I take this opportunity to say good luck…stay safe stay happy…Ruskin Bond.”
One of India’s most famous writers, Bond came to live in Mussoorie in 1964, lives here with his adopted family in Landour area. He was conferred Padma Shri in 1999 and Padma Bhushan in 2014 for his literary works spanning five decades.
The prolific writer who turned 86 in May this year has been busy as ever writing his next book, this time his lockdown diary, which, he says, may likely be titled ‘It is a Wonderful Life’.
“It is the first occasion when the whole family is together at home in Mussoorie and celebrating New Year due to the pandemic,” said Rakesh Bond, the adopted grandson of Ruskin Bond
“In the past all the family members would mostly be away in their workplaces. But in a way, the pandemic has brought us closer and given us the opportunity to celebrate New Year together this time,” said Rakesh.
Rakesh said his grandfather spent the eve of the New Year with them, his wife Beena and his kids Sidharth, Gautam and Shristi.
“Few tourists also visited the house in the morning to wish Bond a happy New Year,” said Rakesh.
On how the lockdown has changed his daily routine, Bond had told HT earlier this year, “I am used to working from home for long hours. But an occasional outing or a walk helps. I wake up in the morning. Write for a few hours. Then after breakfast, I read something - mostly old favourites like The Story of My Heart written by Richard Jefferies, detective fiction by Agatha Christie and Indian writers like Amitav Ghosh, RK Narayan, Mulk Raj Anand, whom I knew. In the afternoon, I take a siesta and in the evenings I watch TV these days to catch up on what is happening in the world.”
