A wooden mantelpiece, a warm fireplace, sofas with rich cashmere and steaming cups of hot chocolate are visuals that spring up in the mind when one thinks of Ruskin Bond and Christmas. As the festive week stands on the doorstep and the mercury dips in Mussoorie, the iconic Indian novelist sent his Christmas greeting to fans across the world and we can’t help but watch the awwwdorable video on loop.
Taking to his social media handle, the British decent author recorded a video from his living room and was seen layered up in sweaters and a muffler with his signature reading glasses completing the cosy look. “Sorry kids, it’s very cold up here in Mussoorie and I can’t go outside to give you all a view of the mountains,” the the Dehra hills writer said in his video message.
Encouraging fans to write to Santa this Christmas, even though he has “limited budget”, Ruskin Bond added, “Do write to Santa Clause with your list of things you’d like. Not necessarily presents but maybe, the world you’d like to see next year. Afterall, Santa has a very limited budget. So if you make a very long list of gifts that you’d like to get, you might not be able to get all of them.”
Adding dollops of cuteness to the warm greetings, Bond insisted, “Do write to him anyway. Send him a card. I’ve just got a nice one in the post.” He concluded by wishing everyone a ‘Merry Christmas’ and a wonderful year ahead.
{{/usCountry}}Adding dollops of cuteness to the warm greetings, Bond insisted, “Do write to him anyway. Send him a card. I’ve just got a nice one in the post.” He concluded by wishing everyone a ‘Merry Christmas’ and a wonderful year ahead.
{{/usCountry}}The 86 years old author has been writing from Landour, a British India-era cantonment town just above Mussoorie, ever since 1964. His latest memoir, A Song of India, was released in July this year and marks 70 years of his literary career.
In the book beautifully illustrated by Mihir Joglekar, Bond once again takes the readers on a nostalgic ride of Dehradoon as he pulls out tales from his bag of stories but pens them from the mind of a 16-year-old. The book could be a perfect Christmas gift for your friends or siblings as there’s nothing like snuggling up with your favourite book this time of year.
Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter