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| Sunday, May 2, 2004 |
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| Sunday, May 2, 2004 |
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The India I Love
The accompaniments of modern living — tension, stress, competition — don’t even exist in the vast, open spaces of the mind and spirit that he and his family and friends inhabit. Yet, the author has been a man of the world. He was born in England where he worked for some time before moving to India to live in the metros. He finally chose to settle down in the mountains of Doon and Mussoorie. There was a point in time, he confesses, "when I was caught between the East and the West, and had to make up my mind just where I belonged". The later years, of course, reveal the world that he did choose — the town of Doon — and his works reveal the serenity that permeates him. Through his writing, he seems to be inviting the reader to share this peace, while he takes him on a comfortable stroll. The reader meanders with him through the pleasant hilly paths, safe in the knowledge that there won’t be any major pitfalls or insurmountable hills along the way. The book comprises episodes from Ruskin’s life. He describes his family, good friends and strange neighbours he has had and the houses he lived in till he finally came to his present abode. Each of his homes has as distinct a personality as any quirky person. He also talks about the trees, mountains and rivers that surround him and the myths that are woven around them.
"My friends keep telling me about all the wonderful things I can do with a word processor, but they haven’t got around to finding me one I can take to bed, for that is another place where I do my writing. Word processors were not designed keeping mountain slopes in mind, but armed with a pen and paper, I can lie on the grass and write for hours." Bond is one of the people in India today who have an old-world attitude which is a delectable blend of British courtesy and Indian values. Friendship is precious to him and it is evident that he is willing to make all sorts of concessions for the human foibles of his friends. There is Sudheer, the "troublesome" friend, who was "given to involving me in his adolescent escapades", the Royal Caf`E9 set, Colonel Willie, living on a small pension and Bibiji and her friend, Mrs Singh, "an attractive woman in her thirties who smoked a hookah and regaled us with stories of chudails". Both ladies were determined to get young Bond married off, but he successfully evaded matrimony. Now, of course, he is grandfather to his adopted family and loves to plant chestnut trees with little Gautam, his grandson. Bond’s love for the country is so palpable that the title The India I Love rings true. One doesn’t find any loud claims of patriotism in the pages or any jingoistic proclamations. What one gets instead is a serene description of the small, wonderful things give meaning to Bond’s life. Indeed, the caricature of Bond, on the cover, with his most precious worldly possessions — books and a giant pen — making his way towards Mussoorie gives a little peep into the book. Fine illustrations by Sandeep Adhwaryu enliven the narrative. |
THE total gentleman at ease, the proverbial man of
leisure, at peace with himself and the world, looks at the past and the
time passing by with a calm serenity and gentle irony. Ruskin Bond, like
excellent wine, grows even more mellow as he ages. In order to read The
India I Love, the only demand that he makes of his readers is that
they step out of the humdrum of their lives and step into his world
where no jostling and pushing is allowed or even necessary.
He reveals himself to the reader. "You can do
what you want," he seems to say, "I’ll just do what suits me
best, if you don’t mind." If he does not want to use the computer
or the typewriter, he’ll tell the reader quite categorically why he
prefers the pen.
