Drawing on his memories and impression of India, celebrated author Ruskin Bond in his latest book, "A Little Book of India: Celebrating 75 Years of Independence", pays homage to the country that has been his home for 84 years.
The book, an amalgamation of the "physical and spiritual" attributes of India, promises to take readers on a journey filled with nostalgia and devotions. It is published by Penguin Random House India (PRHI).
"This little book does not claim to be a political or historical analysis of events, although I have dwelt on the highlights of the last 75 years of India's progress to maturity as a nation."
"It is a record of some of my memories and impressions of this unique land - of its rivers and forests, literature and culture, sights, sounds and colours - an amalgamation of the physical and spiritual," wrote the 87-year-old author in its introduction of the book.
Bond, who has spent 84 years of his life in the country, said he feels justified in celebrating 75 years of India's Independence along with millions of his fellow citizens. "We celebrate our freedom in different ways. I celebrate it with the written word," he added.
Born in Kasauli (Himachal Pradesh) and growing up in Jamnagar, Dehradun, New Delhi and Shimla, Bond is the recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Award, Sahitya Akademi's Bal Sahitya Puraskar, Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan, among other prestigious awards.
His first novel, "The Room on the Roof", written when he was 17, received the 'John Llewellyn Rhys Memorial Prize' in 1957. Since then, he has written several novellas, essays, poems and children's books.
He has also written over 500 short stories and articles that have appeared in magazines and anthologies. Commenting on this little but a "great book", Premanka Goswami, associate publisher at PRHI, said they feel "privileged" to publish the latest work of the famous children's author.
"From its landscape to its people, culture, flora and fauna, among others, through this little but a great book Ruskin Bond pays homage to his beloved India on the 75th year of its Independence. We feel privileged to publish this work," Goswami told PTI. The book, priced at Rs 250, is presently available for sale in online and offline stores.
With PTI inputs.
