This collection brings together the best of Ruskin Bond’s cameos, all beautifully imagined and crafted, inspired by people who have left a lasting impression on him. Taken together, the pieces in this collection constitute a magnificent evocation of the real India by one of the country’s best storytellers. Over four decades, Ruskin Bond has returned time and again in his writing to the small towns and villages of India, especially to the Garhwal hills. His characters are not the sort who make the headlines but are, nonetheless, remarkable for their quiet heroism, their endearing idiosyncrasies, and their heartwarming ability to find happiness and contentment in everyday events. His novellas, including The Room on the Roof, Delhi Is not Far and The Sensualist, provide engaging portraits of small-town boys coming of age in 1950’s Dehradun; the colorful people of a town called Pipalnagar, among them a streetwise epileptic boy, a lonely writer and a young prostitute who are linked by bonds of unspoken love; and an ascetic who has arrived at renunciation through the route of excess. In addition, there are a host of characters culled from Bond’s numerous short stories: the reluctant police inspector Keemat Lal; a whimsical aging maharani injured by love; Uncle Ken, an overgrown boy, though past forty; Bhabiji, the formidable matriarch of a joint Punjabi family; and a respected school teacher gone crooked. This collection features captivating portraits from the heart land of India and its unforgettable people.
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