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Best short stories by Ruskin Bond

TIMESOFINDIA.COM | Last updated on - May 19, 2021, 09:06 IST

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Best short stories by Ruskin Bond

Ruskin Bond is a household name in India. His writings have captivated readers of all ages for a long while now. Even those who aren't avid readers would have read his short stories in their school syllabus or seen his tales adapted to Bollywood movies. He has witnessed some interesting times and his tales take us to the Raj, the partition and aftermath of these historical events. He's written tales of all sizes and here are some must-read works of the legend you shouldn't miss.

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Crazy Times With Uncle Ken

Every family has an eccentric and Uncle Ken personifies them for us. He is a recurring character in Ruskin Bond's books, especially the Rusty series and his escapades, his silliness, his stuffiness and his good intentions are both exasperating and endearing. All his escapades will ring familiar of some incident that some relative in your own house did as well. The stories are heartwarming and light, a good comforting read for when one doesn't want anything heavy.

Photo: Penguin India

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The Day Grandfather Tickled a Tiger

This sweet story tells of how the narrator's family raised a tiger cub and all the escapades of it growing up in the house with a monkey and a dog. It was bought home by the narrator's grandfather one day from an expedition in the Shivaliks and the cub and Grandfather were very fond of each other. Unfortunately, they couldn't keep it forever for it got too big to handle but that doesn't mean they won't meet again...
This sweet story succinctly tells of the pros and cons of exotic pets while showing how animals respond to love and authority.

Photo: Penguin India

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The Room On The Roof

This is a moving coming-of-age story about a 16-year-old Anglo-Indian boy, Rusty, an orphan who lives with his English guardian in the European part of Dehradun. Rusty is unhappy living with his strict guardian and so he runs away to live with his Indian friends. While his new found freedom is enchanting, Rusty is lost to the European community forever. This moving story of love and friendship was written by Bond when he was seventeen himself.

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The Blue Umbrella

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Time Stops At Shamli

Time Stops at Shamli is a story about adolescent love and loss, narrated in Bond's distinctive style. While Shamli is a small place where his train stopped every time and no one cared to step in or out, Bond tells how it became a very important place for him as he met his first love, who was a childhood friend, there. But now she is married to someone else and things have changed, including him.

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When Darkness Falls

When Darkness Falls is the story of a lonely Markham, a scarred war veteran, who lives a resigned life. His frustration erupts one night which leads to a series of events. Written in Bond's style, this delightful story would make the readers empathize with the characters.

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The Night Train At Deoli

Ruskin Bond's The Night Train at Deoli is a short story about adolescent infatuation, which is written with sensitivity. Set against the railway station at Deoli, the story is narrated by an 18-year-old boy who regularly travels to meet his grandmother during his vacations. In this story he narrates a particular incident, while on his way to Dehradun, where he meets a beautiful cane vendor who catches his attention. Though they meet briefly only twice, the story captures the essence of two strangers meeting for a few moments on a small and lonely station.

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Rusty, the Boy from the Hills

The story follows Rusty, an adolescent boy, who lives with his grandparents in Dehradun in the pre-Independence era. Rusty is an imaginative and sensitive boy. While he isn't adventurous himself, strange things keep happening around him which are the basis of his fascinating tales. For instance, the time when he had to tackle his grandfather's narcissist pet python, or when he befriended an unlikely princess living in a lonely tower.

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A Handful of Nuts

A Handful of Nuts is Bond's classic coming of age story. Set in the backdrop of Dehradun in small town India, the story is about being young and adventurous while chasing one's dreams. The narrator, a 21-year-old man, hopes to be an established writer but is constantly distracted by romances and other adventures. Though, it is noted that Bond wrote this book in his sixties. Over the years, A Handful of Nuts has become an inspirational short story for many budding writers.

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A Flight of Pigeons

Based on true events, this story is set during the revolt of 1857 in Shahjahanpur. A Flight of Pigeons is a haunting story about twists of fate and humanity. The story follows Ruth Labadoor, whose father was killed by sepoys in an attack. Ruth and her family seeks refuge with Lala Ramjimal, their trusted Indian companion, during the revolt. They plan to escape to Bareilly, but that's when Javed Khan, a Pathan who is opposed to the British, kidnaps Ruth and her mother. It isn't hatred towards the British but love for Ruth, which makes Javed abduct them. The simplicity and detailed drama captures the human emotions in this story beautifully.

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The Cherry Tree

In this delightful and simple story, Ruskin Bond impeccably narrates the bond between a cherry tree and a young boy. Rakesh, a young boy, plants a cherry tree. He nurtures the saplings and watches them grow through natural and unnatural disaster. On Rakesh's 9th birthday, the cherry finally blossoms thus rewarding his unconditional love and care of the saplings.

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Susanna’s Seven Husbands

Set in the backdrop of a sleepy hill station this story follows the life of Susanna Anna-Maria Yeats, a beautiful and hopelessly romantic girl. In search of love she marries several times, but each time her husbands have a mysterious and untimely death. While she is suspected of killing her husbands, it's never proven. This story was developed and adapted into a Bollywood movie too.
(All images: Amazon)

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Best short stories by Ruskin Bond