DISQUS

Atta Girl · 4 years ago

I fell in love with bond's writing style right after reading my first ruskin bond book 'room on the roof'...The character 'rusty' is still so strongly etched in my mind.


The simplicity of his writing is amazing -- Oodles of nostalgia, a breeze of fresh air, a hint of innocence and the flicker of first love! He is magical!



'Time stops at shamli' is another fav of mine and of course 'Delhi is not far' -- It begins with a beautiful quote:



"And when all the wars are done, a butterfly will still be beautiful"

Unnikrishnan Nair · 4 years ago

Ur blog after a long time, has just given me memories of my college days back in Coimbatore outskirts. We friends often used bunk classes and go to Ooty and Connoor just for the heck of it.. But the mere thoughts of the mist and fog, the hot tea and cofee we had there, gives me goose pimples...

gawker · 4 years ago

Theres an inner traveller-writer in every restless couch potato among us. The challenge is to rise above this potatohood, experience life and then write about it.

Safari Al · 4 years ago

finally, sidin writes...dude...aur milega kya?




i went trekking and then i tried to write about it. what resulted was absolute murder.



guess that travel writer in me(if he isnt permanently absconding) refuses to rise above potatohood.

sumandatta · 4 years ago

u know my friend said the same thng abt me when i ranted on abt being a writer like coetze someday...she said, man u just dont hav the experiences tht these authors hav had.....and i know i can make up thngs as i write on, but can i rally fake feelings i hav never had from scenes i hav never seen? wud my writin be hollow without tht?
but where wud a 9-5 software engg./5-9 tv addict hav experiences from? r we living too dull a life to write abt?

If I tell ya, I'll have to kil · 4 years ago

Sidin, welcome back...Your public missed you.


I don't think our lives are too dull, maybe we're just too caught up to observe some of the beautiful, poignant or simply hilarious things around us at times.



Sidin you sound introspective. Whats up? And you went ahead and lost that "available" tag.

anantha · 4 years ago

Wb Sidin :) I myself got hooked on to Ruskin Bond way back in the early 90s when his short stories were a staple in mags like Target and Junior Quest!

The elderly camel · 4 years ago

Hi Sidin,
FINALLY swatting cyberflies no longer shows up as your latest piece :). This post and some of the comments so far are good food for thought. It’s a decent point though that the simplistic style of Ruskin Bond and RK Narayan is stunningly elegantly and charming and tough to replicate without having experienced similar environs. Pretty similar to the unique way in which you talked about the huge refinery that forms the main view from your apartment window J. Welcome back!

Aslan · 4 years ago

Naice kawlitee

nn · 4 years ago

I feel that great authors are not great authors just because they have experiences which someone like me will never have. They are capable of feeling with more intensity. Something on the lines of "capable of great happiness and great sorrow".

Arun Cavale · 4 years ago

welcome back!! howz ur new job shaping up? already into an assignment? i worked with ur firm on a few assignments (both in India and elsewhere), so kind of know more than a few ppl..so have u guys found permanent office place in Mumbai?
cheers!

gawker · 4 years ago

I think to be a great author its not only necessary to "feel", but also to articulate it in such a way that the reader can comprehend that feeling through his words. In fact, its quite possible for a writer to not even feel something, but express that feeling so vividly that readers can empathize. eg : male authors writing about feminine emotions and vice versa

loverBoy · 4 years ago

"A truly godly (meaning 'of the IIM-A') article from one of the gods (meaning IIM-A guy)", said a friend of mine when he forwarded a mail. The mail has your article where you so very beautifully explain why is it sooooo difficult for a South Indian to have a gf and night life. I simply loved it.


Now that I have found your blog, I see myself having a busy two weeks digging your old posts!!

Amit Pandey · 4 years ago

Your post triggered memories of the growing up years in DehraDun( Dehra, in Ruskin's lingo). On many school trips to Mussorie, the added incentive was trying to bump into Mr Bond, for his autograph. In the Teen years, one could identify with Mr Ruskin's semi-autobiography - "Room on the Roof".


BTW, your long absence can't be entirely put down to reading Ruskin Bond's stories( besides consultancy work, offcourse). Aren't we really missing something...



Do keep posting !!

Alex · 4 years ago

A significant transition... warm n lovely style, good change from your tongue in cheek posts, if the travel writing bug's caught you, do check out Pico Iyer's the lady and the monk.

Sriram · 4 years ago

Dude! When is the "today" for your tomorrow...?

Aqua · 4 years ago

Having grown up in darjeeling...i can related to ruskin bond's writings and the yearning for mountain beauty and rolling hills. but the familiarity gets to you sometimes, which is why i prefer the anonymity which living in a city gives you.
and forget abt hill stations...we still expect a book out of you.

If I tell ya, I'll have to kil · 4 years ago

What da, where have you dissapeared to. You said last week, that we'd get our next fix "tomorrow"....


Please Sidin. I'm having withdrawl symptoms now.



BTW, have you finally started learning how to drive?

Arun · 4 years ago

Excellent. I do suggest you to write a book. May be that's the best thing you can do.

Whadaheg · 4 years ago

Dont know about visiting hills, but yeah, they say to write good literature you need to have known pain-great if you have known hunger, gone to jail, lived in times of war or famine or economic depression or atleast broken your heart or the very least your damn leg! and all these come to you easier if you are in the minority-a woman, black or muslim or poor or disabled or atleast gay...Sidin, sweetheart, you are none of those. So though with remarkable power of observation, and an amazing dexterity around words, unfortunately you are too fortunate.
Dont be too hard on that leg...

vijyan · 4 years ago

zidane,if you continue to write with similar passion with such an absorbing,insightful style you could be strong contender for booker prize in the future!!! infact imagination is more powerful than information as said by einstein. so i think you dont need to visit places to write about them. you could watch discovery chennel and write a book on african saffari, so did one of our leading mallu lit ickon.
with love

vijyan

Whadaheg · 4 years ago

you have your eyes on that booker brother, then you better get more political than mulling over colourful male undies blowing philosophically in the wind..else you can churn out stuff like that iit bugger did-whazzis name? anurag sharma? which is second rate lit., first rate kitzch..

rosie · 4 years ago

Hey Mr. Anonymous.
Dying to get under the sheets?

Jeez man, get a grip.



Never heard of appreciating good writing? Then learn - that's what the rest of us are here for.



Get a life.

silverine · 4 years ago

Rusking Bond, misty hill stations and hot steaming tea. That sounds like paradise on earth. Nice post.

sathish · 4 years ago

sidin, first time to ur blog. am also frm REC Trichy but i did my MCA and passed out in 2002. ru the batch of Piyush who also did his metallurgy over there.
I think v've met in college though not sure.

i'll blogroll u....

Shruthi · 4 years ago

I am a Ruskin Bond fan through and through... his characters are so real....I met him when he was here in Bangalore to promote some of his books... and he is such a sweetheart... I am the proud owner of a personally autographed omnibus of his :)

Sankalp · 4 years ago

I fell in love with Ruskin Bond's books when I read Rusty when I was 12 years old.


6 years later, I got a chance to visit Mussoorie when I was in Uttaranchal for a trek.



Bond is a master at expressing the beauty in simplicity.

dazedandconfused · 3 years ago

Sidin,
Read the book recently too and felt great just like I guess you did. Wrote about it in my blog though not as much as u have. My favorite chapter was the one where Bond writes of 'Trees outside his Window'. Amazing stuff.