When Rusty opened up over chai to a city boy

After winning the Landmark’s Child Reading to Child Initiative, Chennai boy Jonathan Nelson got a chance to meet the author at his residence in Mussoorie. During the two-hour conversation over chai, Jonathan spoke to Rusty about his love for literature, how the author creates the story characters and title, his life motto, etc.

“When I came to know that I am one among the four from the country to meet Ruskin Bond, I was super thrilled. Actually, I was nervous and was counting the days. I read articles about him just to know his character and approach. My friends were equally excited about my meeting with the author that happened last week. I prepared for the big day — it was like am getting prepared for an exam. I knew that Ruskin is a cool person, but for unknown reasons I was tensed,” Jonathan says with a chuckle.

Jonathan along with three students from various parts of the country met Ruskin Bond at his residence in Mussoorie last week. He continues, “Ruskin greeted us warmly and asked details about schooling, family and reading habits. Initially, I was a bit shy to open up. But when other children started asking questions, I too gathered the courage to talk to him. It was a casual chat about his love for literature, his initial days as a writer, how he developed a literary style and so on. He even shared the back story about his popular fictional characters that we all love and adore.”  

Rusty wrote his first book The Room on the Roof (based on his friends) when he was 17. “In Ruskin’s words, it was his friends who pulled him through his childhood. He also shared with us the reason why most of his stories are inspired by the hills and valleys of Dehradun. It took me by surprise that Ruskin was interactive and cheerful even though he was sick,” he tells us.

Jonathan also got to see Rusty’s collection of books. “He showed me some from Agatha Christie and PG Wodehouse collection. Ruskin has played the role of a storyteller for more than 60 years, during which he inspired others to become writers and voracious readers. And this meeting has helped me hone the art of storytelling,” he sums up.