A delightful read… no one understands nature like Ruskin Bond and it takes his ability to put this wonder into words’-Deccan Chronicle For over half a century, Ruskin Bond has celebrated the wonder and beauty of nature as few other contemporary writers have, or indeed can. This collection brings together the best of his writing on the natural world, not just in the Himalayan foothills that he has made his home, but also in the cities and small towns that he lived in or travelled through as a young man. In these pages, he writes of leopards padding down the lanes of Mussoorie after dark, the first shower of the monsoon in Meerut that brings with it a tumult of new life, the chorus of insects at twilight outside his window, ancient banyan trees and the short-lived cosmos flower, a bat who strays into his room and makes a night less lonely… This volume proves, yet again, that for the serenity and lyricism of his prose and his sharp yet sympathetic eye, Ruskin Bond has few equals. ‘Once again this writer from Mussoorie captivates with his collection of nature pieces -Sunday Midday ‘Bond uses his pen as a brush to paint sensuous images of his experiences with nature and beckons his readers into his imagination … a book that relaxes the eyes, rests the mind, lulls the noise and lets one drift into the idyllic life with nature that most of us are unable to lead’-Dawn
Catagory: Non Fiction
non fiction main category
The Detox Diet
In her new book The Detox Diet, celebrity nutritionist Shonali Sabherwal sheds light on how the root of everything connected to our health lies in the inner ecosystem. She helps unravel the secrets of weight loss, anti-ageing and beauty, and teaches us how to reverse the health issues that arise when bad bacteria outdo the good ones in our system, causing an imbalance. With three fantastic detox diet plans, numerous recipes and an abundance of health tips, this book will help you finally understand the reasons behind many of the problems for which you earlier had no answers. It will now not only get you into the best shape you have ever been in but also help you maintain and sustain a healthier lifestyle.
Confessions Of A Book Lover
Exploring bookshelves in some of the most amazing places-Simla’s Ripon Hospital, Hampstead General Hospital in London, and The Select Bookshop of Mr Rao and Ms Murthy in Bangalore among others-Ruskin Bond opens a window to his earliest encounters with incredible writers and their wonderful writings to introduce you to the stories that played a significant role in moulding his imagination as a full-time writer. Confessions of a Book Lover is a journey into Ruskin’s life through the books he has loved and an introduction to some forgotten classics.
Scenes From A Writer’s Life
The making of a writer Ruskin Bond’s first full-fledged autobiographical book covers his -formative years,’ till the age of twenty-one. The world of Anglo-India, with all its conflicting pulls, comes alive as he tells his story. His earliest memoirs are bitter-sweet, and relate to Jamnager where he lives till he is six. The happy hours spent in exploring the Ram Vilas Palace grounds and playing with his younger sister Ellen and the palace children are overshadowed by the acrimonious relation between his parents. Their estrangement while he is still a child leaves him with a life-long sense of insecurity. His unhappiness is exacerbated by the untimely death of his father ” his emotional anchor when the author is just ten. Forced to stay with his mother and his stepfather, both of whom are absorbed in their own worlds, he tries to fend off his loneliness through books and the company of a few friends. Left for the most part to himself, the gentle dreamer realizes very early as -a pimply adolescent’ his calling as a writer. His first book, The Room on the Roof, materializes in England, the land of his forefathers, where he is sent to make a career for himself. Despite the unexpected success of his novel, which wins a major British literary prize, the author’s yearning for India is too powerful to let him remain abroad for long. He returns and begins a writing career which has spanned four decades, and earned him a place in the pantheon of great Indian writers.
Notes From A Small Room
‘It’s the simple things in life that keep us from going crazy;’ Ruskin Bond writes in this enchanting collection of essays; a celebration of the uncomplicated pleasures of a life well-lived.
In ‘A Good Philosophy’ we learn of Bond’s life philosophy; or the lack of it; and ‘In Search of the Perfect Window’ we join him in meditating on the qualities of a good window and its importance to a room. Whether contemplating the sound of a tropical downpour; on the fragrance of lime trees in the Himalayas or on a year spent with his cat Suzie; Ruskin Bond transports us to a quieter; more elegant world where time moves at a gentle pace. He invites us to revel in the intricacies of life and to poke fun at its absurdities; with insight; wisdom and wit.
Friends In Small Places
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. In addition, there are a host of characters culled from Bond’s numerous short stories. Taken together, they constitute a magnificent evocation of the small-town India by one of the country’s best storytellers
Games Indians Play
In a rare attempt to understand the Indianness of Indians-among the most intelligent people in the world, but also, to a dispassionate eye, perhaps the most baffling-V. Raghunathan uses the props of game theory and behavioral economics to provide an insight into the difficult conundrum of why we are the way we are. He puts under the scanner our attitudes towards rationality and irrationality, selflessness and selfishness, competition and cooperation, and collaboration and deception. Drawing examples from the way we behave in day-to-day situations, Games Indians Play tries to show how in the long run each one of us-whether businessmen, politicians, bureaucrats, or just plain us-stand to profit more if we were to assume a little self-regulation, give fairness a chance and strive to cooperate and collaborate a little more even if self-interest were to be our main driving force.
10 Judgements That Changed India
Who was Shah Bano and why was her alimony pertinent to India’s Secularism? Does the fundamental right to life include the right to livelihood and shelter? Where there is the right to live, is there also the right to die? How did Bhanwari Devi’s rape help define sexual harassment at the workplace? Here are the Supreme Court’s ten pivotal judgements that have transformed Indian democracy and redefined our daily, lives. Exploring vital themes such as custodial deaths, reservations and environmental jurisprudence, this book contextualizes the judgements, explains key concepts and maps their impacts. Written by one of India’s most respected lawyers, Ten Judgements That Changed India is an authoritative yet accessible read for anyone keen to understand India’s legal system and the foundations of our democracy.
Nehru And Bose
Had relations between the two great nationalist leaders soured to the extent that Bose had begun to view Nehru as his enemy? But then, why did he name one of the regiments of the Indian National Army after Jawaharlal? And what prompted Nehru to weep when he heard of Bose’s untimely death in 1945, and to recount soon after, ‘I used to treat him as my younger brother’? Rudrangshu Mukherjee’s fascinating book traces the contours of a friendship that did not quite blossom as political ideologies diverged, and delineates the shadow that fell between them-for, Gandhi saw Nehru as his chosen heir and Bose as a prodigal son.
Speedpost
The relationship between a mother and her children is unquestionably the most special human bond there is. In this book, best-selling author Shobhaa De writes a series of letters to her six children on the key concerns of every mother and child in the 21st century: family values and tradition; growing pains and adolescent anxieties about love, sex and friendship; religion and God; and the challenge of being a responsible parent. Rich, compassionate, witty and wise, these letters will touch the hearts of readers everywhere.