The Room on The Roof is the first novel by Ruskin Bond.

It is the story of Rusty who is a 16 year old boy. After his parents died he was living with his English Guardian. He was quite unhappy with the ruthless ways and strict rules of his Guardian and decides to break-free one day. So he goes to nearby market and makes many friends and starts living there. He discovers life is not that easy and he has to face a number of challenges that are waiting for him Ruskin Bond in his first venture keeps people captivated from the very first page till the last one through the simplicity in his writing and spontaneity. He has so well represented every detail that it engages the reader very well and proves to be a complete page-turner. The reader will feel the pain of Rusty and laugh at the light-hearted humor. The book summons up all the traits of human life well ranging from adolescence, love, friendship to losing your loved ones and agonies of life. Ruskin has a certain poetic style of writing. He chooses words carefully and describes every detail appropriately. The marked style of writing is note worthy when the boy gets into the dilemma of living India and going to England. Ruskin uses many adjectives to support his writing that make his work beautiful and graceful to read. He also remarkably shows in the novel, how some strangers can become part and parcel of ones life by showing a little tenderness and warmth. Rusty, the protagonist in the novel underwent same state and made some friends for lifetime. The novel is the winner of John Llewellyn Rhys Memorial Prize and is certs

Book Summary of Room On The Roof

Rusty, a sixteen-year-old Anglo-Indian boy, is dissatisfied with life in the declining European community at Dehra Dun Unhappy with the strict ways of his English guardian, Rusty runs away from home to live

with Indian friends. Plunging for the first time into the dream-bright world of the bazaar, Hindu festivals and other aspects of Indian life, Rusty is enchanted...and is lost forever to the prim proprieties of the European community... Like an Indian bazaar itself, the book is filled with the smells, sights, sounds, confusion and subtle organization of ordinary Indian life Santha Rama Rau in the New York Times Book Review Has a special magic of its own Herald Tribune Book Review Considerable charm and spontaneity San Francisco Chronicle Very engaging The Guardian Moving in its simplicity and underlying tendernessa novel of marked originality. The Scotsman Mr Bond is a writer of great gifts The New Statesman Rusty, a young lad, 17 years old is an Anglo-Indian looked after by an another Anglo-Indian . He has lost his parents when very young and is the only young boy among his neighbors. His guardian is one among those rigid Britishers who dislikes Indians and their ways of living .There is a separate market for the Anglo-Indians and Rusty is not permitted by the Anglo-Indians to even peek at the Indian bazaar . A sweeper boy, an untouchable, is the only young Indian whom Rusty has ever met and is not allowed to mix with him , too, according to customs. But Rusty is keen on exploring the Indian bazaar and the other colorful side of Dehra,a town in North India where Rusty resides. To fulfill his desire Rusty makes frequent visits to the bazaar secretly but is caught ,as expected. Then the story takes a big turn...

Monday, September 14, 2009 THE ROOM ON THE ROOF TOP--->Ruskin Bond My desire to read one of the Ruskin Bond's started with watching The Blue Umbrella. The movie was inspired by one of his writings. He being an Indian author with European descent the Desi touch in his stories is what stands out. He has written several novels, short stories and books for children in the course of a long writing career. This book was written by him when he was just 17 years old. He still lives in Mussorie.

The Room On The Roof Top is a story about a 16yr old boy-Rusty. Who himself is English but lives with his caretaker in DehraDun. His caretaker being a typical strict and shrewd guardian,imposes forced discipline on him. Somehow Rusty meets a bunch of Indian boys who become friends with him and together they explore the streets of Dehra. Living in a very enclosed environment, when Rusty gets involved in Indian festivals like HOLI and Diwali....he feels liberated. He abandons his caretaker on a sour note and starts living with his friends. To earn a living, being English....his spoken and written English is what comes to his rescue. He teaches one of the kids in the neighborhood and lives in a room on their rooftop. Here is when Rusty meets LIFE. Often he roams around Dehra eating chaat, pakodas and spends time in silence on the hill tops of dehra with his friends.

Rusty had never had Chaat, tikkees.......here is somethings interesting when he tasted tikkees for the first time.. Rusty tasted a bit. It was hot. He waited a minute then tasted another bit. It was still hot but in a different way;now it was lively,interesting;it had a diff taste to anything he had eaten before. Suspicious but inquisitive, he finished the tikkees and waited to see if anything woukd happen. Have U had before?...asked Somi. No' said Rusty....What will it do?' Somi-' It might worry your stomach a little at first,but you will get used to it the more often you eat. So finish the other one too.' hehe......:-).

While Rusty taught Kishen English he fell he in love with Kishen's mother. Who was a wife to a drunken Mr.Kapoor. Rusty & Mrs. Kapoor....bond very well together and also share intimate moments. Just when Rusty starts feeling the pink of life.....Mrs Kapoor dies in an accident. His life changes here onwards. Kishen and Mr Kapoor go away to stay at one of their relatives house. So Kishen is also taken away from him, Rusty does not know how to spend time without Mrs. Kapoor and his other friends also are busy with their own work and families.

Rusty decides to go back to England but once meet Kishen before he leaves India. When he reached Mr Kapoor house, he learns that he has already married and Kishen is still in Dehra. He did not want to live with a drunk dad and a step mother. Rusty heads back to Dehra and finds Kishen to be in bad company of pick pocketter's. Rusty wanted someone to share life with and Kishen needed someone who could show him the right way to live. Rusty decides to stay back and start a Chaat ki dukaaan and in the spare time may be teach English....and Kishen would assist him too. Kishen and Risty both were divorced from mankind, and Rusty was the only one who understood their misery.

This enchanting novel by Ruskin Bond is written in his trademark close-to-nature style. The worldrenowned author writes from his true experience of the world. This story is autobiographical in nature.

This novel takes the reader on a journey of rural India through the eyes of a 16-year old boy .The panorama of the advancing Indian Monsoon adds a melodious romance to the novel. Bonds bold yet touching style of writing combined with the intriguing story and plot make this novel an engaging adventure. Winner of the John Llewellyn Rhys Memorial Prize in 1957, this book is a page-turner.

Like the Indian bazaar itself, the book is filled with smells, sights, sounds, confusion and subtle organization of ordinary Indian life.

Rusty, the hero of the novel is unhappy with his strict guardian & being confined to the declining Euopean community in Dehra Dun Finally, one day he is bold enough to venture into forbidden Indian Territory. He meets ~Somi the Sikh boy. A boy of strange perpetual rejoices, he soon becomes Rustys best friend. ~Ranbir, Hindu by caste, and the strongest wrestler in the bazaar invokes in Rusty a rebellious spirit that earns him his freedom for life. Then there is Suri. Bespectacled and owlish to behold, Suri possesses an almost criminal cunning, and is both respected and despised by all who know him. His interests are confined to people and their privacies; which privacies, when known to Suri, are made public.

After running away from home, his newfound friends shelter him and soon he gets a job as an English teacher of Mr. Kapoors son. Mr. Kapoor was once a rich man who has lost his job because of his addiction to alcohol.

His only support is his lovely wife Meena who soon takes a special place in Rustys heart. But the most important member of the family is their son Kishan, who also becomes Rustys best friend. They have a lovely time together and Meena gives Rusty the best gift of his life. A lonely room on their houses roof. His very own room! Scarcely furnished, but incredibly close to the Banyan tree, and nature in general. A place he could call home.He called it ~ The room on the Roof

Ruskin Bond penned this novella when he was only 17 years old in 1951, and I think it is an excellent book for everyone but for young people in particular. The story started in this book is continued in "Vagrants In The Valley", and if you get this book, I suggest you also get "Vagrants" as it completes and complements this book nicely. Both books are semi-autobiographical and offer a very good glimpse into the "real India". Although it may be said to lack a certain depth or maturity, the book hold up surprisingly well with repeated readings due to its perennial freshness and wonder. We follow our young hero as he leaves a domineering and hostile, suffocating environment with his English guardian to explore the world beyond the protestant community that he was raised in. He essentially becomes a vagrant, but he discovers his freedom as well, and goes on to make friends with several other street children of the bazaar. He gets his first job, falls in love with an older woman, and grows a good deal in the book, before taking to the road and leaving his hometown when it no longer has anything to offer him. The end of the book will kind of leave you hanging if you don't read the sequel. By itself, I would give this book a three-star rating, but when combined with "Vagrants" I would promote it to a four-star. The innocence of a young writer and the yearning for adventure shine through particularly well in this little delight of a book.

Better perceived as the Indian 'William Wordsworth', Ruskin Bond was born in Kasauli in the then Punjab Province in the year 1934. Born to a first generation British migrant, Bond spent most of his childhood in amidst Himalayas. He was brought up at different places that included Jamnagar, Dehradun and Shimla. As customary in that period he went to England for his primary studies. Although Bond was studying in England, his mind rested in India. He had forged an intimate relationship with the Himalayas and longed for it.

Bond started displaying his literary talent in England. He wrote his first novel named 'Room On The Roof' when he was all of 17 years. The book made him win prestigious 'John Llewellyn Rhys' Prize that is awarded to British Commonwealth Writers who are under the age of 30. The book was primarily based in and around Himalayas and was successful in capturing its beauty and ethos in a manner that was never tried before. Its sequel named 'Vagrants in the Valley' followed it. Riding on the success of these two novels, Ruskin took the journey back home.

Ruskin Bond has now been writing for more than 5 decades. He has stressed more on the local elements of Himalayas in his writings. His writing style is distinct in a way that it tries to make reader understand the landscape and ethos through carefully mastered words. His writings have won him both tremendous critical acclaim as well as a long list of fans through out the literary world. Replete with unassuming humor and quiet wisdom, his stories manifest a deep love for nature and people. His mesmerizing descriptions about the flora and fauna of Himalayas can not be missed in his 100 something short stories, essays, novels, and more than thirty books of children that he has written.

Ruskin Bond Biography

His works has inspired several generations of writers, authors and scriptwriters. His novel named 'The Flight of Pigeons' has been adapted into the acclaimed Merchant Ivory film Junoon. Another less known novel named 'The Room on the Roof' has been adapted in to a BBC produced TV series. Nevertheless his greatest achievement comes from the fact that several of his short stories from his collections have been incorporated in the school curriculum all over India. It includes jewels such as The Night Train at Deoli, Time Stops at Shamli and Our Trees Still Grow in Dehra. In spite of all these successes, Bond can be concluded today as a media-shy and reclusive literary genius. He spends his days with his adopted family at a place close to Dehradun. He received the Sahitya Akademi Award for English writing in India for 'Our Trees Still grows in Dehra' in 1992. He has also been conferred with Padma Shri, one of the most prestigious civil awards in India

Literary style

Literary style
Compared to William Wordsworth, most of Bond's writings show a very strong influence from the social life in the hill stations at the foothills of the Himalayas, where he spent his childhood. His first novel, "The Room On the Roof", was written when he was 17 and published when he was 21. It was partly based on his experiences at Dehra, in his small rented room on the roof, and his friends. The "Room On the Roof" brought him the John Llewellyn Rhys Memorial Prize in 1957. Since then he has written over three hundred short stories, essays and novellas (including Vagrants in The Valley and A Flight of Pigeons) and more than 30 books for children. He has also published two volumes of autobiography. Scenes from a Writer's Life, which describes his formative years growing up in Anglo-India, and The Lamp is Lit, a collection of essays and episodes from his journal.

His writing style is distinct in a way that it tries to make reader understand the landscape and ethos through carefully mastered words. His writings have won him both tremendous critical acclaim as well as a long list of fans through out the literary world. Replete with unassuming humor and quiet wisdom, his stories manifest a deep love for nature and people. His mesmerizing descriptions about the flora and fauna of Himalayas can not be missed in his 100 something short stories, essays, novels, and more than thirty books of children that he has written.[3]

According to Meena G. Khorana in her book The Life and Works of Ruskin Bond, despite Bond's British background, he does not write about India from a Eurocentric perspective. Having lived the majority of his life in India, he knows the country as an insider, writing with an authenticity and emotional engagement about the land and the people of the Himalayas and small-town India. Khorana analyzes his novels and short stories, and highlights his juxtaposition of his protagonists' individual dramas against larger social, moral, and metaphysical issues. In addition, she reveals how the autobiographical and regional elements in Bond's work provide insight into universal themes such as the tension between past and present, city life versus rural values, the dignity of ordinary folk, preservation of the environment, and living in harmony with nature.[4]

Bond said that while his earlier autobiographical work, Rain in the Mountains, was about his long years spent in Mussoorie, Scenes from a Writer's Life described his first 21 years. "Looking back, I find that those earlier years of my life have more incidents resulting from youthful enthusiasm," said the writer. "Two-thirds of the book talks about my life in Dehra Dun as a young boy," he added. Scenes from a Writer's Life dwells on Bond's trip to England, his struggle to find a publisher for his first book The Room on the Roof and his yearning to come back to India, particularly to Doon. "It also tells a lot about my

parents," said Bond. "The book ends with the publication of my first novel and my decision to make writing my livelihood," Bond said, adding, "Basically it describes how I became a writer."[5]he is in nuodo in 1997

Speaking of his life in the mountains over the past four decades, Bond says, "Given the choice, I would not have done differently. When you have received love from people, and the freedom that only the mountains can give, then you have come very near the borders of heaven."Other books to be published by Penguin India as part of this series include Satish Gujral's A Brush With Life (memoirs), R K Laxman's comic account of his life titled, The Tunnel of Time, B K Karanjia's Godrej: A Hundred Years, and R K Narayan's collection of essays titled How to be a Writer in India and Other Uncollected Essays.[5]

To mark the 50th anniversary of Partition, Penguin India is publishing a selection of stories by Saadat Hasan Manto titled Mottled Dawn: Fifty Sketches and Stories of Partition. Urvashi Butalia's Partition Voices is a meticulous account of the traumatic event, recorded in the voice of survivors and others on whom Partition left its imprint. Colours of Independence, a lavishly illustrated art book, is also being brought out on the occasion. In this book, 50 of India's finest painters and artists interpret, through original paintings and drawings, the 50 key events in the country's life since Independence.[5]

His works has inspired several generations of writers, authors and scriptwriters. His novel named The Flight of Pigeons has been adapted into the acclaimed Merchant Ivory film Junoon. Another less known novel named The Room on the Roof has been adapted in to a BBC-produced TV series. Nevertheless his greatest achievement comes from the fact that several of his short stories from his collections have been incorporated in the school curriculum all over India. It includes jewels such as The Night Train at Deoli, Time Stops at Shamli, and Our Trees Still Grow in Dehra. In spite of all these successes, Bond can be concluded today as a media-shy and reclusive literary genius. He spends his days with his adopted family at a place close to Dehradun. He received the Sahitya Akademi Award for English writing in India for Our Trees Still grows in Dehra in 1992. He has also been conferred with Padma Shri, one of the most prestigious civil awards in India.[6] Now he lives with his adopted family in Ladour, Mussoorie.

Early life

Ruskin Bond was born in Kasauli (Himachal Pradesh). His father was Aubrey Alexander Bond who served in the RAF during World War II. He had one sister and brother, Ellen and William Bond. When the writer was four years old, his mother separated from his father and married a Punjabi-Hindu, Mr. Hari, who himself was married once. At ten years old, Ruskin went to his grandmother's in Dehra because of his father's sudden death due to frequent bouts of malaria and jaundice. He has lived in Landour since the 1960s, having previously also lived, as a child and young man, in Shimla, Jamnagar, Mussoorie, Dehradun, and London.

The Indian government considers Ruskin Bond's books as a highly remunerative for their adoption into the school curriculum. The Indian government's patronising of Bond into a wide circulation of school textbooks has lately found its commercial association with Oxford publishing.

This enchanting novel by Ruskin Bond is written in his trademark close-to-nature style. The worldrenowned author writes from his true experience of the world. This story is autobiographical in nature.

This novel takes the reader on a journey of rural India through the eyes of a 16-year old boy .The panorama of the advancing Indian Monsoon adds a melodious romance to the novel. Bonds bold yet touching style of writing combined with the intriguing story and plot make this novel an engaging adventure. Winner of the John Llewellyn Rhys Memorial Prize in 1957, this book is a page-turner.

Like the Indian bazaar itself, the book is filled with smells, sights, sounds, confusion and subtle organization of ordinary Indian life.

Rusty, the hero of the novel is unhappy with his strict guardian & being confined to the declining Euopean community in Dehra Dun Finally, one day he is bold enough to venture into forbidden Indian Territory. He meets ~Somi the Sikh boy. A boy of strange perpetual rejoices, he soon becomes Rustys best friend. ~Ranbir, Hindu by caste, and the strongest wrestler in the bazaar invokes in Rusty a rebellious spirit that earns him his freedom for life. Then there is Suri. Bespectacled and owlish to behold, Suri possesses an almost criminal cunning, and is both respected and despised by all

who know him. His interests are confined to people and their privacies; which privacies, when known to Suri, are made public.

After running away from home, his newfound friends shelter him and soon he gets a job as an English teacher of Mr. Kapoors son. Mr. Kapoor was once a rich man who has lost his job because of his addiction to alcohol.

His only support is his lovely wife Meena who soon takes a special place in Rustys heart. But the most important member of the family is their son Kishan, who also becomes Rustys best friend. They have a lovely time together and Meena gives Rusty the best gift of his life. A lonely room on their houses roof. His very own room! Scarcely furnished, but incredibly close to the Banyan tree, and nature in general. A place he could call home.He called it ~ The room on the Roof