Ruskin Bond
Author of stories for children and adults set in the Himalayan foothills
- Age
- 92 yrs
- Birthday in 205 days
- Works listed
- 6
- Novel, Novella
- Honours
- 4
- Most recent 2014
- Profile views
- 0
- 0 followers
Ruskin Bond is an Indian author of British descent who has written hundreds of short stories, novellas and essays, many set in the hills around Mussoorie and Dehradun. A favourite of generations of Indian schoolchildren, he has received the Padma Bhushan and the Sahitya Akademi Award.
Biography
Early life
Bond grew up in Jamnagar, Shimla and Dehradun. After his father’s death he spent a lonely adolescence that fed into his first novel, The Room on the Roof, written at 17 and published in 1956; it won the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize.
Writer of the hills
Since the 1960s he has lived in Landour, Mussoorie. He has written more than 500 stories, essays and novellas, including The Blue Umbrella, A Flight of Pigeons (filmed as Junoon) and Susanna’s Seven Husbands (filmed as 7 Khoon Maaf), and the semi-autobiographical Rusty stories. He received the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1992, the Padma Shri in 1999, the Padma Bhushan in 2014 and the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship in 2021.
Life in Landour
Bond settled in Landour, Mussoorie, in 1963, and has lived there ever since in a modest cottage with an adopted family. He has written for children and adults alike — ghost stories, nature writing, essays and memoirs — in a gentle, observant style that celebrates the hills, trees, birds and small-town people of the Garhwal Himalaya. Each year on his birthday, readers queue at a Mussoorie bookshop to meet him.
Legacy
Bond has been writing for more than seven decades and remains one of India’s best-loved authors, read in schools across the country. His stories of the hills, trees and ordinary people of small-town India, written with gentle humour, have influenced generations of readers and writers.
Personal life
Bond never married. Since 1963 he has lived in the hills of Mussoorie, and for decades in the cantonment of Landour, where he shares his home with an adopted family — the family of Prem Singh, who came to work for him as a young man. Bond regularly meets readers at a Mussoorie bookshop and still writes by hand.
Timeline
-
1934
Born in Kasauli, Punjab Province (now Himachal Pradesh)
-
1956
The Room on the Roof
-
1957
John Llewellyn Rhys Prize
-
1963
Settles in Mussoorie
-
1978
Junoon, based on A Flight of Pigeons, released
-
1992
Sahitya Akademi Award
-
1999
Padma Shri
-
2007
The Blue Umbrella adapted as a film
Directed by Vishal Bhardwaj.
-
2011
7 Khoon Maaf, based on his story, released
-
2014
Padma Bhushan
-
2017
Publishes his memoir Lone Fox Dancing
-
2021
Sahitya Akademi Fellowship
Notable works
-
1956
The Room on the Roof Novel
-
1978
A Flight of Pigeons Novella
-
1980
The Blue Umbrella Novella
-
—
Rusty, the Boy from the Hills Children’s fiction
-
1991
Our Trees Still Grow in Dehra Short stories
Sahitya Akademi Award.
-
2017
Lone Fox Dancing Memoir
Awards and honours
-
John Llewellyn Rhys Prize
1957
-
Sahitya Akademi Award
1992
-
Padma Shri
1999
-
Padma Bhushan
2014
Did you know?
-
1
He wrote his first novel at 17.
-
2
Readers line up at a Mussoorie bookshop to meet him on his birthday.
-
3
Vishal Bhardwaj filmed his stories The Blue Umbrella and Susanna’s Seven Husbands.
Gallery
Connections
Frequently asked
Who is Ruskin Bond?
Ruskin Bond is an Indian author of British descent who has written hundreds of short stories, novellas and essays, many set in the hills around Mussoorie and Dehradun. A favourite of generations of Indian schoolchildren, he has received the Padma Bhushan and the Sahitya Akademi Award.
How old is Ruskin Bond?
Ruskin Bond is 92 years old, born on 19 May 1934 in Kasauli, Punjab Province (now Himachal Pradesh).
Where is Ruskin Bond from?
Ruskin Bond was born in Kasauli, Punjab Province (now Himachal Pradesh).
What is Ruskin Bond known for?
Ruskin Bond is best known for The Room on the Roof, The Blue Umbrella, A Flight of Pigeons, Rusty stories.
What awards has Ruskin Bond received?
Notable honours include John Llewellyn Rhys Prize (1957), Sahitya Akademi Award (1992), Padma Shri (1999), Padma Bhushan (2014).
References
- Ruskin Bond — Wikipedia. Wikipedia. Retrieved 26 October 2026.
- Ruskin Bond — IMDb. IMDb. Retrieved 26 October 2026.
- Ruskin Bond — Goodreads author page. Goodreads. Retrieved 26 October 2026.
- Ruskin Bond — Hindi Wikipedia. Wikipedia (Hindi). Retrieved 26 October 2026.
- Ruskin Bond (Q1380092) — structured data. Wikidata. Retrieved 26 October 2026.
External links
About this profile
- Researched by the TrackFame editors; reviewed by Sanjay Sokal
- First published 26 October 2026
- Last updated
Cite this page
“Ruskin Bond.” TrackFame, last updated 26 October 2026. https://trackfame.com/person/ruskin-bond
Discussion 0
Sign in or create an account to join the discussion.
No comments yet — be the first.
More in Literature
Literature
Sri Aurobindo
Philosopher, yogi, poet and early nationalist leader
1872 – 1950
Politics & Leadership
M. Karunanidhi
Five-time Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and screenwriter
1924 – 2018
Literature
R. K. Narayan
Novelist and creator of the fictional town of Malgudi
1906 – 2001
Music
Rabindranath Tagore
Poet, writer and composer; first non-European Nobel laureate in Literature
1861 – 1941
Literature
Premchand
Hindi and Urdu novelist and short-story writer
1880 – 1936
Politics & Leadership
Shashi Tharoor
Member of Parliament for Thiruvananthapuram, author and former UN Under-Secretary-General
Born 1956