Kevein Books and Reviews

In a Crystal Ball: A Mussoorie Mystery by Ruskin Bond is a short story about a murder in which the investigation of the case couldn’t be completed because of lack of details or it was done with such precision and care that the murderer got away without any air of doubt. Well, this story has been tweaked by adding the names of Rudyard Kipling and Conan Doyle.

In September of 1912, an English lady named Miss Garnette-Orme, with good amount of fortune, was found dead in her room in Mussoorie. The room was locked from inside. Autopsy revealed that she died of prussic acid. Well, the question was how? She was interested in spiritualism and séance. There was one more lady by the name of Miss Mountstephen who too was interested in the same and they often took relish in speaking to dead ones. Miss Garnette-Orme was a chirpy lady but following the death of her father and fiancé, she turned to occult and witching.
In Mussoorie they lived together in a hotel called Savoy. People suspected they …

On several occasions and festivals people tend to follow the trend of gifting; it is something inherent about humans. The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry is a very popular short story about gifting by sacrificing one’s prized possessions. The story introduces us to a married couple, Della and her husband Jim (also known as James). In the story it is shown that they are poor and living in a small apartment. Well, they have two things that are their prized possessions: Jim’s gold pocket watch (he got it from his ancestors), and Della’s long beautiful hair. The eve of Christmas is round the corner. The challenge is of buying gift for each other. After minus all bills, Della can afford only 1.87 dollars – and that’s too less amount to buy an impressive gift for her husband Jim.

One cold day of December, she goes out to check about gifts. She finds everything very expensive. Upon returning home, she stands before the mirror and keenly observes her knee-length hair. She goes again out and rea…

Fairy Glen Palace by Ruskin Bond is a short story about a ruined, haunted palace called Fairy Glen. The story takes place when Ruskin, in 1961, goes to live in Fosterganj, a small village around the hill station Mussoorie. One evening while coming down from Rajpur, Ruskin is caught in a storm. When it starts raining, Ruskin sees a ruined palace in the dark forest. Its front gate is rusted and it seems as that no one lives there since ages. Beside a gate, he finds a sentry cabin. He goes inside but the roof is leaking. Over the sentry box, Ruskin sees something weird: a bird sized between a raven and ostrich. The way bird screeched, it sent shivers down his spine. Soon, a boy comes inside the sentry cabin and asks him about his identity. Ruskin says that he lives in Fosterganj as a writer. The boy confirms that he has seen him there – Fosterganj is such a small place.

The boy takes him, by holding his hand, inside the palace from the back side. The architecture of the palace befuddles…

‘Visitors from Forest’ by Ruskin Bond is a short story about insects and birds that take place shelter during rain in the narrator’s house. When mist veils the mountains and rain sweeps the mountains, animals and birds run pell-mell for shelter. Insects, rodents, and birds find refuge from rain easily as compared to big or wild animals. The narrator of this story is a lonely writer who resides in a small cottage in a forest.

As the rain commences a bamboo beetle, one night, falls into the water jug. The narrator being a kind-hearted person takes it out. Well, after some time, it circles the above the dining table and then again falls into the water jug. He takes it out again. Third time before it lands into the water jug, the narrator covers it. Finding it closed the beetle lands in a basket full of dahlias. There it finds solace and warmth.
Many a time, a thrush sits on the window sill, but it maintains a distance from the writer. She frighteningly sings a song and whenever the writ…

Just like his stories and novels, Ruskin’s poems, too, are simple and engrossing. As we all know that Ruskin Bond epitomizes children’s books in India, and we have been reading his stories since early days. Well, did you ever try reading poems and verses written by him? Probably no, because publishing houses take no interest in publishing poem books. For them publishing is a business, well our hero Ruskin writes poem for fun and children.

We have brought forward some of his best poems – they are for all ages, alike. This poem explores the value of love, we as humans must fall in love to have company in our lonely life. Love is a vital force in life, without it one is incomplete, and in the later phase of life one may grief like a sarus crane who has lost its partner. Love is vital, love is all we all need.
We must love someone If we are to justify Our presence on this earth. We must keep loving all our days, Someone, anyone, anywhere Outside ourselves; For even the sarus crane Will grieve …