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Book Review: The Last Truck Ride by Ruskin Bond

The Last Truck Ride by Ruskin Bond is a short story about a truck driver Pritam and his assistant Nathu. Pritam is a fifty-year-old Sikh man; he drives a rickety truck on the mountains. He makes two trips every day and carries limestone quarries from the blasting site to the depot at the bottom of the hill. Nathu is around twelve years old; he is from a far-away hilly village, because of poverty and scanty resources at his village he’s come to the town to work so that he can run his family that lives in the village.



Nathu is working for Pritam for over six months, at the wage of ten rupees per day. Pritam’s two sons live in Punjab and he will retire soon to live with them in Punjab. Pritam is a fast and reckless driver despite knowing that the roads in the mountains are tumultuous and narrow and curved. Nathu often talks about his poverty and village life and nature there. Nathu has a walnut tree before his home in his village and that tree gives two baskets full of walnuts every year. The place where Nathu works is a different place than his village, here he sees the blasting of the mountains for the sake of limestone and mountains are left barren and dusty. It is the commercial need that is stripping the mountains off its flora, fauna and trees and vegetation.

Pritam loves his truck and he often blare the horn loudly – he loves the music of it. Despite getting warning from people, Pritam doesn’t listen to anyone and continues driving the truck recklessly. Well, one day after loading the truck and with some labourers on it, Pritam starts the truck for the depot. He is driving fast and out of nowhere on a narrow road a stray mule appears in the middle of the road, Pritam loses the control, as a result the trucks careers off the road, and it rolls twice before it is stopped by a strong tree. Labourers jump off the truck and Nathu finds himself among the nettles. Pritam breaks some of his bones and in an hour’s time he is taken to the hospital.

In the hospital Nathu and Pritam hold a conversation about the importance of trees in the mountains. Pritam decides to go back to Punjab while Nathu to his village. From this story it is clear that the author is concerned about the losing beauty of hills that is trees and wildlife. Another great aspect is the sacrifice Nathu makes to fend his family back in village.

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Comments

  1. UnknownAugust 9, 2019 at 8:35 AM

    Good story

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownOctober 15, 2019 at 6:47 PM

    I have read this story in my class😋😋

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownJune 30, 2020 at 9:30 AM

    I have this story in my class

    ReplyDelete
  4. UnknownJuly 13, 2020 at 10:13 AM

    It is a very interesting book

    ReplyDelete
  5. mahidilshadAugust 9, 2020 at 5:46 PM

    Not the full story

    ReplyDelete
  6. UnknownSeptember 21, 2020 at 7:02 PM

    It was really important because after reading the chapter from book I went through the summary and it was full story but small . Thus it is very useful.

    ReplyDelete
  7. UnknownOctober 29, 2020 at 12:55 AM

    I have read this story in my English supplementary textbook it is very good story and I liked it very much it's about nature and I also learn that never do fast driving.

    ReplyDelete
  8. UnknownAugust 30, 2021 at 7:14 AM

    Not cut tree save nature for our future

    ReplyDelete

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