Ruskin Bond
books and stories are around the corner for over sixty years now. Undoubtedly,
he has written over 600 stories, in the form of novels, novellas, short
stories, fiction and non-fiction. Ruskin writes about nothingness, in general,
but still his stories are relatable and the kind of characters of that we
experience somehow look familiar to us and many stay with us for long, even
when we pass the stories from one generation to another. This post brings a
list of some interesting characters often spotted in his stories, like Binya,
Rusty, and many more.
Bhabhiji:
In the book
Rusty Comes Home, there is a long story about a very peculiar and staunch
woman, she is reverently or out of fear is often called as Bhabhiji. She is the
head of the home where a dozen of grandchildren run pell-mell and brides can
never compete with her, no matter whatever they do. According to Rusty, in that
home you will everything (love and food) but no privacy. As Ruskin says in the
end that Jane Austen would be proud of Bhabhiji's orderly household.
Ram Bharosa:
In Ruskin’s
very popular novella The Blue Umbrella, we see a few interesting and
substantial characters. On one side, we have Binya and her brother Bijju, and
on the other hand we have this villain personality Ram Bharosa, who runs a
provisional store at the bus stop. He gets so much awed by that blue umbrella
that he conspires to obtain it by all tricks. In fact, a nuanced character that
we all may have been at some or another point in our lives. How he overcame his
own self was beautifully portrayed, compassion changes his personality is the
beautiful thing about him.
Bisnu:
From the
novella, Dust on the Mountain, there is this honest, optimistic and
hard-working boy who leaves his beloved mountains to work in the city and earn
money for his family. Through him the author speaks of the ills of
deforestation and climate changes. He finally decides to go home and cultivate
his land as he feels "It's better to grow things on the land than blast
things out of it", a beautiful sentiment indeed.
Mehmood:
From the story
Kite Maker, Mehmood is amazing. First love will always be remembered... the
first Ruskin bond character many fell in love with... Mehmood, the amazing Kite
Maker. The way Bond takes us through Mehmood's life, the pride he takes in his
every creation, that dragon kite for the Nawab, how he misses the time when
people had time/patrons for such activities and for him, the generation gap
between the grandfather and grandson, the reference of the banyan vs. the mimosa
trees. Who writes like this anymore!
Rusty:
From the novel
The Room on the Roof, many readers couldn’t control being captivated by the
will and rebellious spirit of Rusty. As a matter of fact, Rusty is an all-time
classic character of Ruskin Bond. Especially, orphans or people with no social
security can relate with him and may feel that they have had similar childhood
as of Rusty. So they always understood his plight as an orphan. The world is
ruthless to orphans, read The Room on the Roof and you will realize that this
world tried to squeeze his malleable soul. No shelter, uncertainty of meals,
the only respite is your friends that clearly see you as another human in need,
away from the boundaries of so called society.
Uncle Ken:
To know more
about Uncle Ken, Ruskin’s maternal uncle, one has to read stories based around
him, like At Sea with Uncle Ken or Crazy Times with Uncle Ken. Readers remember
Uncle Ken for his misadventures and crazy laugh riots. His eccentricities make
him court trouble perpetually, whether it's driving his car against the wall,
or attacked by swarm of bees or chased by flying foxes. Even his numerous
attempts of finding jobs keep readers in splits.
Nakoo:
You will get
introduced to funny crocodile named Nakoo in the story Cricket for the
Crocodile. Many like him because he is very funny and very gentle and kind.
Probably, you have never heard of a crocodile before being gentle.
Rakesh:
There is this
another favourite character Rakesh from ‘The Cherry Tree’. He plants a cheery
tree and amazingly finds that the cherry tree has grown though the little care
given by him. This story has a beautiful moral that teaches us all, how to be
better humans and fend for yourself too.
Ruskin Bond:
You may love
the Bond character in ‘At school with Ruskin Bond’. Brings back memories of
Scout days and how it was a very nice way to teach children to be helpful to
others. Schools don't have them anymore… This character has so much humor and
punches the apt lines at the correct time.
Sitaram:
Remember your
washerman and street cleaner, people with odd jobs; they are full of
head-turning rumours. Yes, Sitaram is one such guy. He is a son of a washerman
and takes care of laundry business, well he is quite unstable. He is so funny
and ordinary that you will amuse at his simplicity and dedication towards
Ruskin’s friendship.
Though there
are many more characters, we all hope the list keeps growing. Enjoyed reading this post! Here
is your chance to read 30 best stories by Ruskin Bond - https://goo.gl/uBeMY6
I want only swami as main character short story
ReplyDeleteYes u should make
Deletegood
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