A Night Walk
Home by Ruskin Bond is a beautifully written short story that talks about the
night ambience which the narrator often experiences in Landour – a small place
in Mussoorie. Also, the story is very informative as it tells as how a night
can be spent in the mountains, like the foothills of the Himalayas.
The theme of
nature and wildlife conservation is too strong and Ruskin has used various
animals and birds to depict his conviction for saving from any sort of trouble.
The story is of one night when the narrator was walking back home midnight in
the mountains. One can relate more with his experiences by going through the
following excerpts:
"No night is so dark as it seems. Here
in Landour, on the first range of the Himalayas, I have grown accustomed to the
night's brightness - moonlight, starlight, lamplight, firelight! Even fireflies
light up the darkness."
Clearly, the
narrator loves night as he does not reckon it with darkness, rather he finds
light in many forms. It gives him privacy and freedom, and he feels safer at
night. But it does not mean that he goes to any place in the mountains where
danger lurks for sure.
Though he
senses, sees, and hears animals and birds every night. The author feels that
walking home at midnight in Landour can be quite eventful, but in a different
sort of way. One is conscious all the time of the silent life in the
surrounding trees and bushes. He has smelt a leopard without seeing it. He has
seen jackals on prowl. He has watched a lone fox dancing in the moonlight. He
has seen squirrels flitting from tree to another. Not only this he has
witnessed pine marten taking night journey, heard nightjars, and a variety of
owls and owlets going for freedom flight at night. The author explores the
sound of owls, according to their categories. However, he takes it a libel
where one random author compares the hooting of an owl with a motorcycle sound.
This is not true. Had it been the case, the jungle could have been full of
motorcycles that make interesting and appealing sound and people could sleep
peacefully.
It is
interesting to note that Ruskin puts that no matter what sound nature produces
it never disturbs the sleep of humans. And humans just do the other. In the
story there are various interesting instances of nightly feel, you will like
the story if you enjoy and have that nocturnal instinct.
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