Himalayan Tales By Ruskin Bond - 13 of 2023

The Rupa Book of Ruskin Bond's Himalayan Tales is Ruskin Bond's own collection of short stories, essays and poems, 17 in all theme of course being the hills.  Delightful reading, especially with the Haikus and poems that are interspersed with the stories. An entertaining blend of fiction and non-fiction. 

To Begin with the Poems are On Wings of Sleep followed by the Story of 'The Wind on Haunted Hills' and The Essay on 'Mother Hill'

'Who goes to the Hills, goes to his Mother', wrote Kipling, and he seldom wrote

truer words. For living in the hills was like living in the bosom of a strong, sometimes

proud, but always a comforting mother. And every time I went away, the homecoming

would be tender and precious. It became increasingly difficult for me to go away.

Then again a Poem on 

• The Whistling Schoolboy

From the gorge above Gangotri

Down to Kochi by the sea,

The whistling thrush keeps singing

That same sweet melody.

He was a whistling schoolboy once,

Who heard god Krishna's flute,

And tried to play the same sweet tune,

But touched a faulty note.

Said Krishna to the errant youth—

A bird you must become,

And you shall whistle all your days

Until your song is doneT

Followed by the story of 

• 'The Song of the Whistling Thrush' and the Essay 
• 'The Night the Roof Blew Off'.
• Then the story on the Cherry Tree;  
• From the Pool to the Glacier - is a little long one, in 5 parts; 
• The Last Truck Ride - of the stray mule suddenly comming on the road when Pritam Sing is driving fast, on how the tree saved him
• A walk through Garhwal - '"In a thousand ages of the gods I could not tell thee of the glories of Himachal". So confessed a Sanskrit poet at the dawn of Indian history and he came closer than anyone else to capturing the spell of the Himalayas.

Then comes the Haikus and Other Short Verses like:

One fine day my kite took wing,

Then came a strong wind—

I was left with the string.

To the temple on the mountain top

We climbed. Forgot to pray!

But got home anyway.

Antirrhinums line the wall,

Sturdy little dragons all!

While I was yet a boy, I dreamt of power and fame;

And now I'm old, I dream of being a boy again.

Followed by a little longer story in parts on 'A Long walk for Bina' in 10 parts, beginning and ending with verses:

Five more miles to go!

We climb through rain and snow,

A river to cross—

A mountain to pass—

Now we've four more miles to go!

and then comes the poem 'These simple Things' - Simplest things in life are the best....

Then back to a mix of Non fiction and fiction on "Mussoorie's Landour Bazaar', The Old Lama, Visitors from the forest, A Bouquet of Love'.