Ruskin Bond’s room on the roof in Landour hills out of bounds, sadly, for fans

Of rhododendron, spruce and deodar—

Trees of God, we call them- sighing

In the wind from the passes of Garhwal.’

-The India I love, Ruskin Bond

Far away from the din of Lok Sabha elections, the charm of Landour, a tiny hill town uphill Mussoorie in Uttarakhand where renowned writer Ruskin Bond has made his home, is still intact.

In several of his writings, Bond, the beloved local writer of this quiet mountain town describes the charm of Landour- clouds of mist wrapping deodars like a blanket, a motley group of travellers savouring hot pancakes at iconic Char Dukaan, aroma of freshly baked cupcakes filling the air outside Landour Bakehouse, and walks through jungle trails via vintage churches filling hearts with pure joy.

However, Bond, the country’s own William Wordsworth who would soon turn 90, now mostly keeps himself away from those pleasant and heartwarming short meetings with his readers and fans.

According to the locals, ever since the pandemic Covid-19 struck, Bond mostly prefers being indoors at his home – the Ivy Cottage, where he lives with his adoptive family.

It has been more than three years that Bond’s much awaited book-signing sessions for his readers at Mussoorie’s Cambridge Book Depot, where he would happily spend hours every Saturday especially with children, have stopped, almost.

But the love for Bond, whose writings filled colours in childhoods of many, is hard to die as fans queue up at the narrow staircase leading to the Ivy Cottage.

Among those waiting outside his home were a young girl holding a bouquet of roses, a middle-aged budding writer who especially travelled from Delhi, a group of young bloggers wishing to interview Bond, among others.

Bond’s grandson Sidharth said that the writer was very much home but wasn’t willing to meet anyone. “He isn’t keeping well these days. He doesn’t meet anyone now. We get several requests everyday but we can’t help,” he says.

It was Bond’s writings, and the extensive description of Landour’s natural beauty in them, that made this small army cantonment hill town, a travel destination for many. But what visitors are missing now is the enchanting smile of the old man, who would greet his readers with so much love and warmth, and would even open the doors of his cottage for them at odd times.

Sunil Arora, owner of Cambridge Book Depot, Mussoorie, one among the very few people whom Bond still meets every few days, says: “He (Bond) stopped meeting people since the Covid induced lockdown in early 2020. Since then, he is mostly inside his home and doesn’t meet readers or anyone. It is primarily due to old age issues and as a precaution against Covid. The book-signing sessions at our shop also stopped a long time ago but we still try to get his signatures on some books for those who request.”

But there’s still a ray of hope for Bond fans. He might meet readers on his birthday.

Arora says that Bond’s birthday on May 19 used to be a gala affair at the bookstore till the pandemic struck. “We did not host his birthday meet in 2020, 2021 and 2022. But in 2023, he agreed to come and we had a small celebration. We hope to do it again this year if he agrees. He is very much aware of the love and messages he receives from his readers,” says Arora.

An Anglo-Indian writer, Bond published his first novel ‘The Room on The Roof’ when he was just 17. He has been writing for over 70 years and has written over 500 short stories, over 120 titles, including poems, children’s books and novels. Bond was bestowed with Sahitya Akademi award in 1993 and Padma Shri in 1999. His book ‘Our Trees Still Grow in Dehra’, where he describes his love for Garhwal hills and the nature around, won him the Sahitya Akademi award.

Born in Kasauli, Himachal Pradesh, Bond grew up in Jamnagar, Dehradun, Delhi and Shimla. He finally made Landour his home. “It’s always the same with the mountains. Once you have lived with them for any length of time, you belong to them. There is no escape,” writes Bond.