Meeting Ruskin Bond's Fans

 

I was in Landour for a four-day trip and was staying at Doma's Inn with my brother. One day, when I was standing outside Doma's Inn, I saw two men standing at some distance from me. They were staring at red stairs in a building in front of them. It is common for locals to find someone staring at those red stairs in Landour. But for a short-time visitor like me, it was quite a hilarious sight. So I couldn't stop myself from going to them and having a chat about the person those stairs belong to. For those who don't know about it, these stairs lead to the Ivy Cottage, Ruskin Bond's house. That 10-15 minute long chat with Abhishek- a passionate fan of Ruskin Bond who visits Landour every year from Maharashtra for Ruskin sir's birthday- and Rajesh, the newbie in Ruskin Bond's world, led to a nice bond of some like-minded people. Four of us hung out the next day and shared our experiences of being fan-girl and fan-boy. Abhishek is a person who makes conversations easy, and this quality gave us access to the restricted area where the great actor and a wonderful human being Tom Alter lies buried. For me, who is an ardent fan of Ruskin Bond, meeting this kind of like-minded people makes my trips successful.

On this same trip, on the day Mr Bond celebrated his 89th birthday, I met a little cute fan of Ruskin Bond. I have known her for a long time but only through virtual platforms. She is Utkarshini. I have been following her write-ups and videos for a long time, perhaps since lockdown days. Her videos about book reviews are amazing. Her posts always made me think how a little girl of about ten years old can think, write, and speak about books in such a wonderful way. When I was her age, I used to cram essays, letters, and stories. Having my views about a particular thing and expressing that was out of the question. I didn't even have access to books other than my course books. But this girl makes me delighted. I love it when a kid reads books more engrossingly than playing video games or watching cartoons on YouTube or television. Utkarshini and I came into contact for two reasons- our mutual love for reading and our love for Ruskin Bond's books. And what a pleasure it was that we met on the occasion of our favourite writer's 89th birthday. I was standing somewhere behind Mr Bond all the time when fans were coming one by one to wish him and click pictures with him. Suddenly I heard someone saying, "Hello sir! I am a twelve-year-old bibliophile. My name is Utkarshini." And these words made me come in the front at once. But till then she was going outside. I tried to call her name, but the noise from outside made my voice lost somewhere in between. I wanted to meet her but thought I had lost my only chance. But later, when the birthday event was over, I found her inside the bookstore looking for some books. And there is no need to say how happy I was. I feel honoured that she, as well as her mom, recognized me and were equally happy to see me. How proud her parents must be to have a daughter like her! I wish success and happiness for her. May she keep on reading and writing and sharing her knowledge and thoughts with the world. Lots of love to you, Utkarshini.

They say travel broadens your world. It has proved perfect for me. I was always a book reader who kept to herself only. When I started travelling, I started to come in contact with people who have similar tastes. Until a few years back, my love for Ruskin Bond was only shared with others through social media platforms. But lately, I happened to meet co-fans in person, and it has given new dimensions to my perspectives on Ruskin Bond's world. May this go on forever.

-Ekta Kubba