Children Of India

Jul 16, 2026

Uploaded by Finn

Children of India brings together Ruskin Bond’s short stories centered on fictional children and their adventures while growing up. The introduction observes school life in Landour—morning routines, afternoon play, and the realities of chores and absence—then frames the book as a collection for children about learning, friendship, and human nature through memorable characters and events.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryStory & Novel

FormatPDF

Pages103

Reading Time2 h 39 min

AccessFree to download

Children of India Ruskin Bond has been writing for over sixty years, and now has over 120 titles in print—novels, collections of short stories, poetry, essays, anthologies and books for children. His first novel, The Room on the Roof , received the prestigious John Llewellyn Rhys Prize in 1957. He has also received the Padma Shri (1999), the Padma Bhushan (2014) and two awards from Sahitya Akademi—one for his short stories and another for his writings for children. In 2012, the Delhi government gave him its Lifetime Achievement Award. Born in 1934, Ruskin Bond grew up in Jamnagar, Shimla, New Delhi and Dehradun. Apart from three years in the UK, he has spent all his life in India, and now lives in Mussoorie with his adopted family. Published by Rupa Publications India Pvt. Ltd 2017 7/16 , Ansari Road, Daryaganj New Delhi 110002 Copyright © Ruskin Bond 2017 This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and any resemblance to any actual person, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in a retrieval system, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. ISBN: 978-81-291-××× -×× First impression 2017 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated, without the publisher’s prior consent, in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published. CONTENTS Introduction The Four Feathers Getting Granny’s Glasses The Blue Umbrella The Fight A Rupee Goes a Long Way Faraway Place The Flute Player The Room of Many Colours Escape from Java Children of India INTRODUCTION Standing at my window, in my home in Landour, I often see groups of children going to school in the morning and returning in the afternoon. In the mornings, some of them are turned out neatly, their hair combed, bags on their backs as they should be. Some walk leisurely, taking in the morning sights, while others are in a tearing hurry, worried they will be late. There are some who look like they are making for school right after rolling out of bed, their eyes still sleepy, clutching a piece of bread or roti, eating breakfast as they walk. In the afternoons though, it is a different story. I know school is out because of the sudden influx of young voices raised in happy chatter when they pass by. Clothes have been muddied and bags are thrown over the shoulder casually. Everyone is pleased that one more day of school and studies is over, and now they can play or relax. Of course, not all of them get to play for long. There are many who need to help their parents out at home with the chores, or look after the younger ones.

Jul 16, 2026

Uploaded by Finn