Ruskin Bond

Renowned author Ruskin Bond has said that India has become much cleaner following Swachh Bharat Mission but old habits die hard and the challenge lies in addressing the issue appropriately. Bond, known for his literary collections like the Room on the Roof and Mr Olivers diary, was addressing an audience at the inauguration of the second edition of the Tata Steel Jharkhand Literary Meet (JLM) here on Saturday, along with another noted author Uday Prakash.

“Due to the Modi governments Swachchta Abhiyan different cities have become cleaner than earlier, Bond said. However, the problem is that the people return to their old habits and it would take time to change that, Bond added. Bond said that when he visited Jamshedpur last Friday, he was amazed to see how clean and beautiful the steel city was. He felt the same when he visited Ranchi on Saturday.

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On Sunday, Bond will discuss his experience of writing for children at the literary meet. Hindi poet and author Uday Prakash emphasised the importance of literary meets such as JLM as important conduits to support and recognise literary talent from smaller towns and cities in India.

Chanakya Chaudhary, Vice President, Corporate Services, Tata Steel, said that promoting culture and art has been part of Tata Steels ethos for decades. “For Tata Steel, our investment in the region goes beyond industry and extends to building lasting relationships with communities. The tremendous response JLM has received for the second consecutive year gives us the confidence that we are on the right path, Chaudhary said.