Supriya Sharma By

Author Ruskin Bond was in the Capital recently to receive the Padma Bhushan award. He speaks to Supriya Sharma about his forthcoming books, his 80th birthday plans and his experiences as a writer. Excerpts:

Sixty years of writing, over 120 titles in print, best-selling books that became award-winning movies, numerous awards, including the Padma Shri and now the Padma Bhushan...you have achieved it all. What excites you now? What do you look forward to next?

I want to continue writing and hopefully I can keep writing good stories. Maybe a longer book too, a memoir. All these things that you mentioned have been accumulated over a period of time. Films too happened by chance. I guess if you just work steadily, things will come to you. I started writing from a very young age. When I finished school in 1950, my mother asked me what I wanted to do. And I said, ‘Mum, I think I’ll be a writer.’ And she said, ‘Don’t be silly. Go join the army.’ (laughs)

Writing now has become quite popular with young people, but it wasn’t then. Everyone thought I was being very silly. For the first few years, I got quite used to getting rejection slips with my stories. It took time to get established. So I’ve never taken anything for granted or felt that success was my due. I’ve always had to work hard for it, even

struggle at times.

You turn 80 on May 19 and yet you are so active and continue to write. What is the secret of your energy?

The secret of my energy is to give into my lazy nature. Sleep when I want to, eat when I want to, read lots of books. In other words, just do what I feel like doing. (laughs) And suddenly get a burst of energy maybe.

What are your plans for your 80th birthday?

No particular plans. I have a large adopted family so we will celebrate at home. Usually people send me large birthday cakes, which are not exactly good for my figure but I give into them anyway. Sometimes, local bookshops invite me to come and meet readers, which I do anyway on weekends.

In all these years of writing and all that experience you’ve earned, what is the one unchangeable truth about life you’ve realised?

That life is fleeting. So one should seize the moment and get as much true enjoyment out of living, out of friendships, loving relationships, out of things that give you pleasure whether it is books or films or any form of mentally stimulating satisfaction. Be good to people. The important thing to realise is that it is just for today. Don’t take it for granted.

Tell me about your forthcoming books.

At the moment Rupa is planning an anthology of my favourite stories. I have done a book for Penguin, too, called Love Among the Bookshelves. It is a light-hearted look at the books which I read as a boy and which influenced me in a way. I am writing a book of ghost stories called Little Tales of Terror. I am also planning to write a memoir covering my writing life.

Which are the books you think every child must read while growing up?

For teenagers, I think Wuthering Heights is a great book. Then the works of Charles Dickens or adventure stories like RL Stevenson’s Treasure Island or Kidnapped. The first book I read was Alice in Wonderland. In the past one went from children’s books straight to adult literature. The intermediary stage of books for young adults never caught on much. At present, there is a trend of theme-based writing for the Young Adult category that deals with vampires or witchcraft. These trends come and go but I think it’s good to have some grounding in the classics.

Who were your favourite authors?

There again you go back to books you read as a child. In those days it was Somerset Maugham, PG Wodehouse, Agatha Christie, JB Priestley, Hugh Walpole. I’ve read them all...Graham Greene.

I met Greene once but didn’t know it was him. I was 20 years old and was in London. I had gone to the BBC studios to give a talk on growing up in India. I was sitting there when someone who had just given a talk came out and exchanged greetings with my producer. And then he carried on and my producer said, ‘Of course you know who that was?’ And I said ‘No’. ‘That was Graham Greene,’ he said.

In those days, you didn’t know what famous writers looked like unless you knew them personally. You didn’t constantly have their pictures put in front of you. There was no TV or Internet. Just newspapers and a writer might have a book reviewed. Your book became known either by word of mouth or through bookshops. It took much longer for a writer to become known and established.

What advice would you give to aspiring writers?

Don’t be discouraged. Believe in yourself but make sure you can write. It is important to master the language.

According to you, what qualities are essential to be a writer?

The ability to use words, to have a style of your own, to be original and different from others. Also, the ability to reasonably work hard. Have a love for writing and also be a good reader. I don’t think anyone can be an outstandingly good writer unless they have been good readers when young.

Apart from writing, what do you enjoy doing most now?

I am a nature lover so I like walking among trees or grow plants. I watch TV, follow football. Cricket I used to. I used to play all these games, too, once. I wasn’t just a bookworm. I used to do a lot of hiking, but now I am past that. What else do I do? I am still very fond of reading. I read everything, from classics to crime fiction. I like going back to some of my old favourites.

What do you think of the city? You live far from its chaos in Mussoorie...you don’t use a mobile phone or email...

There too it gets quite chaotic at times. We say as villages have become towns, towns have become cities and cities mega-cities. You can’t avoid the urban sprawl. You can still find a quiet corner here and there, but you have to go a little further for it than you used to.