The major themes of this Ruskin Bond story are change and the isolation/loneliness of the aged. An old man in a once rural Indian village lays back and reflects on his life as a professional kitemaker and how much the world has changed. The village’s traditional social structure, sport of adult kite flying, open spaces, and once close community spirit are no more. His only joy in life is spending time with and making kites for his grandson. A torn kite carried by the wind far above the city symbolizes release of his soul. Other themes: tradition, nostalgia, pride, mortality. More…
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The Grandfather and the Python
On the surface, this story by Ruskin Bond is a light-hearted tale about a vain python that falls in love with its own reflection. However, like Bond’s A Tiger in the House, the story raises serious questions about the capture and confinement of wild animals. Rather than being in “love”, the python is more likely confused by its reflection after being isolated from its kind for years. Moreover, if the python has no jungle survival experience, it is unlikely to live long when it finally emerges from its cage. Themes include eccentricity, fear, tolerance, vanity, (unintentional) animal cruelty. More…
The Cherry Tree
The Cherry Tree from Ruskin Bond contrasts the enduring cycles of nature with the changing world of man. An allegory of parenthood in which a young boy plants a cherry seed and watches as it grows into a tree. He nurtures and protects the tree and, once it is grown, asks: What’s so special about this tree? When his grandfather answers that it’s because they planted it themselves, he responds with pride: is this what it feels to be God? Themes: the beauty and bounty of nature, change, growth, responsibility, caring, achievement, pride. More…
The Boy Who Broke the Bank
Although published over thirty years ago, this light-hearted story by Ruskin Bond highlights a major problem in today’s world: the spread of fake news on social networks based on incomplete or inaccurate information. A young sweeper working for an Indian bank is paid late, presumably because of his lowly caste. He complains to a friend, who mentions it to a customer, and soon word spreads throughout the bazaar that the bank cannot pay any of its salaries. This causes panic among depositors, leading to a run on the unfortunate bank. Themes include social class, exploitation, discontent, rumor, panic, crowd psychology. More…
A Face in the Dark
The power of this very short horror story from Ruskin Bond is in the way the events described mirror what one might experience in a nightmare. As an alternative to supernatural forces, Bond cleverly presents a logical explanation for the night’s events: the way faces can appear ghostly by torchlight. Either way, the major theme of the story is fear when confronted with the unknown. A possible moral is that we shouldn’t judge people who look or dress differently due to their race, class, gender identity, religion, etc. Other themes include the supernatural and imagination vs. reality. More…
The Blue Umbrella
In this story by Ruskin Bond, a poor girl from the Himalayan foothills trades her tiger’s-claw lucky charm for a magnificent, though impractical silk umbrella. She is the envy of her village, and vainly parades it everywhere she goes. The village teashop owner covets the umbrella, and tries to acquire it by fair means and foul. Ultimately, the girl and shop owner realize their mutual folly. The girl gives him the umbrella, which he shares with the whole village, and she is greatly rewarded for her kindness. Themes include innocence, beauty, vanity, envy, materialism and greed, compassion, kindness and generosity. More…
Pret in the House / Ghost Trouble
This light-hearted children’s tale from master storyteller Ruskin Bond reflects a once common Indian belief that ghosts and other spirits (pret) inhabit certain types of tree. If something happens to such a tree, these are set free and must find a new home. There are many kinds of pret. Fortunately, the one that moves into a family’s house in this story is of the mischievous rather than dangerous or hungry variety. When its playful pranks become too annoying, the family decides to move away. This does not prove as easy as they thought! Themes: superstition, progress, family connectedness. More…
The Eyes Have It / The Girl on the Train
In this story by Ruskin Bond, a blind man sitting in an empty train carriage is joined by a young woman. He is attracted by the sound of her voice as she farewells her family, and even the sound of her slippers. As he initiates a conversation, he decides to conceal the fact that he is blind. This extends to pretending to look out the window and describe the passing countryside. He is successful, only to learn after the woman exits the train that she is also blind. Themes include independence, loneliness, desire, self-consciousness, pretence, perception vs. reality. More…
When Darkness Falls
One of Ruskin Bond’s strengths is his ability to portray characters that are so life-like readers can empathize with them. So it is with this tragic story of man so frightfully disfigured by war that he is afraid to leave his room by day, and confines himself to creeping phantom-like around an aging hotel by night. His loves in life are his books and music. The message of the story: before turning away from a grossly disfigured or disabled person, stop to consider the feelings of the human being within. Themes include appearance, fear, despair, the healing power of music. More…
A Tiger in the House
In this story by Ruskin Bond, an old man finds what appears to be an orphan tiger cub in the jungle and takes it home as a family pet. After six months, the cub grows out of its ‘playful’ stage and starts to become less friendly. The old man donates the tiger to a zoo, and gets an unexpected surprise when he visits it six months later. The story raises serious questions about the man’s two decisions (to take the tiger cub home, and to give the grown animal to a zoo where there are no others of its kind). More…