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Delhi Is Not Far
One of the best storytellers of contemporary India' "Tribune Momentous things happen elsewhere, in the big cities of Nehru's India. In dull and dusty Pipalnagar, each day is like another, and -there is not exactly despair, but resignation'. Even the dreams here are small: if he ever makes it to Delhi, Deep Chand, the barber, will open a more up-to-date salon where he might, perhaps, give the Prime Minister a haircut; Pitamber will trade his cycle-rickshaw for the less demanding scooter-rickshaw; Aziz will be happy with a junk-shop in Chandni Chowk. None, of course, will make that journey to Delhi. Adrift among them, the narrator, Arun, a struggling writer of detective novels in Urdu, waits for inspiration to write a blockbuster. One day he will pack his meagre belongings and take the express train out of Pipalnagar. Meanwhile, he seeks reassurance in love, and finds it in unusual places: with the young prostitute Kamla, wise beyond her years; and the orphan Suraj, homeless and an epileptic, yet surprisingly optimistic about the future. Few authors write with greater sensitivity and skill about little India than Ruskin Bond. Delhi Is Not Far is a memorable story about small lives, with all the hallmarks of classic Ruskin Bond prose: nostalgia, charm, underplayed humour and quiet wisdom.
120 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 26, 2005
121 people are currently reading
2854 people want to read
About the author
Ruskin Bond
673 books3,524 followersRuskin Bond is an Indian author of British descent. He is considered to be an icon among Indian writers and children's authors and a top novelist. He wrote his first novel, The Room on the Roof, when he was seventeen which won John Llewellyn Rhys Memorial Prize in 1957. Since then he has written several novellas, over 500 short stories, as well as various essays and poems, all of which have established him as one of the best-loved and most admired chroniclers of contemporary India. In 1992 he received the Sahitya Akademi award for English writing, for his short stories collection, "Our Trees Still Grow in Dehra", by the Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters in India. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1999 for contributions to children's literature. He now lives with his adopted family in Landour near Mussoorie.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 192 reviews
April 6, 2011
Ruskin Bond is a content man. Atleast I think so. Sure he has bills to pay, sure he has people to worry for. But his writing says that he is content. He is not trying to prove his worth in this world where everyone is stretching themselves to come up with the bestseller. He knows his worth, it seems. And writing is only an extension of his life. 90% of his life is LIVED, not talked about.
This man lives at the foothill town of the Himalayas. This book is about how his character goes away to Delhi for some vague reason and starts to miss the hills and how he eventually winds his way back. His stories are always synonymous with his love affair with the mountains and its people. His writing comes out of a deeper well of affection and respect for the people he knows/meets and lives surrounded by. Not the shallow well of research and mere study.
You can get bored of Ruskin Bond, because after reading about ten of his stories, you see a pattern emerging. But if you share the similar love for humanity and nature that he does, you willl never get 'bored'. After all 'bored' is a modern urban term. It doesn't exist on the mountains, where the peaks stand consistent day to day, month to month, year to year and decade to centuries.
This man lives at the foothill town of the Himalayas. This book is about how his character goes away to Delhi for some vague reason and starts to miss the hills and how he eventually winds his way back. His stories are always synonymous with his love affair with the mountains and its people. His writing comes out of a deeper well of affection and respect for the people he knows/meets and lives surrounded by. Not the shallow well of research and mere study.
You can get bored of Ruskin Bond, because after reading about ten of his stories, you see a pattern emerging. But if you share the similar love for humanity and nature that he does, you willl never get 'bored'. After all 'bored' is a modern urban term. It doesn't exist on the mountains, where the peaks stand consistent day to day, month to month, year to year and decade to centuries.
January 16, 2025
Well this is a short novella, simply written, pleasant enough reading... but what is it about? Well as best I can summarise it is a snapshot of village life - the protagonist, Arun, is an author trying to write, but not trying very hard. He spends time will a collection of friends and we learn their stories though his interactions with them.
There is a student, who sells odds and ends house by house to earn a living; a young prostitute, with an aged and unintelligent husband; a barber with ambitions to the city. Arun also who figures he should move to Delhi to make his living. However he enjoys the gentle pace of life in the dull and dusty village of Pipalnagar.
Written in 1960, but published much later for the first time the reader can judge whether this short story is an important work or not - for me it is perhaps just a bit too gentle...
There is plenty of Ruskin Bond's worthy prose, but the story is very slow to roll out and ends as gently as it begins.
3 stars.
There is a student, who sells odds and ends house by house to earn a living; a young prostitute, with an aged and unintelligent husband; a barber with ambitions to the city. Arun also who figures he should move to Delhi to make his living. However he enjoys the gentle pace of life in the dull and dusty village of Pipalnagar.
Written in 1960, but published much later for the first time the reader can judge whether this short story is an important work or not - for me it is perhaps just a bit too gentle...
There is plenty of Ruskin Bond's worthy prose, but the story is very slow to roll out and ends as gently as it begins.
3 stars.
June 13, 2012
I am very confused about reviewing this book. Hell, I am even confused about my liking for the book.
Why why should I like it?
Just to be clear, there is no superhuman protagonist in this book. And there is no substantial plot either. No plight of the human kind or the irony of the living.
And yet I liked it. I even enjoyed it at times. I enjoyed it so much that intermittently I was not sure if this is a work of fiction.
After reading just one book by Ruskin Bond I have his engraved image in my mind which is of someone who loves India and decided to live and write from the most desultory places here.
The impact of this image has made me to believe him when he says that he lived in a single room flat in Pipalnagar village. Also that he had a friend who used to beg to sustain his academic dreams. And I also believed in all the individuals in this book. I don't care, he convinced me!
The more than simple stories of a small town Pipalnagar with the eccentricities of the people living there thrown in, this book made the epitome of a short memoir.
The dream of a country man to go to Delhi in spite or despite the calling from his/her roots is what made this journey worth writing for.
Why why should I like it?
Just to be clear, there is no superhuman protagonist in this book. And there is no substantial plot either. No plight of the human kind or the irony of the living.
And yet I liked it. I even enjoyed it at times. I enjoyed it so much that intermittently I was not sure if this is a work of fiction.
After reading just one book by Ruskin Bond I have his engraved image in my mind which is of someone who loves India and decided to live and write from the most desultory places here.
The impact of this image has made me to believe him when he says that he lived in a single room flat in Pipalnagar village. Also that he had a friend who used to beg to sustain his academic dreams. And I also believed in all the individuals in this book. I don't care, he convinced me!
The more than simple stories of a small town Pipalnagar with the eccentricities of the people living there thrown in, this book made the epitome of a short memoir.
The dream of a country man to go to Delhi in spite or despite the calling from his/her roots is what made this journey worth writing for.
September 3, 2016
I am surprised to see so less reviews for this splendid novella. Although I read it as a part of another one, it was on my tbr list and hence I'd to mark it complete. Besides I wanted to share my thoughts on this and ask my friends to give it a try. If you like reading good prose it'll never disappoint you.
It's story of a struggling writer, and people around him in a small town of Pipalnagar. Daintily and keenly Bond has captured the day to day life of Pipalnagar or any small town in India. There's some air of resignation about the town. He describes the scorching summer, the waiting for monsoon, the huddle after heavy rains, the swamp of Buffaloes and waiting lizard on wall with equal deftness. But the invisible thread weaving town people together is felt strongly time to time. I don't know how Bond had thought of this story. It seems so convincing that I feel he has lived it, well, if not entirely then chunks of it. And there is little humor chuckling behind words, there's poetic sadness playing hide-n-seek with reader, there's tugging tenderness about it. There's also good old days polished where one could swim at noons, fall asleep under sun and get drenched in rains or pluck the grass. I was very scared if the writers friends, Suraj would die. It'd be very painful story, I thought but for my relief, he didn't. It's too simple, too real and too genuine. One can't help love it.
It's story of a struggling writer, and people around him in a small town of Pipalnagar. Daintily and keenly Bond has captured the day to day life of Pipalnagar or any small town in India. There's some air of resignation about the town. He describes the scorching summer, the waiting for monsoon, the huddle after heavy rains, the swamp of Buffaloes and waiting lizard on wall with equal deftness. But the invisible thread weaving town people together is felt strongly time to time. I don't know how Bond had thought of this story. It seems so convincing that I feel he has lived it, well, if not entirely then chunks of it. And there is little humor chuckling behind words, there's poetic sadness playing hide-n-seek with reader, there's tugging tenderness about it. There's also good old days polished where one could swim at noons, fall asleep under sun and get drenched in rains or pluck the grass. I was very scared if the writers friends, Suraj would die. It'd be very painful story, I thought but for my relief, he didn't. It's too simple, too real and too genuine. One can't help love it.
July 27, 2016
Loved this. Not for its plot. Not for its characters. Not for its language.
But for the fact that books like these inspire you to enjoy simple life.
In an age where living a simple life in itself is a complicated task, this was such a heart warming read.
But for the fact that books like these inspire you to enjoy simple life.
In an age where living a simple life in itself is a complicated task, this was such a heart warming read.
January 16, 2022
Every time I read Ruskin Bond books, I fall in love with his writing style, especially his sheer observations on his surroundings. Ruskin would take me to his magical world of nature, full of mountains, forests, animals, birds. Reading his books is like visiting your favourite places with your loved one. He has the power to make you feel so comfortable in so less words. It leaves you with a longing to be in his stories. If you haven't seen the Himalayas before, you will still experience it through his words.
Delhi Is Not Far is one of his short and enduring novels. It sketches a dynamic scene of a small-town of Pipalnagar in North India. A town where simple-minded people are surprisingly optimistic about their future; weaving dreams of reaching the zenith of success in the nearby city of Delhi. Delhi is the alluring temptress of their innocent dreams. But the dreams are small and quaint. The world here seems crowded with unfinished lives.
The story follows a country man Arun, who dreams of escaping his humdrum life for the thrills of Delhi. Arun dreams about writing a blockbuster that will catapult him to stardom.
The story is about making a living, looking for a better life, believing that love and friendship are forever. The story scrutinizes the profound depth of human relationships beyond blood and lineage.
Delhi Is Not Far is one of his short and enduring novels. It sketches a dynamic scene of a small-town of Pipalnagar in North India. A town where simple-minded people are surprisingly optimistic about their future; weaving dreams of reaching the zenith of success in the nearby city of Delhi. Delhi is the alluring temptress of their innocent dreams. But the dreams are small and quaint. The world here seems crowded with unfinished lives.
The story follows a country man Arun, who dreams of escaping his humdrum life for the thrills of Delhi. Arun dreams about writing a blockbuster that will catapult him to stardom.
The story is about making a living, looking for a better life, believing that love and friendship are forever. The story scrutinizes the profound depth of human relationships beyond blood and lineage.
May 24, 2013
my first ruskin bond book, An innocent story of dreams and people of small cities, I love the way Ruskin describes the small towns of india, each and every character of this book has his or her own dreams. Ruskin really knows the nerve of india.
everyone should read this book atleast once.
everyone should read this book atleast once.
March 26, 2020
I am not going to criticize Ruskin Bond, he is so well connected to my heart since my childhood that I can’t even think of it. I read the whole story in 4 days but couldn't able to find out whether the characters are factious or factual.
Best part is that it projects the shadow of India just after
Independence between the era of 1950-1960. There is not much
discrepancy between Nehru’s India and Modi’s India ,basically both are equivalent in real senses. In this book all characters including the main protagonist and some other folks of Pipalnagar had the same kind of ambition in their life to Diasporas from one place to other in search of new definition of their life, to assemble their future. A few of people are lucky enough to prove their providential approach to escape beyond the fate of darkness . But most of them were “ failure” as people used to commented often on the Trier . These all were the stories of Nehru’s India.
But now nothing has transformed much , same people exists, same kind of villages, same small township like Pipalnagar are alive .Although the India have progressed a lot and indeed progressing but rate of progressing is snails creeping. In Modi’s India ,people have the same formula of planning for their future. Middle class people always in a search of one tiny opportunity to open the bottle of wine so, they could taste the flavour of Upper middle class or High class or supper class. Don’t forget about the BPL parties I mean people below poverty line, they have the same keenness too, to categorized himself in Middle Class. Labouring all day and night some achieve but other settle back to their old life after fought enough. So, generation by generation is changing but people ‘s ambitions remains constant.
Form this novel you could easily conclude that Ruskin Bond is very fond of nature. Such a lovely expression he has put throughout this book by defining each living and nonliving particles in his vicinity.He diagrammatically show each and every characters ,whether he was Deep Chand (the barbar) ,Seth Govind Ram (the landloard),Aziz (has junkshop) ,Pitambar(The Rickshaw Puller),Suraj (his roommate or best friend ),Kamla (prostitute ),he does justice to all of them .
In last Ruskin bond end the this novel with wonderful lines “yesterday I was sad and tomorrow I may be sad again but today I know that I am happy. I want to live on and on, delighting like a pagan in all that is physical :and I know that this one lifetime, however long ,cannot satisfy my heart”
While reading this book sometimes it made me laugh, sometime I became sad and finally now this book becomes good experience to read.
Best part is that it projects the shadow of India just after
Independence between the era of 1950-1960. There is not much
discrepancy between Nehru’s India and Modi’s India ,basically both are equivalent in real senses. In this book all characters including the main protagonist and some other folks of Pipalnagar had the same kind of ambition in their life to Diasporas from one place to other in search of new definition of their life, to assemble their future. A few of people are lucky enough to prove their providential approach to escape beyond the fate of darkness . But most of them were “ failure” as people used to commented often on the Trier . These all were the stories of Nehru’s India.
But now nothing has transformed much , same people exists, same kind of villages, same small township like Pipalnagar are alive .Although the India have progressed a lot and indeed progressing but rate of progressing is snails creeping. In Modi’s India ,people have the same formula of planning for their future. Middle class people always in a search of one tiny opportunity to open the bottle of wine so, they could taste the flavour of Upper middle class or High class or supper class. Don’t forget about the BPL parties I mean people below poverty line, they have the same keenness too, to categorized himself in Middle Class. Labouring all day and night some achieve but other settle back to their old life after fought enough. So, generation by generation is changing but people ‘s ambitions remains constant.
Form this novel you could easily conclude that Ruskin Bond is very fond of nature. Such a lovely expression he has put throughout this book by defining each living and nonliving particles in his vicinity.He diagrammatically show each and every characters ,whether he was Deep Chand (the barbar) ,Seth Govind Ram (the landloard),Aziz (has junkshop) ,Pitambar(The Rickshaw Puller),Suraj (his roommate or best friend ),Kamla (prostitute ),he does justice to all of them .
In last Ruskin bond end the this novel with wonderful lines “yesterday I was sad and tomorrow I may be sad again but today I know that I am happy. I want to live on and on, delighting like a pagan in all that is physical :and I know that this one lifetime, however long ,cannot satisfy my heart”
While reading this book sometimes it made me laugh, sometime I became sad and finally now this book becomes good experience to read.
March 13, 2012
"only yesterdays are splendid.. There are other singers, sweeter than I, to sing of tomorrow. I can onl sing of today, of Pipalnagar, where I have lived and loved." Ruskin Bond's 'Delhi is no far' is a celebration of life, love, yearning, human relationships, and of course, his nonpareil understanding of and love for nature.. and although the scene in which Kamla appears last is almost identical to a scene in 'Time stops at Shamli' (by the same author), it does not take anything away from the sheer beauty of the story-telling. Bond's descriptions are beautiful ("He had beauty, though; his eyes held secrets, his mouth hesitant smiles.") and his humour is delightfully subtle (describing a beggar, Bond writes - "He never made a direct request for money, but greeted you politely, commented on the weather or the price of things, and stood significantly beside you.") All things counted for, the novella is well-worth the time and effort..
February 10, 2017
'Delhi Is Not Far' by Ruskin Bond is based on dreams and aspirations of common people in a sleepy town - Paipalnagar . The story is told through the perspective of Arun , who himself is a aspiring writer . People in Paipalnagar dream about going to Delhi and make a good living . Like all other Ruskin Bond books , this books also contains a cast of vivid wonderful characters .
As the books based in a sleepy town the pace was slow , which it should have been . But in middle the book goes a little dull and most importantly it lacked the trademark Ruskin Bond humor . Later the book gets back and becomes a great journey of self-realisation and realisation of dreams .
Writing style was great . The way author used 'Delhi' to portray the destinations the characters want to achieve was subtle and brilliant .
A Good Read .
4 Stars .
As the books based in a sleepy town the pace was slow , which it should have been . But in middle the book goes a little dull and most importantly it lacked the trademark Ruskin Bond humor . Later the book gets back and becomes a great journey of self-realisation and realisation of dreams .
Writing style was great . The way author used 'Delhi' to portray the destinations the characters want to achieve was subtle and brilliant .
A Good Read .
4 Stars .
June 12, 2017
These are still short stories strung together by a single narrative voice. Like Borges, I think Ruskin Bond is not interested in sustaining characters and story arcs for the length of 200+ pages. He has to say things immediately and without the risk of making the readers bored, and that is why this novella is full of anecdotes. Simple, tongue-in-cheek prose which has become a Bond hallmark - to get things conveyed without a fuss.
July 4, 2013
I grew up reading Ruskin Bond. From a a story or two a part of the school curriculum to making it a religious rite to buy every book to stack on my shelf, I've taken numerous journeys with Mr Bond. As always, Ruskin Bond, the name, conjures up misty hills, lush green valleys, gurgling brooks, long languid stroll through the forests, small-town vibes and of course, old-world Dehradun or simply 'Dehra' of another time.
The narrator – Arun, a struggling writer of cheap Urdu thrillers, feels trapped in dull and dusty Pipalnagar, where nothing ever happens. He hopes to write a blockbuster one day, and escape to Delhi. Meanwhile, he falls in love with a young prostitute, Kamla, and befriends the homeless orphan, Suraj. Written in 1960 and published now for the first time as a stand-alone novella, ‘Delhi Is Not Far’ is a memorable story about desire, love and loss in small time India… where Delhi is the metaphor for ‘dreams accomplished’.
The narrator – Arun, a struggling writer of cheap Urdu thrillers, feels trapped in dull and dusty Pipalnagar, where nothing ever happens. He hopes to write a blockbuster one day, and escape to Delhi. Meanwhile, he falls in love with a young prostitute, Kamla, and befriends the homeless orphan, Suraj. Written in 1960 and published now for the first time as a stand-alone novella, ‘Delhi Is Not Far’ is a memorable story about desire, love and loss in small time India… where Delhi is the metaphor for ‘dreams accomplished’.
February 16, 2021
Delhi is not far - Ruskin bond
ರಸ್ಕಿನ್ ಬಾಂಡ್ ಎಷ್ಟು ಸರಳವಾಗಿ ಬರೀತಾರೆ ಅಂದರೆ ಅಯ್ಯೋ ಇದನ್ನ ನಾನೂ ಬರೀತಿದ್ದೆ ಅಂತಲೋ,ಇದು ನನ್ನ ಯಾವಾಗಿನ ಜೀವನ ಇದರಲ್ಲಿ ಹೇಳಿಕೊಳ್ಳೋಕೆ ಏನಿದೆ ಅಂತನಿಸುತ್ತದೆ.
ಅವರ ಓದುವಾಗಲೂ ಅಷ್ಟೇ.
ದಿನನಿತ್ಯದ ಸರಳ ಜೀವನದ ವಿವರಣೆ ಅಂತ ಒಂದು ಹೋಲಿಕೆ ಕಾಣುತ್ತದೆ.
ಆದರೆ ಅಷ್ಟೇನಾ?
ಅದೊಂದು ಸಣ್ಣ ಊರು.
ಹೊಸತೇನೂ ಘಟಿಸದ ಸೆಕೆಯ ,ಮಧ್ಯಾಹ್ನ ಮೈ ಚಾಚಿ ಮಲಗುವ ಸಂಜೆಯಾಗುತ್ತಿರುವಂತೆ ನಿರ್ಜನವಾಗುವ ಮಳೆಗೆ ಕಾಯುವ ಊರು...
ಅವನು ಬರಹಗಾರ. ಕ್ರೈಮು ಮಣ್ಣು ಮಸಿ ಇತ್ಯಾದಿ ಬರೆದು ಬದುಕಿನ ದಾರಿ ಕಂಡುಕೊಂಡಿದ್ದಾನೆ. ಅವನೂರಿಗೂ ದಿಲ್ಲಿಗೂ ಬರೇ ಇನ್ನೂರು ಕಿಮೀ ದೂರ. ಅಲ್ಲಿ ಹೋದರೆ ತನ್ನ ಬದುಕು ಬದಲಾಗಬಹುದೋ ಎಂಬ ಆಸೆ ಅವನಿಗೆ..
ಆದರೆ ಹಾಗಾಗುತ್ತದಾ?
ದೂರ ಹೊರಟಷ್ಟು ಬೇರಿನ ಸೆಳೆತ ಬಿಡುತ್ತದಾ?
ಹೇಳಬೇಕೆಂದರೆ ಏನೂ ಇಲ್ಲದ ವಿವರಿಸಹೋದರೆ ಏನೂ ಹೇಳಲಾಗದ ಈ ಪುಟ್ಟ ಪುಸ್ತಕ ಹೃದಯಕ್ಕೆ ಮಾತ್ರ ತಟ್ಟುವ ಪುಸ್ತಕ.
ಅಂದ ಹಾಗೆ ಇಂಗ್ಲೀಷ್ ಓದ ಹೊರಡುವವರಿಗೆ ರಸ್ಕಿನ್ ಬಾಂಡ್ ಒಳ್ಳೆಯ ಆರಂಭ ಬಿಂದು.
ರಸ್ಕಿನ್ ಬಾಂಡ್ ಎಷ್ಟು ಸರಳವಾಗಿ ಬರೀತಾರೆ ಅಂದರೆ ಅಯ್ಯೋ ಇದನ್ನ ನಾನೂ ಬರೀತಿದ್ದೆ ಅಂತಲೋ,ಇದು ನನ್ನ ಯಾವಾಗಿನ ಜೀವನ ಇದರಲ್ಲಿ ಹೇಳಿಕೊಳ್ಳೋಕೆ ಏನಿದೆ ಅಂತನಿಸುತ್ತದೆ.
ಅವರ ಓದುವಾಗಲೂ ಅಷ್ಟೇ.
ದಿನನಿತ್ಯದ ಸರಳ ಜೀವನದ ವಿವರಣೆ ಅಂತ ಒಂದು ಹೋಲಿಕೆ ಕಾಣುತ್ತದೆ.
ಆದರೆ ಅಷ್ಟೇನಾ?
ಅದೊಂದು ಸಣ್ಣ ಊರು.
ಹೊಸತೇನೂ ಘಟಿಸದ ಸೆಕೆಯ ,ಮಧ್ಯಾಹ್ನ ಮೈ ಚಾಚಿ ಮಲಗುವ ಸಂಜೆಯಾಗುತ್ತಿರುವಂತೆ ನಿರ್ಜನವಾಗುವ ಮಳೆಗೆ ಕಾಯುವ ಊರು...
ಅವನು ಬರಹಗಾರ. ಕ್ರೈಮು ಮಣ್ಣು ಮಸಿ ಇತ್ಯಾದಿ ಬರೆದು ಬದುಕಿನ ದಾರಿ ಕಂಡುಕೊಂಡಿದ್ದಾನೆ. ಅವನೂರಿಗೂ ದಿಲ್ಲಿಗೂ ಬರೇ ಇನ್ನೂರು ಕಿಮೀ ದೂರ. ಅಲ್ಲಿ ಹೋದರೆ ತನ್ನ ಬದುಕು ಬದಲಾಗಬಹುದೋ ಎಂಬ ಆಸೆ ಅವನಿಗೆ..
ಆದರೆ ಹಾಗಾಗುತ್ತದಾ?
ದೂರ ಹೊರಟಷ್ಟು ಬೇರಿನ ಸೆಳೆತ ಬಿಡುತ್ತದಾ?
ಹೇಳಬೇಕೆಂದರೆ ಏನೂ ಇಲ್ಲದ ವಿವರಿಸಹೋದರೆ ಏನೂ ಹೇಳಲಾಗದ ಈ ಪುಟ್ಟ ಪುಸ್ತಕ ಹೃದಯಕ್ಕೆ ಮಾತ್ರ ತಟ್ಟುವ ಪುಸ್ತಕ.
ಅಂದ ಹಾಗೆ ಇಂಗ್ಲೀಷ್ ಓದ ಹೊರಡುವವರಿಗೆ ರಸ್ಕಿನ್ ಬಾಂಡ್ ಒಳ್ಳೆಯ ಆರಂಭ ಬಿಂದು.
March 13, 2018
The book written in a lucid language opens is a gateway to the Ruskin's thought process. He has woven an incredibly simple tale in a subtle manner. What would strike you the most will be the description of various emotions.
A fine piece of literature!
A fine piece of literature!
January 10, 2020
Ruskin Bond needs no introduction and I don't need to vouch that he's a terrific writer. This book is a love letter to the mundane life of a small town called Pipalnagar. Most of us may have been witnessed the mundaneness of the life in these small centers of life at its most mediocre. The book doesn't have a start, middle and an end but that's what it's like when you enter someone's life...you know them from a certain point to a certain point in life and then both of your lives move on after it. The same applies for this book too. It's great for a lazy sunday afternoon read.
June 4, 2024
Readable but I largely felt bored. Finished it only because it's a short book.
August 19, 2012
I only realised after starting this book that this is my first Bond book! Quite surprising when I have been hearing his name since I was in school! It also came as a news to me that he is born and brought up in India and still stays in Muaaoorie. Somehow I always thought he is a foreigner who has been writing on India! So all in all many learnings for sure :-)
Coming to the book, short and sweet is the word. It is a story of a very small town which is as sleepy as you can imagine. There are few characters apart from one central chracter who is also the narrator. It just shows us the life which happens in any sleepy town!
I must say he is a very honest writer; the way things are shown is so true and realistic that you can easily picture every bit of it. Looks like I am going to read few more Bond in coming days!
Coming to the book, short and sweet is the word. It is a story of a very small town which is as sleepy as you can imagine. There are few characters apart from one central chracter who is also the narrator. It just shows us the life which happens in any sleepy town!
I must say he is a very honest writer; the way things are shown is so true and realistic that you can easily picture every bit of it. Looks like I am going to read few more Bond in coming days!
June 19, 2021
“I do not mind difficulties, as long as they are new difficulties.”
Delhi is not far, is a novella by Ruskin Bond which takes you to the imaginary yet very real town of Pipalnagar, located somewhere in the western Uttar Pradesh.
In this novel, there is a plentiful of everyday life and the nuisances of commonplace small-town people. The writing creates the town of Pipalnagar for you. You can see the streets and the ‘Maidan’ or ground, the school and the barber’s shop. You feel the pain of boys who lost their parents. And are living pretty much on their own, trying to create relationships in the vacuum. It is a story of dreams and hopes.
The characters are all there is to this book and they are indeed what makes this book such a special read. They all are unique.
Many lively characters are introduced to us which forms major part of the story. All are ambitious but tied to their native town Pipalnagar in more than one ways. Kamla, the young prostitute who, while being what she is, still remains as innocent as a teenage girl. Suraj, the wonderful orphan boy who is the source of constant inspiration and companionship to Arun, is also charming in his own way. Then comes the barber Deepchand, the rickshaw-wala Pitamber and the junk shop aspirer Aziz, all of whom dream of making it big in the nasty by-lanes of Delhi’s Chandni Chowk among many other areas.
Right from the hardships he faced with finding well-paying and sustainable publishers, to the adventures of his one-day vegetable stall and encounters with bossy beggars, everything will appear like it is what Ruskin actually did and actually faced.
The book is a light read for all types of readers. The book is more on day-to-day life and has no concrete climax or conflict of interests. Rather it keeps their characters’ lives interdependent by mingling the threads of misery and ambitions together.
Delhi is not far, is a novella by Ruskin Bond which takes you to the imaginary yet very real town of Pipalnagar, located somewhere in the western Uttar Pradesh.
In this novel, there is a plentiful of everyday life and the nuisances of commonplace small-town people. The writing creates the town of Pipalnagar for you. You can see the streets and the ‘Maidan’ or ground, the school and the barber’s shop. You feel the pain of boys who lost their parents. And are living pretty much on their own, trying to create relationships in the vacuum. It is a story of dreams and hopes.
The characters are all there is to this book and they are indeed what makes this book such a special read. They all are unique.
Many lively characters are introduced to us which forms major part of the story. All are ambitious but tied to their native town Pipalnagar in more than one ways. Kamla, the young prostitute who, while being what she is, still remains as innocent as a teenage girl. Suraj, the wonderful orphan boy who is the source of constant inspiration and companionship to Arun, is also charming in his own way. Then comes the barber Deepchand, the rickshaw-wala Pitamber and the junk shop aspirer Aziz, all of whom dream of making it big in the nasty by-lanes of Delhi’s Chandni Chowk among many other areas.
Right from the hardships he faced with finding well-paying and sustainable publishers, to the adventures of his one-day vegetable stall and encounters with bossy beggars, everything will appear like it is what Ruskin actually did and actually faced.
The book is a light read for all types of readers. The book is more on day-to-day life and has no concrete climax or conflict of interests. Rather it keeps their characters’ lives interdependent by mingling the threads of misery and ambitions together.
August 6, 2021
La novela trata de un momento en la vida de unos indios sencillos que viven en un pueblo en las estribaciones de los Himalayas. Una historia que nos permite descubrir la dificultad de la existencia de millones de indios en lugares y pueblos que viven a espaldas y muy alejados de las cuestiones políticas, y de los avances técnicos de las grandes ciudades como Delhi.
Es el primer libro que leo de Ruskin Bond y no será el último, tengo ganas de leer más libros de él. Está considerado uno de los grandes de la literatura india contemporánea. Me ha gustado mucho y destacaría su sencilla e intensa sensibilidad al escribir.
Es el primer libro que leo de Ruskin Bond y no será el último, tengo ganas de leer más libros de él. Está considerado uno de los grandes de la literatura india contemporánea. Me ha gustado mucho y destacaría su sencilla e intensa sensibilidad al escribir.
March 23, 2021
Good but the ending was not too good
March 16, 2014
Review:
I don't usually give up a book mid-way and start reading another book. Of course, there were cases when the book was very monotonous and the progress was so painstackingly slow and I had to put the book aside and start another book afresh. I would neve commit such a feat, even if the book was so boring. I would in the least skip a few paragraphs and complete the book in some way. But I never stop a book in the middle and start another one because I believe that it is the worst degree of disgrace any book might have earned from me. And yeah, there quiet a few books that earned such a degree of disgrace from me. It depicts the torturous path I went through during the course of reading the book. The books which I gave up midway - or the moment I complete the first few pages of the book - are never touched. Once a bore, always a bore. That's what I believe when it comes to books. When I stop reading a book, I put the book aside, write a review describing how torturous the book was and start readinganother book. Neither do I read mutiple books at a time. I have this deformity in my mind, which, when multipe books are read at once, will mix up the stories of the books and the outcome of the review is not just confusing to me and readers, but also authors. To save you all this misery I don't read more than one book at a given instance of time.
That is the quality of my reading for you. And this book is an exception.
Actually, I was midway through the book, Arjuna, when I started and completed reading this book. The discontinuation of the former book is not because of any negative aspect, but due to circumstance. The reason for that case is a story in itself. Readers who are uninterested in the story but the review, can scroll down past the 'My story' part to read the remaining review. Others, read on!
My story:
When I was about 60% through the book, Arjuna by Anuja Chandramouli, I was boarding a train to Chennai from Hyderabad. I was going there for my summer vacations, for paying visit to innumerable maternal uncles based over there. The number of maternal uncles and aunties I had always fascinated me. My grandfather must have been a man of stamina. (Note: Girls, who are reading this review. I am the direct grandson of him. If you know what I mean. ;) )
Anyway, it was a full 12-ho............................
To read the whole review, click here...
I don't usually give up a book mid-way and start reading another book. Of course, there were cases when the book was very monotonous and the progress was so painstackingly slow and I had to put the book aside and start another book afresh. I would neve commit such a feat, even if the book was so boring. I would in the least skip a few paragraphs and complete the book in some way. But I never stop a book in the middle and start another one because I believe that it is the worst degree of disgrace any book might have earned from me. And yeah, there quiet a few books that earned such a degree of disgrace from me. It depicts the torturous path I went through during the course of reading the book. The books which I gave up midway - or the moment I complete the first few pages of the book - are never touched. Once a bore, always a bore. That's what I believe when it comes to books. When I stop reading a book, I put the book aside, write a review describing how torturous the book was and start readinganother book. Neither do I read mutiple books at a time. I have this deformity in my mind, which, when multipe books are read at once, will mix up the stories of the books and the outcome of the review is not just confusing to me and readers, but also authors. To save you all this misery I don't read more than one book at a given instance of time.
That is the quality of my reading for you. And this book is an exception.
Actually, I was midway through the book, Arjuna, when I started and completed reading this book. The discontinuation of the former book is not because of any negative aspect, but due to circumstance. The reason for that case is a story in itself. Readers who are uninterested in the story but the review, can scroll down past the 'My story' part to read the remaining review. Others, read on!
My story:
When I was about 60% through the book, Arjuna by Anuja Chandramouli, I was boarding a train to Chennai from Hyderabad. I was going there for my summer vacations, for paying visit to innumerable maternal uncles based over there. The number of maternal uncles and aunties I had always fascinated me. My grandfather must have been a man of stamina. (Note: Girls, who are reading this review. I am the direct grandson of him. If you know what I mean. ;) )
Anyway, it was a full 12-ho............................
To read the whole review, click here...
February 4, 2021
Delhi Is Not Far is a quintessential Ruskin Bond novella. Although it is just 112 pages long, it's characters are such that will stay with you for quite some time. There are a myriad of characters, all very different from each other. The writing style is simple and impactful. Did I liked the story that much? No, I didn't liked it that much to be included in my 'favourite books' list. Will I recommend it? Yes, I will. Because the story and characters are such that you can't afford to miss this book.
The story doesn't really have a plotline. It is just about the daily lives of the people of Pipalnagar. Ruskin Bond wrote this novella back in the 1960s and the thing he writes in the introduction is that, there are many small towns like Pipalnagar in North India that still remains unchanged in all these years. The book is semi-autobiographical in nature and you may find Ruskin Bond in the narrator Arun sometimes. Coming to the characters, our narrator is Arun, who is a struggling detective-fiction writer. There is Deep Chand, the barber, who's dream is to give the prime minister a haircut; Pitamber who's dream is to ride an autorickshaw instead of pulling a cycle-rickshaw; and Aziz who's dream is to have a junk shop in Chandni Chowk. All these characters want is to go to Delhi, the city where you can make money, the city of their dreams. There is also the young prostitute Kamla and the orphan and epileptic Suraj, with whom the narrator spends his days in Pipalnagar. The characters are beautifully sketched. Ruskin Bond writes about his characters so sensitively that you feel like you've lived with them throughout the book.
Recommended to Ruskin Bond fans, readers looking for novella and those looking for an unforgettable story!
The story doesn't really have a plotline. It is just about the daily lives of the people of Pipalnagar. Ruskin Bond wrote this novella back in the 1960s and the thing he writes in the introduction is that, there are many small towns like Pipalnagar in North India that still remains unchanged in all these years. The book is semi-autobiographical in nature and you may find Ruskin Bond in the narrator Arun sometimes. Coming to the characters, our narrator is Arun, who is a struggling detective-fiction writer. There is Deep Chand, the barber, who's dream is to give the prime minister a haircut; Pitamber who's dream is to ride an autorickshaw instead of pulling a cycle-rickshaw; and Aziz who's dream is to have a junk shop in Chandni Chowk. All these characters want is to go to Delhi, the city where you can make money, the city of their dreams. There is also the young prostitute Kamla and the orphan and epileptic Suraj, with whom the narrator spends his days in Pipalnagar. The characters are beautifully sketched. Ruskin Bond writes about his characters so sensitively that you feel like you've lived with them throughout the book.
Recommended to Ruskin Bond fans, readers looking for novella and those looking for an unforgettable story!
August 7, 2016
This was my first Ruskin Bond though I startedRain in the Mountains: Notes from the Himalayas first after a few pages I wanted to read a fiction by the author and jumped to the bandwagon of BR.
The story is in the form of ramblings in first person about a town and the people there. Though this was fiction I got the feeling that it was more or less autobiographical as it seemed the same person talking as in Notes from the Himalayas. There is nothing much in the name of a plot but the visual effects of his words are awesome. The reader starts seeing all the places the fields the shops and the people Suraj Kamla and the others as if you were watching a movie. Will try some other works of his after a gap.
The story is in the form of ramblings in first person about a town and the people there. Though this was fiction I got the feeling that it was more or less autobiographical as it seemed the same person talking as in Notes from the Himalayas. There is nothing much in the name of a plot but the visual effects of his words are awesome. The reader starts seeing all the places the fields the shops and the people Suraj Kamla and the others as if you were watching a movie. Will try some other works of his after a gap.
September 3, 2015
Ruskin Bond is one of my favourite authors. Though I've liked his autobiographical works more, his novellas are a treat to read. 'Delhi Is Not Far' is a small book about small things of small Indian towns. Though written in the 60s, it relates to the present because our small towns and their beauty and their problems haven't changed much. In the author's own words, it's a rather plotless tale. Bond's description of the small town Indian life, with underplayed humour, wit and satire, is a beautiful read!
March 30, 2008
Nice book. Quite similar to, but not as good as 'A room on the roof' and 'Vagrants in the valley' - the only addition being a few sexual innuendos.
But a must-read for all Ruskin Bond's fans as the imagery and the setting of Pipalnagar and Delhi is quite picturesque.
But a must-read for all Ruskin Bond's fans as the imagery and the setting of Pipalnagar and Delhi is quite picturesque.
October 18, 2011
Writing style is too good..
Small but revealing facts about village life..
If you have ever been a villager; this one will surely make you remember some persons...
Small but revealing facts about village life..
If you have ever been a villager; this one will surely make you remember some persons...
October 7, 2013
easily digestible
May 15, 2021
'Yesterday, I was sad, tomorrow i may be sad again, but today i know that i am happy. I want to live on and on, delighting like a pagan in all that is physical; and i know that this one lifetime, however long, cannot satisfy my heart.'
– Ruskin Bond, 'Delhi Is Not Far'
____
Reread this novella with a friend today and was instantly reminded of why/how much I adore Ruskin Bond's words.
Uncle Bond's stories are like promises made in childhood. They might not be fulfilled or meet your expectations, but they'd never fail to make you feel nostalgic for simpler times, comforting moments and the easy laughter that came to you when you were in the company of those familiar and known.
'Delhi Is Not Far' is again a story of those simpler times set in a sleepy little town where the biggest event that happens in a decade is a mild earthquake. It's a place where everybody knows everybody; where some are affected with dreams of making a better life in a city like Delhi and others, like Kamla, become rooted and unchangeable by a mere dislocation of places.
Uncle Bond celebrates in this novella the idea of friendship and the solid, immovable strength that it brings to your life. He puts down the choice of creating a family for your own, to ground yourself in a world where home itself can be just an idea or a feeling.
I will never not enjoy a Ruskin Bond, and neither would one ever cease to put a smile on my face.
– Ruskin Bond, 'Delhi Is Not Far'
____
Reread this novella with a friend today and was instantly reminded of why/how much I adore Ruskin Bond's words.
Uncle Bond's stories are like promises made in childhood. They might not be fulfilled or meet your expectations, but they'd never fail to make you feel nostalgic for simpler times, comforting moments and the easy laughter that came to you when you were in the company of those familiar and known.
'Delhi Is Not Far' is again a story of those simpler times set in a sleepy little town where the biggest event that happens in a decade is a mild earthquake. It's a place where everybody knows everybody; where some are affected with dreams of making a better life in a city like Delhi and others, like Kamla, become rooted and unchangeable by a mere dislocation of places.
Uncle Bond celebrates in this novella the idea of friendship and the solid, immovable strength that it brings to your life. He puts down the choice of creating a family for your own, to ground yourself in a world where home itself can be just an idea or a feeling.
I will never not enjoy a Ruskin Bond, and neither would one ever cease to put a smile on my face.
December 19, 2019
Delhi Is Not Far is one of the most captivating books I have ever read. Reading it was a complete delight. It is a very simply written piece of work. This plotless tale managed to bring a huge smile on my face, and a sense of satisfaction and contentment in me when I flipped the last page of the book.
Ruskin Bond is able to create a wonderful sketch of a small town called Pipalnagar in northern India. People here live a very simple, resigned life. The characters portrayed in this book are very ordinary, yet very beautiful in their own way.
This book celebrates friendship, love, nature, and most importantly, hope.
I am glad this book is not prominent in popular culture. Reading it was an experience I truly cherished, and would selfishly like to keep for myself.
Ruskin Bond is able to create a wonderful sketch of a small town called Pipalnagar in northern India. People here live a very simple, resigned life. The characters portrayed in this book are very ordinary, yet very beautiful in their own way.
This book celebrates friendship, love, nature, and most importantly, hope.
I am glad this book is not prominent in popular culture. Reading it was an experience I truly cherished, and would selfishly like to keep for myself.
November 28, 2023
A typical Ruskin Bond novel: easy going, light, picturesque and a good filler in between the thrillers that I constantly read.
Deducting a star for the misogyny that was prevalent in those times: while I understand that the perspective is of a man in the mid 20th century, I just could not digest it.
Deducting a star for the misogyny that was prevalent in those times: while I understand that the perspective is of a man in the mid 20th century, I just could not digest it.
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