Landour Bazaar

by Ruskin Bond

This is the Garhwal Himalayas and the people who live on these mountain slopes in the mist-filled valleys of Garhwal, have long since learned humility, patience and a quiet resignation. Deep in the crouching mist lie their villages, while climbing the mountain slopes are forests of rhododendron, spruce and deodar, soughing in the wind from the ice-bound passes.’
A lifetime in the hills and a bountiful collection of stories throughout it—for over six decades Ruskin Bond has been charming readers with his stories from India’s hinterland. He has brought to the forefront of everybody’s imagination the mountains, valleys and rivers of Garhwal, as well as the magic of small, tucked-away places.
Landour Bazaar is a collection of his best-loved stories about Garhwal over the years. Featuring some of his classics along with heart-warming anecdotes and essays woven around life in the hills, this book showcases Bond’s writing genius like never before.Get ready for an enchanting read that is sure to bring the mountains to you.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction

237 pages, Paperback

Published August 20, 2018

About the author

Ruskin 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.

Reviews

[Jae]

'The rains are over,' he said, kicking off his chappals and lying down on the grass. 'You can smell the autumn in the air. Somehow, it makes me feel light-hearted. Yesterday I was sad, and tomorrow I might be sad again, but today I know that I am happy. I want to live on and on. One lifetime cannot satisfy my heart.' 'A day in a lifetime,' I said. 'I'll remember this day - the way the sun touches us, the way the grass bends, the smell of this leaf as I crush it...'

[Sarmistha · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is like a walk through the path of hills listening to the song of rivers, admiring the beauty of The Himalayas, enjoying the cold wind swaying the blossoms whistling on its own leaving everyone pink faced.The anthology is brimming with natural beauty, fragnant blossoms and human emotions.The innocent thoughtful Sita, legendary Wilson, famous Colonel Cautley,the kind hearted Binya, the determined Bisnu and few others will touch the hearts in their own way.The natives of the hills leading a monotonous life get constantly challenged by nature and man-made disasters but it's their unwavering determination and persistence in the face of Catastrophe which makes me respect them more than ever.
The author bring alive each tale through his detailed description.His writing has a mystic effect which allures everyone.Well developed characters with relatable stories will definitely strike a chord the readers.
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The tranquility of the hills attracts me and the easygoing demeanor of the inhabitants warms my heart.
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I would recommend the book to every reader and nature lovers.

[Manoj Unnikrishnan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading the stories by Ruskin Bond is such a wonderful feeling! Instead of a paperback, I tried my Kindle Unlimited subscription to read Landour Bazaar. It is a pleasant mix of stories and experiences. As usual, Bond takes the reader through mountains, valleys, rivers, friendships, love, ghosts, and many more. This collection includes the following:

1. Sita and the River
2. Voting at Barlowganj
3. A Song of Many Rivers
4. Cold Beer at Chutmalpur
5. Time Stops at Shamli
6. The Story of Madhu
7. Tales of Old Mussoorie
8. Dust on the Mountain
9. A Walk through Garhwal
10. Bus Stop, Pipalnagar
11. Once You Have Lived with Mountains
12. The Night Train at Deoli
13. A Hill Station's Vintage Murders
14. The Blue Umbrella
15. A Long Walk for Bina
16. A Face in the Dark
17. Landour Bazaar

I liked the stories Sita and the River, Time Stops at Shamli, The Story of Madhu, Dust on the Mountain, Bus Stop, Pipalnagar, The Night Train at Deoli, The Blue Umbrella, A Long Walk for Bina, and A Face in the Dark. The rest of the works in this collection are Bond's experiences in the mountains. Overall, this is a good read.

[Jagriti Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

With his picturesque descriptions of mountains, rivers, resident trees and humans Ruskin Bond weaves a story unlike any other. His affinity towards the exploration of intangible connection between human and nature somewhat resembles to that of Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay. While in Bibhutibhushan's works nature often emerges as a secondary protagonist or even as a lead character in some cases, Ruskin Bond steadfastly leaves the centre stage for his people.

Most of his stories are set in the valleys and foothills of Himalayas. 'Landour Bazaar' features some of his best works, with 'The Blue Umbrella', 'A Song of Many Rivers' and 'The Night Train at Deoli' being my personal favourites.

There's a certain comfort in the simplicity of his stories. The unhurried lifestyle of the hinterlands of India felt like a long forgotten dream, an echo of a distant childhood. Each character, valleys and walkways through the forests felt real, sometimes too real. With vivid, descriptive imagery and simple, lucid English this book might be a perfect addition to your leisure reads.

[m15hha · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was alright. A 2.5/5 for sure. The descriptions of the landscape and lifestyles were so beautifully written and the stories were so vividly described but it's a collection of short stories and took a very long time to get through... till I stopped and now it sits in the corner of my shelf neglected. Rip.



I would definitely recommend it if you're into detailed descriptions and appreciate slow paced writing. In that sense it's great to read the night before an English exam however, in terms of entertainment value personally there wasn't a sort of attraction to the stories that made me want to stop whatever I'm doing and pick up the book. It's one of those lovely book you can only read one or twos chapters before bed, to help you sleep, but not more.

[Ajai · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ruskin Bond, the simplicity of his language and stories have always amused me. I have always wondered from where he gets so much of stories to write about. But then, it is the mountain life, the village life that he closely observes and lives for himself that provides him with so much stories for a life time. Stories full of simple lives and small joys, stories with no much worries and surprises, that is Ruskin Bond for a reader. Landour Bazar is a collection of short stories including the one with the same name. Few of the stories in the book according to me are the best by Ruskin Bond i have read till now.

[Vamshi Pendli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Below are some of the stories and novellas included in the books

"SITA AND THE RIVER", "THE BLUE UMBRELLA", "DUST ON THE MOUNTAINS" - mesmerizing

"THE STORY OF MADHU" - heart wrenching

"BUS STOP, PIPALNAGAR" - A part of Bond's life

"TIME STOPS AT SHAMLI", "THE NIGHT TRAIN AT DEOLI" - leaves a lasting mark in your heart

"A SONG OF MANY RIVERS", "LANDOUR BAZAR" - takes you to the streets and the rivers near the Himalayas

and there are other fine stories.

This is truly a book that one would savor and would fall in love reading.

[Aruna Kumar Gadepalli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Collection of 17 stories. The stories included are published elsewhere. Re-reading the stories is a delightful experience.

[Gayatri · Rating 5 out of 5]

What's not to love!

[Rrachita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wanted to get away for few moments to must magic mystique.
This was perfect.