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Friends in Small Places: Ruskin Bond's Unforgettable People
This collection brings together the best of Ruskin Bond's cameos, all beautifully imagined and crafted, inspired by people who have left a lasting impression on him. In addition, there are a host of characters culled from Bond's numerous short stories. Taken together, they constitute a magnificent evocation of the small-town India by one of the country's best storytellers.
- GenresFictionShort Stories
299 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 2000
17 people are currently reading
438 people want to read
About the author
Ruskin Bond
680 books3,558 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 33 reviews
May 29, 2020
I let it slip to two of my book-loving friends that I hadn’t read Ruskin Bond. From Dublin and Chennai, their screams reverberated all the way to Bangalore where I live. So much so that I had to just dig out whatever Ruskin Bond I could find before they excommunicated me in disgust. Luckily, I had this book lying around - an ex-friend’s good karma in gifting it to me 13 years ago.
This wasn’t perhaps the ideal start to Bond’s charming tales. It’s a collection of stories from different books, journals, and short stories from Bond. It was a bit jarring to read some sweet recollections from Bond’s childhood and then come across chapters that spoke of sex, prostitution, and weird kisses.
The problem is with the editor and publisher who put this together. They just were too haphazard in this collection.
Still, I have read enough of Ruskin Bond through this book to know that I want more. He reminds me of RK Narayan in the way he charmingly depicts rural India with a child’s innocence.
This wasn’t perhaps the ideal start to Bond’s charming tales. It’s a collection of stories from different books, journals, and short stories from Bond. It was a bit jarring to read some sweet recollections from Bond’s childhood and then come across chapters that spoke of sex, prostitution, and weird kisses.
The problem is with the editor and publisher who put this together. They just were too haphazard in this collection.
Still, I have read enough of Ruskin Bond through this book to know that I want more. He reminds me of RK Narayan in the way he charmingly depicts rural India with a child’s innocence.
July 15, 2019
Nice slice of life short pieces. I admit reading Ruskin Bond write about sex is weird after reading him as a child - but good writing, nice, easy simple words and excellent collection.
January 16, 2009
Summary of the book:
This book is about a child name Keemat Lal who was living in Lahore all his life without seeing his real parents. He is in bordering school filled with a lot of Indian students who have never been to India in their lives. Their Hindi teacher had decided to take all of the to Delhi where Keemat’s real parents are there. His teacher knew about this situation so he had plans to go to Delhi on purpose. Later on they get on the train for a long ride to Delhi. When they arrive to Delhi, Keemat’s teacher took to his Uncle’s house. His name was Uncle Ken. Keemat’s family were Punjabi. The main reason why this book was titled friends in small places was because Keemat have seen a lot of friends in his past lives helping each other find their parents.
Recommendation:
I would recommend this book to someone who really loves to help other people when they are having some problems with their family problems. Psychiatrists might be interested in reading these books since they are the most trained people in understand what is happening on their patient’s lives.
Rating:
I would give it a 3 for this book since some part were boring to catch up with since it kept talking about different child’s family and why they were sent to that bordering school in Lahore. They should of concentrated on one character (the main character) so that the reader wont be bored while reading the middle of the books.
This book is about a child name Keemat Lal who was living in Lahore all his life without seeing his real parents. He is in bordering school filled with a lot of Indian students who have never been to India in their lives. Their Hindi teacher had decided to take all of the to Delhi where Keemat’s real parents are there. His teacher knew about this situation so he had plans to go to Delhi on purpose. Later on they get on the train for a long ride to Delhi. When they arrive to Delhi, Keemat’s teacher took to his Uncle’s house. His name was Uncle Ken. Keemat’s family were Punjabi. The main reason why this book was titled friends in small places was because Keemat have seen a lot of friends in his past lives helping each other find their parents.
Recommendation:
I would recommend this book to someone who really loves to help other people when they are having some problems with their family problems. Psychiatrists might be interested in reading these books since they are the most trained people in understand what is happening on their patient’s lives.
Rating:
I would give it a 3 for this book since some part were boring to catch up with since it kept talking about different child’s family and why they were sent to that bordering school in Lahore. They should of concentrated on one character (the main character) so that the reader wont be bored while reading the middle of the books.
May 15, 2022
If you haven't read Bond and wish to know what his writings are mostly about, this is the book you should pick up. It is beautiful how he observes these little things going around himself, and I know that you know that these aren't so little. He has the ability to fill life into everyday things one doesn't usually notice.
This book has stories from his previously published as well as unpublished work and makes for a good companion when you want some rest after an eventful day. As I'd like to put it, 'his stories make me want to live with the surroundings more'. It also has a freshness of someone who just observes what goes on around and does not participate in it. This book doesn't leave a scar upon you and such pacific writings are rare.
I think I want to read more of his work after reading this one.
This book has stories from his previously published as well as unpublished work and makes for a good companion when you want some rest after an eventful day. As I'd like to put it, 'his stories make me want to live with the surroundings more'. It also has a freshness of someone who just observes what goes on around and does not participate in it. This book doesn't leave a scar upon you and such pacific writings are rare.
I think I want to read more of his work after reading this one.
Read
July 18, 2023An old classic I can never get tired of re-reading. I will forever and always love Ruskin Bond
May 25, 2022
'Ruskin Bond writes another bestseller' should be an alternative title for this book. He proves that no story needs a dramatic plot, or danger looming over the the characters like the sword of Damocles to make the story an interesting one . Quaint towns , quaint people with absolutely not-so-ordinary stories make one hell of a read . I read this while sipping tea while it was raining and it was one of the best feelings in my entire life . Book for a reader with taste.If you don't like it, your loss.
June 27, 2025
My favorite among this collection of short stories is the story "My father and I". If anyone hasn't read Ruskin Bond previously, I would recommend reading other books first before this one. The genres are a bit jumbled in the book which can be a bit baffling to keep up with as a reader. One minute the stories are about Ruskin's childhood, his family and heartwarming memories of people along the way. This suddenly gets interrupted with stories involving mentions of prostitution, desire and teen angst. While even these stories are very elegantly articulated, I feel they belonged in a separate book.
January 10, 2019
It is a collection of essays of snippets about the various cameos in author's other books and from the author's. They are excerpts from his diary or recollections of dear ones or just a note of the oddest people he has met. Each one of the stories is amazing. Some of them are about Ruskin Bond's neighborhood who have made a difference in his life or have made a heroic difference in their lives. He speaks of the Tonga walla, the 'Lafunga' who is actually a good man, the Mali who is looking after a Princess (who the world termed mentally-ill) in his own way. Fiction or real, the book is a treat to those looking for relaxed reading. Short stories appeal to me because there is no stress to actually finish the book and there is always curiosity about what the next story will be like! The little collage of images on the cover itself is such a draw for me. An excellent book according to me.
October 28, 2014
Ruskin Bond, Rusty or Mr. Bond as he refers to himself is present in all these stories in different roles – a spectator, a hero, a character, an observer, a ghost or as an author. This book is about his personal experiences with some simple people in small towns. They are as simple as the person sitting next to you on the local train, or the vegetable seller on the street, or the maid who comes to your house to work. He enters their lives as an acquaintance, observes them, makes his presence felt and then tells their stories to us audiences. It does not sound an interesting piece of work, but what a job Ruskin does. I think the one quality of Ruskin is to show life as it happens.
To read more, click here:
http://storywala.blogspot.in/2013/01/...
To read more, click here:
http://storywala.blogspot.in/2013/01/...
July 15, 2017
Captivating portraits from the heartland of India, the stories and lives of people that is so simple and serene, we just love to lose ourself and be lost in those fictional diaries especially Ruskin bond's cameos in the ever so enticing and enchanting hills.. Leaves you wanting for more!!
December 6, 2014
It is a great book not only to read but how to write about characters...capturing the essence of human nature in a few pgs..my fav bedside book.
November 17, 2025
Okay, so I just finished re-reading *Friends in Small Places: Ruskin Bond’s People* (the full title always feels like a warm hug), and honestly? It hit different this time around. At 2 a.m., with fairy lights on and lo-fi playing, this book felt like Bond uncle sliding into my DMs with the softest, most wholesome stories ever.
Let’s start simple: the book is a collection of short non-fiction sketches—real people Bond has met in the hills, in small towns, on trains, in bazaars. No grand plot, no drama, just tiny portraits of postmen, tonga drivers, garden watchmen, old Anglo-Indian ladies, street kids, a random snake charmer… basically everyone who ever crossed his path in Mussoorie, Dehra, or some dusty UP station and left a mark on his heart.
What makes Bond Bond is that voice—chill, gentle, a little self-deprecating, like your coolest grandpa who never raises his voice but somehow drops life lessons that stick forever. He doesn’t “tell” you someone is kind; he just narrates how the chaiwala gave him free adrak chai on a rainy day in 1972 and suddenly you’re tearing up in your Uber. That’s the magic. Zero preaching, maximum feels.
Every story is stupidly simple on the surface: a kid selling buttons, an old man feeding pigeons, two friends sharing a packet of glucose biscuits on a train platform. But Bond zooms in on those micro-moments—the shared laugh, the quiet understanding, the “I see you” glance—and turns them into something sacred. In a world where we’re all chasing content, clout, and 10-step morning routines, these stories whisper: “Bro, slow down. The real stuff is happening in the small places.”
Friendship, for Bond, isn’t about BFF necklaces or Instagram stories. It’s the watchman who saves you a seat under the jacaranda tree every evening just because. It’s the random classmate who walks you home when it’s pouring because “you forgot your umbrella again, yaar.” It’s fleeting, sometimes one-time, but so pure it stays with you for decades. Reading this in 2025, when half my “friends” are just mutuals who like my BeReal, these stories felt like a gentle reality check: real connection doesn’t need a label or a streak.
And that’s why Gen Z (or anyone burned out by hustle culture) needs this book right now. We’re drowning in noise—reels, trends, productivityTok—but Bond hands us silence, hills, monsoon smells, and people who don’t need to go viral to matter. It’s comfort reading, yes, but the kind that quietly heals something you didn’t know was cracked.
If you’re feeling lonely in a group chat of 200 people, or if “touching grass” sounds like solid advice you keep ignoring, pick this up. Read one piece, stare at the ceiling for five minutes, feel your heart unclench. That’s it. That’s the review.
10/10 would let Ruskin Bond adopt me as his emotional support grandchild.
Let’s start simple: the book is a collection of short non-fiction sketches—real people Bond has met in the hills, in small towns, on trains, in bazaars. No grand plot, no drama, just tiny portraits of postmen, tonga drivers, garden watchmen, old Anglo-Indian ladies, street kids, a random snake charmer… basically everyone who ever crossed his path in Mussoorie, Dehra, or some dusty UP station and left a mark on his heart.
What makes Bond Bond is that voice—chill, gentle, a little self-deprecating, like your coolest grandpa who never raises his voice but somehow drops life lessons that stick forever. He doesn’t “tell” you someone is kind; he just narrates how the chaiwala gave him free adrak chai on a rainy day in 1972 and suddenly you’re tearing up in your Uber. That’s the magic. Zero preaching, maximum feels.
Every story is stupidly simple on the surface: a kid selling buttons, an old man feeding pigeons, two friends sharing a packet of glucose biscuits on a train platform. But Bond zooms in on those micro-moments—the shared laugh, the quiet understanding, the “I see you” glance—and turns them into something sacred. In a world where we’re all chasing content, clout, and 10-step morning routines, these stories whisper: “Bro, slow down. The real stuff is happening in the small places.”
Friendship, for Bond, isn’t about BFF necklaces or Instagram stories. It’s the watchman who saves you a seat under the jacaranda tree every evening just because. It’s the random classmate who walks you home when it’s pouring because “you forgot your umbrella again, yaar.” It’s fleeting, sometimes one-time, but so pure it stays with you for decades. Reading this in 2025, when half my “friends” are just mutuals who like my BeReal, these stories felt like a gentle reality check: real connection doesn’t need a label or a streak.
And that’s why Gen Z (or anyone burned out by hustle culture) needs this book right now. We’re drowning in noise—reels, trends, productivityTok—but Bond hands us silence, hills, monsoon smells, and people who don’t need to go viral to matter. It’s comfort reading, yes, but the kind that quietly heals something you didn’t know was cracked.
If you’re feeling lonely in a group chat of 200 people, or if “touching grass” sounds like solid advice you keep ignoring, pick this up. Read one piece, stare at the ceiling for five minutes, feel your heart unclench. That’s it. That’s the review.
10/10 would let Ruskin Bond adopt me as his emotional support grandchild.
April 27, 2021
'Life is full of surprises. And so are people in their different ways.'
Mr Bond is the master of stories about small towns and ordinary people. You'll not find famous personalities quite often in his stories, but the ordinary people will be presented in such a way as to make you think about as so extraordinary that they will not go away from your thoughts for a while after you've read about them. Some of them will make a special place in your heart. Such is the magic of Ruskin Bond that a small town and common people will not let you leave the book easily.
I purchased this book during 2020 lockdown along with other books of Ruskin sir. But it took me months to start reading it because initially, I thought it would not appeal much to me as all the stories were already read by me in different books by sir. But for the past two months, I am reading books of Ruskin sir only. Perhaps it is the craze for his upcoming birthday or I am simply missing the hills. After reading several books written by Ruskin sir, I once again came across this book. I just kept on staring at the cover. There was something mysteriously lovely that kept my eyes glued to the cover. Then I opened the book and read the introduction part. I was in a different world now- the world that was so familiar that I felt nostalgic at once. Yes, the stories were not new. But the purpose of the book was different. It was to familiarize the readers with the people who made the world of Ruskin Bond's stories. This book is not a collection of stories. Rather it is a collection of characters from Ruskin Bond's stories. I usually don't take much time in reading a book. I remember reading a 1500 page long book in two weeks, so that makes it 100 pages per day. But this 300-page long book took me three weeks to complete. The reason was very simple. I was so immersed in the Ruskin Bond world that I enjoyed reading about one character at a time and then share something about it with my friends.
I'll recommend this book to every fan of Ruskin Bond. I am sure you'll not get bored a bit, rather you're going to enjoy the best time of your reading.
I'll highly recommend this book to those who are new to Ruskin Bond's world. Believe me, you'll come to know about him as a writer just from this single book.
Don't wait now. Go and grab your copy.
Happy reading.
Enjoy.
Mr Bond is the master of stories about small towns and ordinary people. You'll not find famous personalities quite often in his stories, but the ordinary people will be presented in such a way as to make you think about as so extraordinary that they will not go away from your thoughts for a while after you've read about them. Some of them will make a special place in your heart. Such is the magic of Ruskin Bond that a small town and common people will not let you leave the book easily.
I purchased this book during 2020 lockdown along with other books of Ruskin sir. But it took me months to start reading it because initially, I thought it would not appeal much to me as all the stories were already read by me in different books by sir. But for the past two months, I am reading books of Ruskin sir only. Perhaps it is the craze for his upcoming birthday or I am simply missing the hills. After reading several books written by Ruskin sir, I once again came across this book. I just kept on staring at the cover. There was something mysteriously lovely that kept my eyes glued to the cover. Then I opened the book and read the introduction part. I was in a different world now- the world that was so familiar that I felt nostalgic at once. Yes, the stories were not new. But the purpose of the book was different. It was to familiarize the readers with the people who made the world of Ruskin Bond's stories. This book is not a collection of stories. Rather it is a collection of characters from Ruskin Bond's stories. I usually don't take much time in reading a book. I remember reading a 1500 page long book in two weeks, so that makes it 100 pages per day. But this 300-page long book took me three weeks to complete. The reason was very simple. I was so immersed in the Ruskin Bond world that I enjoyed reading about one character at a time and then share something about it with my friends.
I'll recommend this book to every fan of Ruskin Bond. I am sure you'll not get bored a bit, rather you're going to enjoy the best time of your reading.
I'll highly recommend this book to those who are new to Ruskin Bond's world. Believe me, you'll come to know about him as a writer just from this single book.
Don't wait now. Go and grab your copy.
Happy reading.
Enjoy.
August 27, 2018
As the author introduction says, this book has profiles of people Mr Bond found interesting and unforgettable. And some of the profiles are memorable, for example, murderous Uncle Bill, feckless Uncle Ken, wandering box man, Binya, Miss Bun and diligent Inspector Keemat Lal.
Though majority of stories, even fiction, is drawn from Ruskin Bond's life, I loved the profiles that weren't excerpts from previous books that I have already read. (Only exception is perhaps Dukhi and Maharani and Binya). Since Ruskin Bond stories are published across different anthologies and by multiple publishers, it has become mildly irritating to read the same stories again without realising (when buying) that these stories have been repeated in this edition.
P.S: I love the sunny countryside illustration on the book cover by Missy Dunaway.
Though majority of stories, even fiction, is drawn from Ruskin Bond's life, I loved the profiles that weren't excerpts from previous books that I have already read. (Only exception is perhaps Dukhi and Maharani and Binya). Since Ruskin Bond stories are published across different anthologies and by multiple publishers, it has become mildly irritating to read the same stories again without realising (when buying) that these stories have been repeated in this edition.
P.S: I love the sunny countryside illustration on the book cover by Missy Dunaway.
March 15, 2017
Reading into many his books and learning about Rusty, I often wondered how Ruskin lived his life. This book gives glimpses of the people in his personal life. They have strong inspiration for his many stories.
Learning the tales from Ruskin always calms my thoughts and pulls me into his world. At end of every story I feel I might have slept through a dream. This is an excellent read for especially those who just started their own story of life. It talks about love, loneliness and the human unavoidable desires.
Learning the tales from Ruskin always calms my thoughts and pulls me into his world. At end of every story I feel I might have slept through a dream. This is an excellent read for especially those who just started their own story of life. It talks about love, loneliness and the human unavoidable desires.
October 25, 2023
Well, read a Ruskin Bond book after many years and 5-stars for bringing back that same old joy that I felt as I was developing a habit of reading starting with Ruskin Bond. Thanks a lot Mr Ruskin Bond.
December 17, 2025
This book has a beautiful collection of stories describing relationships of family members and friends, some bonds fleeting yet memorable, others lifelong. Any story by Ruskin Bond is a breath of fresh air, no matter now many times one reads it. My favorite childhood and now adulthood author.
October 18, 2018
Good collection
February 2, 2020
There's a simplicity about Bond that soothes your troubles.
February 21, 2023
This is an awesome book. Semi biographical in nature, it has stories that swing from innocent to sensual. It explores every aspect of human nature and situations. And as the title suggests, especially of those who carved a deep impression in Mr Bond 's mind. Recommend it highly, but only for adult reading.
January 29, 2017
This book is a collection of short stories which talks about various people that the author met in his life and found their stories interesting enough to be penned down.This book touches upon the day to day aspects of people's life which keeps you engaged .The author has so beautifully described the hilly places like Dehra-Dun that you would definitely want to visit these places once you have finished the book. My personal favourite chapters from the book is 'My Father and I' and 'The Box Man'.The conversations with his father,their outings, his father's letter show the special bond that the author shares with his father.The story of a Box man describes the hardships of a poor lonely old man.The old man very aptly describes the curse of a healthy life:"Your friends, your loved ones, all go before you and at the end you are left alone". All the stories are simple and overall this book will make you go through various emotions and at the end will make u smile.
August 13, 2012
What a great book... Bond magic is at its best in this book as he devotes various chapters to those people in his life who could be never forgotten... Simple, ordinary men and women who secures an extraordinary place in our hearts through their gestures of love and kindness... His books reek of mountain air and is the best thing that can go along with a cup of hot coffee. Truly, he is India's resident Wordsworth in prose.
August 14, 2016
This was my first Ruskin Bond book. I am not a fan of short stories but I was drawn to Ruskin's storytelling. It was like a gust of wind carrying the scent of fresh mangoes at the advent of summer. His stories are real and the people in them, even more so. Many of them made me smile even though they were simply slices of life on paper. The stories in this book are like refreshing drinks. Have a little, smile a lot.
November 20, 2015
Ruskin Bond has written nothing new in this book. He has written about the same characters that he has written about earlier- The same Uncle Ken, His Grandmother, The maharani of Jind, plus extracts from other books like A Handful of Nuts and The Sensualist.
November 23, 2015
What a book and what stories Mr. Bond had to share with us from his life. The story of these real people in real world makes me feel to travel the time. "Uncle Ken" and "Binya" are my favorite stories. Just can't stop reading this book and I too got inspired to write short stories now.
November 26, 2016
I enjoyed reading this book. Author has beautifully penned down many of his childhood days which he remembers more or less perfectly till he was an adult to go abroad and come back to his motherland. This book also gives an essence of how life was in India soon after partition.
November 3, 2008
a good book
January 21, 2011
I think I'll come back to the book for the third time!
August 29, 2023
Extracts from various other books of Ruskin Bond
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews