Monday, September 14, 2009

The Room On the Roof :by Ruskin Bond

My desire to read one of the Ruskin Bond's started with watching The Blue Umbrella. The movie was inspired by one of his writings. He being an Indian author with European descent the Desi touch in his stories is what stands out. He has written several novels, short stories and books for children in the course of a long writing career. This book was written by him when he was just 17 years old. He still lives in Mussorie.

The Room On The Roof is a story about a 16yr old boy-Rusty. Who himself is English but lives with his caretaker in DehraDun. His caretaker being a typical strict and shrewd guardian,imposes forced discipline on him. Somehow Rusty meets a bunch of Indian boys who become friends with him and together they explore the streets of Dehra. Living in a very enclosed environment, when Rusty gets involved in Indian festivals like HOLI and Diwali....he feels liberated. He abandons his caretaker on a sour note and starts living with his friends. To earn a living, being English....his spoken and written English is what comes to his rescue. He teaches one of the kids in the neighborhood and lives in a room on their rooftop. Here is when Rusty meets LIFE. Often he roams around Dehra eating chaat, pakodas and spends time in silence on the hill tops of dehra with his friends.

Rusty had never had Chaat, tikkees.......here is somethings interesting when he tasted tikkees for the first time..
Rusty tasted a bit. It was hot. He waited a minute then tasted another bit. It was still hot but in a different way;now it was lively,interesting;it had a diff taste to anything he had eaten before. Suspicious but inquisitive, he finished the tikkees and waited to see if anything woukd happen.
Have U had before?...asked Somi.
No' said Rusty....What will it do?'
Somi-' It might worry your stomach a little at first,but you will get used to it the more often you eat. So finish the other one too.'
hehe......:-).

While Rusty taught Kishen English he fell he in love with Kishen's mother. Who was a wife to a drunken Mr.Kapoor. Rusty & Mrs. Kapoor....bond very well together and also share intimate moments. Just when Rusty starts feeling the pink of life.....Mrs Kapoor dies in an accident. His life changes here onwards. Kishen and Mr Kapoor go away to stay at one of their relatives house. So Kishen is also taken away from him, Rusty does not know how to spend time without Mrs. Kapoor and his other friends also are busy with their own work and families.

Rusty decides to go back to England but once meet Kishen before he leaves India. When he reached Mr Kapoor house, he learns that he has already married and Kishen is still in Dehra. He did not want to live with a drunk dad and a step mother. Rusty heads back to Dehra and finds Kishen to be in bad company of pick pocketter's. Rusty wanted someone to share life with and Kishen needed someone who could show him the right way to live. Rusty decides to stay back and start a Chaat ki dukaaan and in the spare time may be teach English....and Kishen would assist him too. Kishen and Risty both were divorced from mankind, and Rusty was the only one who understood their misery.

One more interesting piece of writing in the book..

"They who sleep last, wake first. Hunger and pain lengthen the night, and so the beggars and dogs are the last to see the stars; hunger and pain hasten the awakening, and beggars and dogs are the first to see the sun."

96 comments:

  1. it moisturized my eyes

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  2. it soothenet my eyes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  3. THANKKKKSS!!
    i had make a project on this novel... and this info. helped alot!! .. THANKSSS!! woohoo!!

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    Replies
    1. i too have to make a flow chart on the events of this story ..cud u help me!?

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  4. can anyone tell about the theme of this book??

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  5. this information really helped me for my project!!!!!

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  6. awsum written... who wrote dis iwanna know it...!!!! i lued it... tanku...!!!

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  7. its gr8...it hlpd me alot...!! :) thnxx...!!

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  8. I can write a better one.....

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    Replies
    1. So write what are you doing just commenting??

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  9. i needed to knw d whole story bt evn ds helped me out THANX A LOT :)

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  10. this is a nice book by ruskin bond

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  11. amazing buk!!!!!
    loved it..ws almost unto tears

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  12. what a beautiful story i got first prize in it . Thanks thanks a lot

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  13. its really interesting.......
    it helped in my project......
    please do write on another book because
    it is helpful....THANK YOU... :-)

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  14. ITS REALLY INTERESTING... IT REAALLY HELPED IN PROJECT AND ALSO IT WAS A TOUCHING HEART I RELLAY LIKED THIS REVIEW THAXXXXXX DUDE WHOEVER HAD DONE IT..... IT WAS HELPFUL.....

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  15. nice story...............

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  16. Wow.........this is GREAT!!
    It is really touching!!!

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  17. its a must read specially for the teenagers

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  18. VERY USEFUL I FINISHED MY PROJECT SUCCESSFULLY.

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  19. nice one from u mrs pooja

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  20. very useful i finished ma project!!!!!

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  21. nice help me a lot

    can say thanks by XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

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  22. a nice story...... useful for my project......... :)

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  23. nice and useful in project

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  24. VERY NICE AND USEFUL REVIEW

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  25. thanx bt wud've been better if u had written some more.

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  26. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  27. thanxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx as i am making project on it it helped me a lot man

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  28. it was great reading this it has helped me a lot :)

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  29. wonderfulllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

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  30. thnxx it helped me a lot...
    luv it

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  31. excellent !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  32. thank u vry much...
    i was helpful :)

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  33. HMMMM ....itttz gr8 !!!......but awESOm!1....:D

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  34. i loved it .....thankx a lot it helped me

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  35. very good osm?!!!!!!!! i to finished ma project:)

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  36. ooohoo
    its was my first novel

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  37. A very nice and interesting story written by ruskin bond !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  38. thnx!!! this info hashelped me alot !!!

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  39. this rewie helped in my projects and toched my hert thanxx!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  40. this is very interseting story

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  41. thanx.... dis helped me a lot...

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  42. its a fab .helped me in my project!

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  43. it helpd me lot 4 my project.
    thnx

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  44. thanx.Now i can complete my project

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  45. Superb.It helped me a lot.thanxx a lot.

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  46. This is very useful
    It helped me in writing review

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  47. well written pooja i hada book review on this book at my school and it helped me alot

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  48. Thank u so much pooja to help me out in my book review ................@

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  49. thnxxx it helped in my project n yes a nice story too...

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  50. i read many books but i never found myself so interested in reading book............but this book is different it is very interesting from beggining to the end i never felt boring......i am very thankful to my school sunbeam mughalsarai that they forced us to read this book.....thanx a lot....by eram

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  51. helped me very much in making my project....... nice work dudes.......keep it up.........

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  52. nice story helped me alot..............

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  53. what is the theme of this story?????
    I need to know it badly

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  54. can anybody please tell me the theme of this story??

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  55. Hey Dude,
    Thanks a lot! Had to submit a project and this helped me.

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  56. hey add theme of this novel

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  57. thanks ALOT u saved me for my english project!

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  58. u helped my project!!!!!

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  59. really good!
    well written...
    ruskin bond is amazing! :D

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  60. thanks a lot! dis has helped me a lot! my teacher wud have screwd me otherwise! keep writing.

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  61. thanks a lot! otherwise my teacher wud hav screwed me( which she obviously lyks to do). keep writing! :)

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  62. good written but i wanted to know the 1st impact of the book

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  63. can u plz write a review on the book the blue umberala pls?

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