Ruskin Bond has always been one of my favourite authors. I started reading his books at the age of six and have been a huge fan since one of my all-time favourite books is The Girl with the Blue Umbrella. I was astounded when I found out that he and I shared a commonality, as both of us are Indians. Ruskin Bond is an Indian author of British descent. He wrote his first novel, The Room on the Roof, when he was seventeen, which won the John Llewellyn Rhys Memorial Prize in 1957. It is truly jaw-dropping how a mere 17-year-old could achieve such a grand feat.
One of my favourite books that he wrote was The Girl With the Blue Umbrella. The story begins in the hills of Garhwal, lying in the Himalayas, where a girl called Binya goes searching for her family’s cows. There, she meets an English lady who wants her leopard claw pendant. Binya is unwilling as the pendant was given by her father, who recently passed away. She then finally trades the pendant for a bright blue silk umbrella. Belonging to a small village, the umbrella soon becomes famous and envied by many. Soon, the shopkeeper of the village’s shop starts to envy the umbrella, and he sends one of his staff to go and steal the umbrella. The employee steals it and tries to run, but Binya’s brother, Bijju, catches the thief.
The story soon becomes known around the village, so no one starts to visit the shop. Soon, Binya feels sorry for the shopkeeper and thinks that she started to value the umbrella over people, so she gives the umbrella to the shopkeeper as a gift. The shopkeeper becomes very fond of Binya and gives her a locket of a bear’s claw (which is supposed to be very lucky) as a gift in return. Their relationship eventually becomes stronger, and both of them become best of friends.
This is a great book, and I would recommend everyone to read it regardless of your age. I hope you enjoy reading this book.
