WHEN I WAS A BOY Scenes and Stories from My Childhood Paperback – 25 January 2021

In this beautiful, heartfelt and often humorous mini-autobiography, beloved storyteller Ruskin Bond relives the days of his childhood and teenage. He writes of carefree days in the port city of Jamnagar where little Ruskin would read books upside down, wander into old palaces, go for rides on lurching boats and in swooping, looping aeroplanes, and listen to tall tales told by a loving ayah and a colourful cook. He also describes his schooldays in Shimla—being dressed up as Humpty Dumpty for his very first stage performance, making friends and planning pranks. He remembers his days in Delhi, where he lived with his father for one magical year when they explored monuments, cinema halls and shops selling ice-creams and comics. And he recalls his time in Dehra when he developed his love of reading and writing, cycled far and wide and loafed in the bazaar with new-found friends.

Funny and imaginative, nostalgic and tender, this truly timeless book— embellished with lovely colour illustrations—is a record of a very special childhood.