Ruskin Bond – the name conjures up hills, green vale, forest walks, small-town jokes and of class, Dehra Dun. Ruskin Bond is a author who has, with intense deepness and sensitiveness, absorbed the kernel of the multilingual individual and culturally synergistic modern-day Indian society. An model novelist, short narrative author and kids ‘s writer of reputation with a composing calling crossing 40 old ages! In his plant he has recreated the Indian-ness in deepness with true and important apprehension. He portrays the Indian Festivals and its societal relevancy from the Godhead to tellurian entities and its impact on the history and the civilisation of modern-day society.
In this research paper research workers have explored the Social Customs, Festivals and Gods in the plants of Ruskin Bond. Ruskin Bond non merely loves India, but besides the people and tradition of all the faiths of India and gives due regard to them. In his plants, Ruskin Bond frequently gives us ample description about Indian societal imposts, festivals and spiritual Gods. Despite being a Christian, he is familiar with Indian conventions, as he has seen and enjoyed this really closely. India is a really large state inhabited by the people of different faiths and imposts. Bond chiefly focuses our attending towards the festivals celebrated in North India.
Ruskin Bond ‘s word picture of Indian imposts and festivals is faithful and without any sort of bias. The research workers propose to research Ruskin Bond ‘s description and fabulous intension of Indian God in its true spirit and sense.
Cardinal WORDS:
Social Customss
Festival
God
Introduction:
Ruskin Bond – the name conjures up hills, green vale, forest walks, small-town jokes and of class, Dehra Dun. Ruskin Bond is a author who has, with intense deepness and sensitiveness, absorbed the kernel of the multilingual individual and culturally synergistic modern-day Indian society. In his plants, Ruskin Bond frequently gives us ample description about Indian societal imposts, festivals and spiritual Gods. Despite being a Christian, he is familiar with Indian conventions, as he has seen and enjoyed this really closely. His word picture of Indian imposts and festivals is faithful and without any sort of bias. Ruskin Bond non merely loves India, but besides the people and tradition of all the faiths of India and gives due regard to them. India is a really large state inhabited by the people of different faiths and imposts. The research workers aim at analyzing in this research work what manner Chemical bond has depicted Indian imposts, festivals and Indian Gods in the visible radiation of Indian civilization and Indian mythology in his novels.
Indian Customs and Rituals
In Bond ‘s works we come across the frequent mention of Indian imposts and Indian rites. Ruskin Bond was born and brought up in India therefore he is good familiar with the Indian civilization, societal rites and imposts. He loves India and has roamed in North India with his Indian friends. His acute observation of India and the people of India have enabled him to be cognizant of the assorted imposts and the rites of India. Indian imposts and rites are described in many of his plants. These descriptions reveal the sound cognition of Bond about Indian conventions.
It is customary in India that when the funeral emanation base on ballss on the route, people who meet on the manner wage due regard to the dead even if they do non esteem a adult male when he is alive. The organic structure of human existences is non every bit of import as his psyche. In Delhi is non Far Bond describes at length a funeral emanation that is on its manner to cremation land.
“ As Suraj and I walked over a hill near the limestone preies, past the hovel of the Bihari laborers, we met a funeral emanation on its manner to the cremation land. Suraj placed his manus on my arm and asked me to wait until the emanation had passed. At the same clip a bicycler dismounted and stood at the side of the route. Others hurried on, without peeking at the small emanation. “ ( 1 )
In Delhi is non far Bond besides remarks on the jobs of loud talkers. In India, particularly in rural countries or little towns during matrimony maps and some spiritual assemblages people like to play music, movie vocals or spiritual vocals so aloud that spoil many people ‘s slumber at dark. He farther discusses about this perturbation that does non care for others. So people have to acquire used to it. Here Bond does non knock this usage but presents the existent image.
“ It is hard to fall asleep some darks. Apart from the mosquitoes and the oppressive ambiance, there are the loud talkers blasting all over Pipalnagar-at film, matrimonies and spiritual assemblages. There is a uninterrupted assortment of fare-religious music and movie music. “ ( 2 )
In A Flight of Pigeons he describes an ancient Indian usage of piercing nose and ears among Indian adult females to have on decorations. Indian adult females are fond of have oning different sort of jewellery on different occasions. Chemical bond discusses about this usage through the conversation between Kothiwali and Mariam. Harmonizing to the Indian usage a married woman or hubby is non supposed to name each other by name. Chemical bond remarks this usage in A Flight of Pigeon, when he describes the domestic personal businesss of Lala Ramji Lal ‘s household:
“ Lala ‘s married woman was a immature adult female, short in stature with a just skin color. We did n’t cognize her name, because it is non customary for a hubby or married woman to name the other by name ; but her mother- in- jurisprudence would turn to her as dulhan, or bride. “ ( 3 )
Indian people love watching movies than anything else. Most of the Indian film houses are ever overcrowded as the people of all category are fond of watching films. It is really hard to procure tickets because there is a pandemonium at Indian film houses. Bond satirically remarks on the fad of Indians of watching movies through the character of Kishen in The Room on the Roof: “ There was a crowd in forepart of the bazar ‘s lone film, as there was no organized queuing for engagement. “ ( 4 )
It is a common sight in Indian streets where we find cows roving here and at that place. Peoples of India consider cow as “ Mata ” ( the female parent ) therefore wages due regard to her and make non harm the cow. In his narrative ‘The Blue Umbrella ‘ , Bond describes the cattles of different colorss. Normally we find in the hilly countries. Peoples in India give different names of adult females to different cow harmonizing to the coloring material of their organic structure and these cattles are known by these names merely.
“ Neelu-Blue-was the name of the blue-gray cow. The other cow, which was white, was called Gori, intending the Fair One. They were fond of rolling off on their ain, down to the watercourse or into the pine forestaˆ¦ . The cattles preferred holding Biniya with them, because she allow them roll. Bijju pulled them by their dress suits if they went excessively far. ( 5 )
Indian Festivals
In Room on The Roof Bond presents the festival of Holi which is really celebrated in Hindu community of North India. Holi is the festival of coloring material. This is the twenty-four hours on which people celebrate the coming of spring by throwing colorss on each other and cry and sing in order to bury their wretchedness. He besides mentions the significance of the festival of Holi through the oral cavity of Ranbir who invites Rusty to play Holi with him.
“ You do non cognize about Holi! It is the Hindu festival of colors! It is the twenty-four hours on which we celebrate the coming of spring, when we throw coloring materials on each other and cry and sing and bury our wretchedness, for the colorss mean the metempsychosis of spring and a new life in our heartsaˆ¦You do non of it! “ ( 6 )
As the festival is of Hindus, the others do non observe this festival. When Rusty asks Somi about his engagement in Holi, Somi informs Rusty that it is non possible for him to fall in with them because he belongs to a different community called Sikh who have their different festivals and imposts and do non play Holy. “ I do non play Holi. You see, I am different from Ranbir. I wear a turban and he does non, besides there is a bracelet on my carpus, which means that I am a Sikh. We do non play it ( 7 ) .
Further, he describes in The Room on The Roof how people enjoy the festival. Children and immature work forces of the town signifier groups, well- equipped with stock of colorss. They besides use bike pumps and bamboo roots, from which was squirted liquid coloring material. Children come out of their place the whole twenty-four hours, shouting and doing noise in the streets. By and large, if anybody does non come out of his house to play Holi, his friends reach the place and attempts to do him play Holi by any agencies. As Bond references, “ Suri is concealing ” cried person. “ He has locked himself is in house and wo n’t play Holi! “ ( 8 )
This twenty-four hours people forget their places and work and all jobs of life as Rusty who besides forgot at least for one twenty-four hours his defender and his place. Thus, Bond describes the significance, importance and intent and the manner of jubilation circumstantially in this novel. His description is rather realistic and interesting.
His novel Delhi is non Far presents the word picture of good known festival Janmashtami. Lord Krishna ‘s birthday is celebrated on this twenty-four hours. When Lord Krishna was born, there was a enormous rain and storm. As Bond describes, “ It was Lord Krishna ‘s birthday, and the rain came down every bit to a great extent as it must hold done the twenty-four hours Krishna was born in Brindaban ” ( 9 )
In A Flight of the Pigeons Bond describes the monsoon festival particularly celebrated in North India by adult females during the rainy season. They put on their new colorful frocks and swing to let go of their feelings. It seems to us that Ruskin Bond is exhaustively familiar with this festival chiefly celebrated in the rural portion of the North India.
“ It was the twenty-four hours of the monsoon festival observed throughout northern India by the adult females common people, who put on their most colorful costumes, and loosen up on countless swings, giving release of feeling of joy and wantonness. “ ( 10 ) .
Furthermore, Bond acutely mentions the process of the Monsoon festival how womenfolk make swing. It is the festival that provides a thrilling experience while singing watching the raising clouds above in the sky. Bond ‘s description of this festival is graphic and delicious. This description reveals his sound cognition about this festival.
“ Double ropes are suspended from a tree, and the terminals are knotted together and made to keep narrow boards painted in homosexual colorss. Two adult females stand confronting each other, holding taken each other ‘s ropes by catching them between their toes. They begin to swing gently, bit by bit traveling faster and higher, until they are merely brilliantly colored fuzz against green trees and grey skies. Sometimes, a little bed is fixed between the ropes, on which two or three can sit while two others move the swing, singing to them at the same clip. ( 11 ) .
In Vagrants in the Valley we find the mention of the festival of the Full Moon. He besides gives us the item about the evil consequence of it. It is strongly believed by the people that the Full Moon does unusual thing to some people. When the Moon is full, it is non advisable to kip in the Moon visible radiation. Here Bond remarks on the supernatural Indian belief about the Full Moon.
“ When the Moon is at the full, some converse with liquors, others lose all their suppressions and dance in manic wantonness ; some love more ardently ‘ and few kill more readily. ‘Do non kip in the visible radiation of a Full Moon, ‘ warn the initiates, ‘it will capture you, and turn your beautiful but evil ideas. “ ( 12 )
In Delhi is non Far we observe the mention of the festival of Raksha Bandhan. This festival stands for as the symbol of love between brothers and sisters. On this twenty-four hours the sister ties Rakhi to her brother to seek protection and the brother gives a gift to his sister. In the fresh Kamala ties Rakhi to Arun and Suraj as she has adopted them as their brothers.
Indian Supreme beings
Ruskin Bond loves to portray the image of Indian Gods. In many of his novels, he non merely depict their personality but besides their importance and popularity among Indians. Along with this, he besides refers to the fabulous narratives related with these Indian Gods. In Delhi is non Far, he mentions the fabulous narrative about the bluish pharynx of Lord Shiva and how Lord Siva is known as Nilkanth.
“ Both bluish Jay and Lord Siva are called Nilkanth. Siva has a bluish pharynx, like the blue Jay, because out of compassion for the human race he swallowed a deathly toxicant which was meant to destruct the universe. He kept the toxicant in his pharynx and would non allow it travel any farther. “ ( 13 ) .
In Delhi is non far, he besides portrays the image of Godhead Krisna. In his sentiment Krisna is possibly the most popular God among the Indians of all ages. He reflects the personality of Lord Krishna as:
“ Krishna is the best dear of all the Gods. Young female parents laugh and weep as they read or hear about the buffooneries of his kid goon ; immature work forces pray to be as tall and strong as Krishna was when he killed Kamas ‘s elephant and Kamas ‘s grapplers ; immature misss dream of a lover every bit dare as Krishna to transport them off like Rukmani in a war chariot ; grown up work forces envy the wisdom and statecraft with which he managed the matter of his land. ” ( 14 )
Besides, he mentions a fabulous narrative that is besides an interesting narrative about the dark line on the dorsum of squirrels. Lord Krishna is connected with this fabulous narrative.
“ Krishna loved them. He would take them in his weaponries and stroke them with his long, soft fingers. That is why they have four dark lines down their dorsums from caput to tail. Krishna was really colored, and the lines are the Markss of his fingers. “ ( 15 )
Ruskin Bond has therefore presented Indian civilization really dependably. His description about Indian imposts, festivals and God is converting, believable and acceptable by any Indian. It is an undeniable fact that Bond loves India and considers himself an Indian. No 1 can dispute his fidelity and devotedness towards India as he says: “ I am every bit Indian as the dust of fields or the grass of a mountain hayfield. ”
Nothing can show the love for a state in a better manner than these words by Ruskin Bond. We find assorted images of India by different authors in the kingdom of Anglo-indian English literature which present contradictory aspects of Indian overplus. Some of them like V.S. Naipaul, R.P Jhabwala, Arundhati Roy and Mulkraj Anand have commented on the multiple jobs and predicaments of India.
During colonial period many British authors presented India as a land of ‘Sadhus and snake smoothies ‘ . Wilkie Collins in his the Moonstone presented Indians as holding clairvoyant abilities even Rudyard Kipling besides came up with the portraiture of India in his work but India was ever looked through the spectacless of a coloniser and hence non really believable. Writers like Raja Rao were content with showing the ‘Vedantic ‘ India merely. Writers like Khushvant Singh were busy speaking about the preceding and wining events of the divider. British authors seldom went beyond their narrow universe when they wrote about India.
Ruskin Bond ‘s portraiture of Indian civilization is uncomparable because many authors of Indian beginning have besides written under the influence of the British political orientation but Ruskin Bond accepts India in Toto. As Usha Bande writes,
( Bond ‘s ) India lives and breathes in the hills. To him trees, mountains and rivers have a particular entreaty and have every bit much beauty and as many jobs as worlds have. He is non attracted by the glister of over spread outing metropoliss, nor is he unduly moved by the complete present societal jobs. ( 16 )
Ruskin Bond grew up in altering India and his trueness ever remained with and still remains with India. After the Independence most of the Britishers migrated to their native state but really few who were really old to migrate or who did non hold fiscal support, stayed in India.
“ Though most of English and Anglo Indian households returned to U.K. , many of these households chose to stay in India. Ruskin Bond and his female parent ‘s household were among such ‘whites ‘ settled into peaceable town Dehra. When others were go throughing through station colonial injury of supplanting, of loss of state, Friends and parents, of insecurity and of finance, Bond, it was merely a injury of a loss of individuality. He tried to seek his roots in India. ” ( 17 )
For Bond, India has ne’er been merely a piece of land. It has meant love, simpleness, integrity and credence. As Bond has ever selected north India as the background for his plants, one can really clearly see that north India merges in the terminal into an Indian spirit. Chemical bond himself considers India as a life being. He writes, “ To love it through the friends, I made and through the mountains, vales, Fieldss and woods which have made an unerasable feelings on my head. For India is an atmosphere every bit much as it is a land ”
