The Charm of Ordinary Life in 'Room on the Roof' by Ruskin Bond
Ruskin Bond has won the heart of millions of readers with his numerous attractive short stories and introspective novels. Ruskin has written over thirty books for children, more than hundred short stories, six novels and three collection of verse. Ruskin Bond received Sahitya Academy award for his book Our Tress Still Grow at Dehra in 1992, and was honored with the title Padma Shree in 1999, for his lifetime contribution to Indian Literature in English. He has been writing for last fifty years in different genres of literature. In this paper the theme of the “Room on the Roof” by Ruskin Bond is analysed.
Ruskin Bond regarded as a first to discover children literature in India. Though Ruskin Bond liked his boyhood very much until his Father’s demise therefore all his children stories whether autobiographical or semi-autobiographical expressed his longing for a happy childhood. Ruskin Bond loves children very much because they are more frank and open minded than adults. According to Ruskin Bond two children can easily become good friends by exchanging a piece of marble, a coin, a doll and bangles. Children do not like the restrains put on them by their elders. . Ruskin Bond loves children because they are not judgmental. Bond’s novels and short stories naturally depicts the world of children as well as adults with knowledge about their surroundings Indian cultural background settings.
Ruskin Bond has started to write regularly for children when he moved from Delhi to Mussorie and published many short stories for children in magazines and newspaper. After moving to Ivy Cottage, he is constantly writing children stories, to entertain his adopted grandchildren Rakesh, Mukesh and Savitri. Through writing children’s stories he also fulfilled his own unfulfilled wishes and longings of his childhood. Ruskin Bond focuses on entertaining young readers. Bond’s attitude is strongly influenced by his reading of British and Indian Romantic poets; as poetry of Rabindranath Tagore, simple attitude of Raja Rao, R.K. Narayan, Mulk Raj Anand, and depiction of Indian childhood in major works of Sudhin Ghose. He follows the romantic views of Wordsworth, Shelly, and Coleridge. He sees dignity in daily experiences and in understated lifestyle of the people who lives in hilly towns and villages.
Ruskin Bond does not like the conventional style of children stories of India but he prefers stories like ‘Maguli’ by Rudyard Kipling. Ruskin Bond’s art of characterization is unique and different from others although many critics find fault with him for being autobiographical and subjective, Ruskin Bond defended him by comparing him with Charles Lamb. Most of his works are influenced by life in the hill stations the foothills of Himalayas, where he spent his childhood.
Ruskin Bond’s characters are both types of individuals and most of them represent middle class. The rich and poor, small and grown up, vendor, trader, schoolboy, gardener and all are portrayed in their respective way of living. Some of his characters resemble his father and some other characters are adjusted to fictional world.
The Room on the Roof, the first novel of Ruskin Bond revolves around a 16 year old boy, Rusty who lives with his English guardian after the demise of his parents. He wants to break-free himself from the cuff of his guardians on a fine day as he couldn’t handle the tough situations imposed by his guardians in his life. With the utmost courage, he leaves the guardian’s place and goes to nearby market where he made friends and actually started living his own life. He discovers life is not that easy and he has to face a number of challenges that are awaiting for him. Ruskin Bond in his first move keeps people attracted from the very first page till the last one through the clarity in his writing and extempore. He has so well represented every detail that it engages every reader very well and proves to be a complete page turner. The reader will laugh at light-hearted humor and can feel the pain of Rusty. This books summons up all the traits of human life well ranging from adolescence, love, friendship to losing your loved ones, agonies and uncertainty of life.
Ruskin had a unique style of writing which is certainly poetic. He choose words carefully and describes every detail appropriately. The marked style of writing is noteworthy when the boy gets into the dilemma of living in India and going to England. Ruskin uses many adjectives to support his writing that makes his work more beautiful and graceful to read.
Ruskin Bond writes about ordinary people and their daily lives. His stories are written in simple, lucid and engaging style. The renowned author writes from his real world experiences. This novels takes the readers on the journey of rural India as seen through the eyes of a 16 year old boy. The panorama of advancing Indian monsoon adds melodious romance to the novel. Bond’s bold yet touching style of writing combined with the intriguing plot makes this novel an engaged adventure. Like the Indian bazaar itself, the book filled with smells, sight, sounds, confusion, and subtle organization of ordinary Indian life.
Rusty, the protagonist, is unhappy with his strict guardian and being confused to decline the European community in Dehra Dun. So, one day he dares to venture into forbidden Indian Territory where he makes friends. His new friends shelter him, and soon he gets job as English teacher for Mr. Kapoor’s son. Mr. Kapoor was once a rich man who lost his job because of his addiction to alcohol. His only support is his lovely wife, Meena, who soon finds a special place in Rusty’s heart. But the most important member of the family is their son, Kishen, who becomes Rusty’s best friend. They have a good time, Meena gives Rusty the best gift of his lifetime, a lonely room on the top of their house. His very own room! Scantily furnished but incredibly close to banyan tree and nature in general, “the room on the roof” is the place he called his home. This novel keeps the readers engaged throughout Rusty’s journey. It is funny, sad, serious and superbly realized.
This novel is written in first person narrative. The novella attacks the persisting racial and colonial attitudes of the Europe through seventeen year old Rusty and his search for his own identity, home and belonging in new India.
Rusty was living like as slave and everything was forbidden to him. He finds relief and escape from his confined Anglo-Indian world through dreams. Rusty was dreaming to get rid of his bitter past. He loves to live in dreams as he auto narrates, he used to walk aimlessly along the road, over the hillside, brooding on the future, or he dream of sudden and perfect companionship, romance and heroics.
Although Indian characters were portrayed as simple, recognizable and lacking in self-discipline. Ruskin Bond presents a variety of interesting Indian characters like Somi, Ranveer, Kishen, Meena and Mr. Kapoor and revokes this tradition of colonial novels. Rusty’s only hope of survival away from his Anglo-Indian world lies in the help he receives from his Indian friends and their families. Somi offers him all the things he possesses when he was alone and ignored by his own people.
Thus the novel ends on a positive note. Life is in living, and not giving it up, not in death, not in renunciation, but in confronting it. To perpetuate the memory of past and to carry on the tradition, one must live it. It is the water runs out, not the river. The river goes on. In this novel The Room on the Roof Bond’s attitude towards life is reflected.
Rusty participates in the rituals of Indian festival, and crosses into forbidden realm of India. Rusty, like the author, never had any contact with Indian religion but he believes in the religion of humanism. Worried about his future, Rusty decided to leave India to make his career in his own land England. He decides to go to British high commission in Delhi to ask help for assistant passage to England. During his journey he stops at Hardwar to say Kishen, Good Bye. Rusty’s brotherly love for Kishen and Meena’s faith in him doesn’t made him to move away. Rusty lives his rest of his life to follow a promise made by him to Meena. Finally Rusty find a reason to live his life and he successfully complete his process of searching his own identity, home and life of his own.
Rusty resolves his identity crisis and becomes matured and self-assured young man who faces all difficulties in his life with hope and courage. He accepted Indian culture wholeheartedly. A great many incidents which taken together, helps to understand the formation of Rusty from self-destructive to an independent individual in mind and action.
