Ruskin Bond, an Indian author of British descent is celebrating his birthday today. Bon, who is considered to be an icon among Indian writers and children's authors and a top novelist, turns 78 today. Infibeam.com wishes him Happy Birthday.

Bond's writings show a very strong influence from the social life in the hill stations at the foothills of the Himalayas, where he spent his childhood. His first novel, "The Room On the Roof", was written when he was 17 and published when he was 21. It was partly based on his experiences at Dehra, in his small rented room on the roof, and his friends.

The "Room On the Roof" brought him the John Llewellyn Rhys Memorial Prize in 1957. Since then he has written over three hundred short stories, essays and novellas (including Vagrants in The Valley, The Blue Umbrella and A Flight of Pigeons) and more than 30 books for children. He has also published two volumes of autobiography. Scenes from a Writer's Life describes his formative years growing up in Anglo-India, and The Lamp is Lit is a collection of essays and episodes from his journal.

7 Khoon Maaf, is a 2011 Hindi black comedy drama thriller film directed by Vishal Bhardwaj, starring Priyanka Chopra in the lead role. The film is based on Ruskin Bond's short story, Susanna's Seven Husbands.

Ruskin Bond received the Sahitya Akademi award for English writing, for his short stories collection, "Our Trees Still Grow in Dehra", by the Sahitya Akademi in 1992. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1999 for contributions to children's literature. He now lives with his adopted family in Landour near Mussoorie.

His father was with the Royal Air Force during World War II. He had one sister and brother, Ellen and William Bond. When he was ten years old, Ruskin went to his grandmother's in Dehra Dun (he called her the "Culcata Granny") because of his father's sudden death due to frequent bouts of malaria and jaundice.

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Posted by Prashant Gandhi on 19 May, 2011 1:43:24 PM IST #