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VOOZH | about |
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VOOZH | about |
Beloved children’s author Ruskin Bond turned 90 today. As wishes poured in from around the world—Bond, after all, has inspired three generations of children to take up writing—the Landour local was at Mussoorie’s Cambridge Book Depot to meet fans and release his new book ‘Hold on to Your Dreams’. Age seems to be no match for Bond’s wit and imagination; the title joins a collection of over 500 stories that he has been churning out since 1956.
“You mentioned you hold onto the Oxford Dictionary pretty tightly,” quipped a reader at his birthday lunch this weekend. Bond had been enjoying bites of a very large cake.
“It’s also good for weightlifting”.
Amid giggles and more questions on his process—writer’s block is something Bond is often asked about—the lunch took a pensive turn when he was asked if he had any favourite words. Now this is a hefty question for any writer. You might choose something deeply personal, or perhaps a word that befuddles you: something you like the sound of, but can never naturally fit into prose. ‘Skedaddle’ or ‘bamboozle’ have been Internet favourites. ‘Cello’ is another, once voted to the top for how pleasantly it rolls off the tongue.
Bond, however, has been reflecting on the changing nature of Indian childhood these days, reminiscing about his own boyhood and its bittersweet moments. His new book is a heartfelt letter “to young friends” on finding contentment, and his answer matched this paternal spirit, as he revealed seven timeless human values and practices to be his favourite words.
What are they? You’ll have to play our Mini Crossword to find out! Starting today, we will be including one of Ruskin Bond’s picks a day on the grid till Saturday (May 25). These words will be marked in blue, as you can see on the first game for May 19. Links to all seven crosswords will be below the game box.
Collect all seven words till the weekend, and let us know how you feel about the storyteller’s choices on @iepuzzles, our Instagram hub. Would you have picked differently? For those new to solving crosswords (or if you’re a bit Rusty), you can try our beginner’s tips here. Or simply follow Bond’s advice for a creative pickle: take a break, come back to it later!