By Sagar
Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, Dec 19: Just after lunch on the second and concluding day of the International Fest for Children’s Literature at KIIT International School in the city Friday, a grey car chauffeuring an elderly man pulled over. The car was instantly mobbed by fans waiting to get a glimpse of their favourite children’s writer – Ruskin Bond.
Ruskin was here to attend a storytelling session at the school’s conference hall.
Organisers asked Ruskin if he could spare a little time for an interactive session with the children. Being the ever-affable gentleman that he is, Ruskin graciously agreed with a touch of self-deprecating humour.
Not only did he listen to all that the children had to say, he also answered their questions with great insight. Some of the questions even had the great man ruminating for a suitable answer.
Kritika Sahu from Vikash Residential School asked, “Do you think there’s been an encroachment of adult books upon the children’s genre, and shouldn’t one be careful to draw a distinction between the two while choosing a book?”
“Well, firstly, I wouldn’t want to keep those books from you because they’re all there. Your parents might be reading them, and there will come a time when you will instinctively get drawn to those books and you yourself will be deciding what is good for you and what’s not. Secondly, there are not many children’books and so you cannot stop kids from reading what they want,” replied Ruskin.
Alisha Mohapatra, a Class XI student, asked Ruskin if it was really necessary for her to be reading books when she already had a lot of textbooks to study.
“It’s not absolutely necessary. The majority of people spend all their lives without reading and they do just fine. Reading in itself has been a ‘minority pastime’ and if you’re among the minority, just tell yourself that the rest of the world is missing out on something great,” replied Ruskin with aplomb. “Are there any guidelines and norms which you restrict yourself to while you write? Let me put it this way, do you follow a sort of moral policing code while writing for children?” asked Avinash, a 12th grader.
“You are quite right. While writing for children, I do keep in mind that I need to use simpler language and should abstain from glorifying violence or make violence look like something necessary. I also avoid writing about sex. But when I have a good story and I want to tell it, I would just write. I don’t think of any audience. And sometimes, such books become popular with all ages and then you just have to let it be,” Ruskin explained.
“Do you regret missing out on things in your childhood when you think of today’s children? And was there something we missed out on that you had when you were a child?” asked Reshma Rath, from Kalinga School. This question got Ruskin thinking long and hard. Finally, he spoke.
“That’s an interesting question. You have television, internet and videogames which we didn’t have. When we wanted entertainment, we would go to the theatre to watch movies or listen to the radio. Also, you guys have more open activities today like scouting and hiking which were not there back then. Today you have more access to books now than your grandparents had. But one thing that hasn’t changed in my opinion is the number of people who liked reading. Reading, back then, was a minority pastime and it is the same today.”
Satya Sangram Mishra, another student, asked the writer if it was true that he always liked to have a window in his room so he could gaze out on nature while writing. “Well, it’s essential to have a window in your room even if you aren’t a writer. You can’t go through life in darkness. It is healthy to stay in a room where light comes in. But yes, as a writer, I do like to look out at nature as it inspires me. But it’s also very likely that some monkey might barge into your house and make away with something. So you have to close the window sometimes,” replied the master writer, leaving the audience in splits.