If there’s one name every nineties’ kid holds close to his heart, it’s Ruskin Bond. India’s most favourite author, Ruskin Bond has formed an indispensible part of our childhood with his stories of hills, adventure, young love, and growing up. 

We all know how much of his writing has been influenced by his love for the hills. The writer himself has lived in the beautiful town of Landour, near Mussoorie, amidst nature and kids. To us city dwellers, life in the hills was introduced first through his writings, way before we actually visited them. 

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When we went around walking in hills, we looked for those old colonial houses his protagonists had stayed in, we looked for signs of ghosts around the dark alleys of Shimla even as we struggled to be brave. So beautifully has Ruskin Bond painted a picture of life in the hills that it’s almost like visiting a place you recognize from a previous birth – everything is hazy but familiar – the tunnels, the trains and the thick foliage enveloping the slanting roofs of houses. 

As the granddaddy of storytelling celebrates his birthday today, we recollect some of his most beautiful utterances that remind us of a beautiful simpler time. 

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© Thinkstock/Getty Images, MensXP

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© Thinkstock/Getty Images, MensXP

© Thinkstock/Getty Images, MensXP

© Thinkstock/Getty Images, MensXP

© Thinkstock/Getty Images, MensXP

© Thinkstock/Getty Images, MensXP

© Pexels, MensXP

© Thinkstock/Getty Images, MensXP

© Thinkstock/Getty Images, MensXP

© Thinkstock/Getty Images, MensXP