Eco-Consciousness in Ruskin Bond's Works

About the Book This book presents exclusively the nature writings of India's Wordsworth. Ruskin Bond who is indeed nature's favourite child as he understands nature vividly in its various manifestations. He has celebrated the wonder and beauty of nature even in its miniscule form. This book is an earnest contribution of the filtration of his writings on nature and its impact on society.

Bond has written in almost every genre - short story, novel, poem, travelogue, essay etc. The journey of this book begins with the exploration of his depiction of nature in his works and ended with an interview with the "Wisdom of Nature" i.e. the writer Ruskin Bond who has been decorated with the Padma Bhushan by the Government of India in 2014 for his outstanding contribution in literary field.

About the Author Dr. Sunita Bhola is an Assistant Professor at Graphic Era University, Dehradun. She was awarded with Ph. D. Degree from Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University. She teaches Professional Communication to Engineering Students. Versatile in approach, dynamic in thoughts and humanitarian in nature, she always endeavors to work for her students. She has contributed articles on English Literature and Social Sciences in various articles. Her keen interest in eco-consciousness and love for nature made her take up this work.

Preface The book aims at exploring the various aspects of eco-consciousness in the works of Ruskin Bond, an icon among Indian writers of English also known as the Indian Wordsworth in prose. He was conferred with Padma Bhushan in 2014 for his immense contribution in the world of Literature & Education. Bond is far from the maddening crowd of socio-political hypocrisy. His literary journey follows a different path in search of a winter garden, a cherry tree in maplewood, a leopard or a panther, a hidden pool, a way side teashop, or a small railway platform. He always writes with authenticity and emotional engagement with the Himalayas that had shaped his personality and worldview.

The book starts with an introduction of the basic concept of eco consciousness, its origin and how it evolved with time and its role in various world religions like Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, Judaism and others. Literature, being a mirror of life, reflects the various dimensions of eco-consciousness. Hence major writers of the East and West such as Tagore, Wordsworth, Shelley, Dickinson and others have been briefly analyzed.

The book further leads to extensively teeming world of flora and fauna as described by Bond in his works. Like an expert botanist, Ruskin Bond records in his writings the numerous varieties of trees, flowers and shrubs that clothe the hills. As he takes his readers on a brief journey into the mountains, he informs them how the flora changes dramatically as one ascends the foothills, then the temperate zone and then even higher. Simultaneously fauna has also been elaborately described by Bond ranging from the smallest insect, to the largest of animals as elephants and tigers.

Book's Contents and Sample Pages