A Little Book of India: Celebrating 75 Years of Independence

by Ruskin Bond

As India completes 75 years of independence, we bring to you a slice of our beloved country in the words of our favourite author, Ruskin Bond. Drawing on his own memories and impressions of this unique land, he pays homage to the country that has been his home for 84 years. Bond talks fondly about the diverse elements that make up this beautiful land-its rivers and forests, literature and culture, sights, sounds and colours. A Little Book of India is an amalgamation of the physical and spiritual attributes of our homeland, and takes you on a journey filled with nostalgia and devotion.

Genres: Nonfiction, India, Indian Literature

102 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 24, 2022

About the author

Ruskin Bond is an Indian author of British descent. He is considered to be an icon among Indian writers and children's authors and a top novelist. He wrote his first novel, The Room on the Roof, when he was seventeen which won John Llewellyn Rhys Memorial Prize in 1957. Since then he has written several novellas, over 500 short stories, as well as various essays and poems, all of which have established him as one of the best-loved and most admired chroniclers of contemporary India. In 1992 he received the Sahitya Akademi award for English writing, for his short stories collection, "Our Trees Still Grow in Dehra", by the Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters in India. 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.

Reviews

[Avani ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Little Book of India by Ruskin Bond, a book written in honor of India's 75th Independence Day. The book is filled with nostalgia and patriotism topped with smooth writing of the great writer, Ruskin Bond.💎

The book takes us through the rich heritage of India, mountains, rivers and the great Himalayas. Author's true love for his country where he has spend more than 80 years of his life is clearly shown in the book. 🤌

I absolutely enjoyed reading this book and knowing so much about our Indian culture and vast history. One stanza around mangoes took me back to my childhood days and nostalgia on how summers used to be fun due to many reasons, one being mango. 🥭

Special mention for the very simple yet aesthetic cover for this bookt to Tarun Deep Girdher. ✨

[Dhwani · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Little Book Of India by Ruskin Bond takes the reader on a journey of our beloved homeland, India, via Mr. Bond's perspective.

A country that has been Mr. Bond's home for 84 years is one that's rich in its cultural diversity. Sir talks about the India of 1947, the political journey it embarked upon, the rich art that India has be it in terms of culture, literature, language or the people! My most favourite part was the piece Sounds Of India and Colours Of India, it made me feel the most connected to the book. It literally represents the small things that makes India, India. Sir also talks about the pandemic that we're all into and the beautiful natural heritage that India has. This book brought back so many childhood memories. I did wish for the book to be a little longer somehow.

A brief insight about our country from someone who's lived through those times is what this Little Book Of India provides you. I had a good time reading this short little book!

[Gorab · Rating 1 out of 5]

True to its title, its a little book on India. Capturing the 75 years of independence in each page. Starting with a page or two each on Nehru, Indira and the popular Indian topics since independence.

Only catch is - each page is just a sentence or two!

Its like those exam days where you will be awarded marks based on the number of pages filled.
The musings in this books couldn't have got more random than this.
A sample page:


So it seems like a marketing scam - another one of many Ruskin Bond books. Please avoid.

[Priyanka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a sweet book - observations from an author who 'feels' things and writes about them. There is no data, no criticism and it manages to capture some of the great features of our great country.

[Chittajit Mitra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ruskin Bond is one of the few writers out there who can form a connection with the reader in just a few sentences. In several of his previous works, he got us teleported to the mountains or sometimes even in a spooky situation. In this book as the title suggests, he talks about the 75 years of independence of India and how he sees it. But he sums up one subject at a time in just a few words & with every single page, one might feel a little bit more inspired. A small controversy rose around this book in connection with what has been written about one individual & while I understand the anger, it is important to mention that this book isn’t in any way a political book. He has written around the narrative which is in the popular culture. As we all know, in these 75 years some things have been achieved while there’s much more to be covered and this book is just a small tribute to the author’s journey of living in India and how he has seen it change. Loved reading it.

[Saranya Dhandapani · Rating 5 out of 5]

-
Book 20 of 2022-A Little Book of India
Author- Ruskin Bond

Read this with @ for the month of April.

“We celebrate our freedom in different ways,
I celebrate it with the written word.”

This book was written by Ruskin Bond to celebrate 75 years of Independence. If you are someone who is not into political or historical analysis of events, but would love to know the highlights of our nation in the past 75 years-this book is for you.

Being someone who wants to know the history, but doesn’t want too many details on the timeline or not interested in history books..this book is precious.
It had all Ruskin bond touch even though it’s a book about India..I saw India through his eyes and it got even more beautiful.

Bond spent 80 years in this country, reading about India through his eyes is indeed a blessing. It goes slowly from Rivers,Mountains, Trees,Leaders,Monuments,Music,Technology,War,Peace and then the virus..
Every important part of our heritage has been covered in this little beauty.

There are few writers whose writing would always be beautiful and brings that smile on your face..even if they are writing about the most beautiful thing or even if they are writing about the not so beautiful thing in life..that kind of writing is a blessing and that’s what Ruskin Bond is being blessed with.

This is a small yet aesthetic book for which absolutely anyone would fall in love, not only with the writings but also with the aesthetics this book hold.

May he live longer and longer and write about more little joys in life. What else could I ask on his birthday month!!

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[Rajeev · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good old Ruskin Bond has come out with a little gem of a book to commemorate 75 years of India’s Independence. The book is literally “a little book” in every sense of the word. Bond poignantly puts across in as few words as possible all that he wants to say about his beloved country on the occasion of its 75th anniversary of attaining Independence from British suzerainty.

Ruskin Bond himself is an octogenarian and he says that of the 87 years of his life on this earth he has spent 84 years in India. Bond has had the good fortune of living through the heady days of attaining Independence from British rule as also the painful recollections of the massacre that followed the partition. He reminiscences about the evening in the cinema where the movie he was watching was stopped and cancelled abruptly for the manager to announce the tragic news of the assassination of Gandhi.

Bond writes passionately about the rivers, mountains, lakes and deserts of India. His love for the bounties of nature of his native land is all too evident in the delightful stories that he has conjured up all these past decades. His abiding love for the country and its people is evident in this "little book” that he has written on India.

The “little book of India” is not a treatise on what the country has achieved in the past seven decades of its existence as an independent nation. The author has not meant it to be an authoritative work on the subject either. It is more of a labour of love on his part to convey his deep adoration to India and its people who have cherished his writings and have been enriched by the author's bountiful talent.

[Lola_writings · Rating 4 out of 5]

"A Little Book of India" by Ruskin Bond, published to mark India's 75th Independence Day, blends historical settings and national pride enriched by Ruskin Bond's graceful and elegant writing.

The book takes us on an exploration through the rich history of India, exploring its breathtaking landscapes, waterways, the splendor of the Himalayas, and the honor and sacrifice of the Indian Army In his writing, the author demonstrates his 80 years of experience and deep love for the country.

I thoroughly fell in love with this book, discovering so much about our Indian culture and its rich history. The chapter on exams, adolescence, and teenage life brought back fond memories of my childhood.

Some, like me, look at the mountains for their majesty, their vendue, their permanence, their tremendous solitude. Men come and go; but the mountains remain are my fav lines from this book.

This is a light read, and it would be suitable for readers between the ages of 15 and 60.
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[Aishwary Mehta (The_Fugitive_Biker) · Rating 4 out of 5]

11th book of 2025 (261 Books read overall)

   We celebrate freedom in different ways.
I celebrate it with the written word.

  4.5 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

Read in -   June 2025 

  ‘Palm trees seldom topple over. They don’t try to resist the wind; they blend with the wind, they blend with the elements.
We too must blend with nature, not resist it.‘ 

To keep it short, as the book is. The review can be summed up in the tagline of the book itself, ‘Celebrating 75 years of Independence‘. The book talks about all that India is, offers and some more in a poetic way that you can simply read the whole book as a single poem in a single sitting. In the classic Ruskin Bond style, the book feels warm, and the pages evoke the sentiment and feeling that the words inscribed on them are for in a rhythmic and transcendent way!

  Poetic way to show and feel India! 

Full Review on Blog.
Link to Blog - The Tales of Fugitive Biker

[Anushka · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the title says— its a little book which you just cannot stop reading before you’ve finished it. It takes you down the lanes of history, make you smile all throughout as you read through and celebrate the stupendous multifariousness of our landscapes, culture, colours, sound and a lot more which you’ll come across as you read further. It left me with brimming pride on how far we’ve come and what an amazing journey of 75 years it has been but also towards the end left me with a feeling of responsibility to nurture the future of our country- the children with utmost love care and support. A lot of freedoms have been attained, a-lot needs to be achieved.
Ruskin Bond has a great style of expressing things and life around, its just amazing! Happy Reading!

[Sidharth Mishra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ruskin Bond, one of our finest authors, shares a very quick, easily digestible and highly illuminating read covering highlights from India's journey as a free nation. It lets you understand in less than a couple of hours, how has the Indian society evolved post independence. Written in a highly riveting way, I strongly recommend everyone to read this book to understand how have we arrived at where we are as a nation 75 years post that fateful day, when we made a tryst with destiny, and how we will progress from 'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav' to 'Azadi ka Amrit Kaal'.

[Ashutosh Misra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Superb narration of the nation he took as his own as much as any of us have. Every word seems like a dab of paint brush on a canvas. Every reference of land, rivers, mountains, flowers, birds, trees, people, cities, politics, etc is like a new colour or a shade of colour coming alive on what is the portrait of India. I feel blessed to have lived in the times when I get to read his work of the past and continuing…

[Shruti Kohli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, reviewing a Ruskin Bond book is like saying the Himalayas are grand. Ha!
But then I thought I'll say my little thought about this book, however.

So when you pick up this book, it feels somewhat unRuskin-Bondish. It felt that way to me. It could be because I never saw him as a Notes To Myself writer.

Oh! But as you hop from one little 'note' to another, thoroughly thrilled and delighted by now from discovering that the notes are not notes but stories indeed, you hear yourself saying, 'Ah! It's him...Ruskin Bond!'

[Rohini Biswas · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was his birthday yesterday and today I stumbled into a bookstore and landed right in front of the shelf with last two copies of his latest book 'A little book of India'.

In this book Ruskin Bond takes inspiration from his own experiences and pens down an ode to the country’s heritage and diversity.

As the name suggests, it's a little book. It will hardly take an hour or so (max). So dear Bond admirers, get your copy and read it ASAP!

[Kulvant · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the book…..
India always recovers——from foreign invasion, colonial exploitations, famines and floods, quakes and cyclones, epidemics on a grand scale.
Sometimes it takes time, but India recovers.
The seasons pass, the crops come up, the mangoes ripen, the monsoon comes and goes, the snows melt, the Ganga flows…….
❤️❤️❤️

[Nikhil Kamath · Rating 5 out of 5]

I spent the Independence Day reading 'A Little Book of India' by Ruskin Bond.

A wonderfully written account describing India from the time of Independence till present day. The book takes you through the length and breadth of the country with vivid descriptions of rivers and landscapes and the flora and fauna of India.

The book is a very short and quick read. Very suitable for light reading.

[Harikrishna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book by Ruskin Bond that explains the journey of India as it celebrates towards the 75 years of Independence. The glory of India its nature, sculpture, art, culture is being told by author in his own style. It's time to look to our own culture and understand and be proud to be an Indian

[Aruna Kumar Gadepalli · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection consists of Ruskin Bond's lines on India - culture, geography, politics, etc., on the occasion of 75 of Indian Independence.

[Pinky Choudhary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet concise 75 years of independence from Ruskin Bond pen.

[Mohit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written in his characteristic style a small compendium of facts, and memories stitched together!

[Swastika Verma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Needed to read a Ruskin Bond asap and so glad I picked this. Feeling a renergized and overwhelming love for both Bond and my country.

[Anu Sant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good summary of important events

[Françoise Le Clercq · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet book