Celebrated author Ruskin Bond marked the eve of his 92nd birthday in Dehradun with the launch of his latest book, “All-Time Favourite Friendship Stories”, continuing a long-standing literary tradition that has become a yearly ritual for the writer’s annual birthday celebrations.
The book launch
Around 100 children from nearby schools attended the event along with their teachers at a gathering organised in collaboration with Book World. The occasion carried the familiar warmth that has defined Bond’s relationship with generations of readers for whom he has been writing for seven decades. As part of the celebrations, the children also participated in a short quiz organised during the event.
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Known for releasing a new title around his birthday each year, Bond launched the latest collection in the presence of Sohini Mitra, Publisher of Penguin Random House India’s Children’s Division, along with Kavya Wahi, Manager of Children’s and Young Adult Marketing at Puffin, and Yatin from the Sales team. Bond was also joined by his granddaughter Srishti and grandson Siddharth during the launch.
While cutting the birthday cake, Bond appeared cheerful as ever and remarked, “Every day should be a birthday.”
The newly-released “All-Time Favourite Friendship Stories” brings together a curated selection of Bond’s stories centred on companionship and human connection, themes that have remained at the heart of his writing across decades. The collection explores friendships in many forms, including bonds between children and animals as well as relationships that develop unexpectedly between people. The book also reflects Bond’s signature warmth and simple storytelling style that continues to resonate with readers of all ages.
Bond shares emotional journey
Speaking at the event, Bond reflected on the role friendship has played throughout his life. “My entire life has been woven around the strong bonds of friendship that have grown around me,” he said. “Friends have often become family, and for me, these close relationships have helped me to see life. Shrishti and Siddharth, Rakesh and Beena, and others have all grown up in front of me, and family means friendship and friendship means family. Love embraces us all.”
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Sohini Mitra also spoke about the significance of the new release. “Ruskin Bond's stories have been a cherished part of our publishing journey for generations, and 'All-Time Favourite Friendship Stories' is a beautiful continuation of that enduring association,” she said.
Bond, who began publishing in the 1950s, is now in his ninety-second year. Yet across seven decades of writing, his stories continue to remind readers that life’s simplest moments and quiet friendships often matter the most.
