Ruskin Bond, the author who has been an undeniable part of our childhoods has always kept his private life under wraps.
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But in a recent interview with Humans Of Bombay he opened up about being broke as a writer and working four jobs to keep his writing afloat.
The next 4 years taught me how difficult it was to sustain as a writer. After college, I’d juggle 4 part-time jobs. Exhausted, I’d still write at night. But my work was rejected by every publishing house.
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He also added that he faced resistance from his mother about him choosing to be a writer.
I was 16 when my story was published in a magazine! Thrilled, I told Mum, ‘I want to be a writer.’ But she shipped me off to England for college.
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Ruskin Bond spoke about the loss of his father and the problems he had with his mother’s second marriage – using books as his coping mechanism.
After Mum & Dad got divorced, we got a letter–Dad had died of a bullet; I was shattered. When Mum remarried, I couldn’t accept another man in Dad’s place. So, I created my own little world–I’d curl up with a book & forget about everything else.
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And why he is still single.
I wrote a lot about falling in love with girls at train stations. But in reality, none of those girls reciprocated. So in the 1960s, I adopted my househelp’s kids. And at 87, I’m still a bachelor!
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You can read the full post here:
We’re glad he didn’t give up on writing.
H/T Humans Of Bombay for interviewing our favourite writer.
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