Environmental Concerns in Selected Short Stories of Ruskin Bond

Dr. Jaya Tiwari Professor & Head Department of English Govt. D. B. Girls P G College Raipur (CG) Bhopal

Abstract

One of the major concerns of the present times is related to environment The threats of global warming, deforestation, careless resource depletion as well as the conservation of wild and natural life are the real worries of today .The field of literature is also touched by these problems and some of the writers who have immense love for nature and humanity have consistently and persistently been referring to these problems. Ruskin Bond is one such writer who, in a subtle way, provides a varied picture of the changing scenario of northern India particularly of the Himalaya region. The present study concentrates on the environmental concerns in the select short stories of Ruskin Bond. One of the eminent authors of contemporary India Ruskin Bond quoted his grandmother’s remark that “A blessing rests on the house where falls the shadow of a tree.”(199).The statement speaks volumes about his close affinity with nature and the positive effects of environment. Ruskin Bond can be termed as the most environment friendly and ecology – savvy writer of all Indo- anglian writers. The presence of nature is as prominent in bond’s writings as one can say ,plot to a story or leaf to a plant. It is hard to imagine a story from the pen of Ruskin Bond without a reference of trees, animals soft breeze of the mountains and amidst these a sensitive human soul . Ruskin Bond has written several novels, novellas and more than five hundred short stories. He received the Sahitya Akademi Award for English writing in India for Our Trees Still grows in Dehra in 1992 and was also awarded the Padma Shri in 1999 for his contributions to children’s literature. He was born on 19 May 1934, at Kasauli, in Himachal Pradesh and spent most of his childhood in amidst Himalaya. His bringing up at different places like www.ijellh.com

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Jamnagar, Dehradun, Shimla and London gave him a keen sense of observation and the hills of Dehra, Shimla, Shamli, Landour,Mussoorrie are often present at the backdrop of his stories. His penetrating eye led him to sense the changes that so called development and urbanization have brought to these places. In the name of making roads thousands of trees have been chopped, mountains have become naked and the drastic consequence are borne by the birds, animals and the nature dependent natives. The concern for the trees becomes evident in the story 'Death of the Trees', 'I'll miss the young deodar…………..It was just coming into its own.This year; now cut down in its prime like my young brother on the road Delhi last month:both victims of the road;

the

tree

killed

by

the

PWD,

my

brother

by

a

truck''…………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………Twenty oaks have been felled over a thousand oaks will have been slaughtered, besides many to her fine tree-maples, deodars and pines.(460) The process of

development has placed humans into a rat race. There is cut- throat

competition and a constant struggle to move ahead of others. It is a grave situation so far as the question of social environment is concerned because the environment prevalent in society gets reflected in the actions of people living in it. This can be seen in the increased rate of crimes and more prominently in the attitude of people ie, self-centeredness and indifference to people, nature and its habitat. In A Town Called Dehra Bond writes about the diminishing trend of life’s values, there is lot of cruelty and death. People have started prefering shortcuts to success, and

are neglecting

ethical values thus pointing at the problem of social

environment.The sense of belongingness is missing everywhere-in society ,in human relationships and in his relationship to other objects. In 'Death of the Trees' he says, The trouble is, hardly anyone (with the exception of the contractor who buys the felled trees) really believes that trees and shrubs are necessary."(461) Ruskin Bond is one such writer who constantly hints at the severity of consequences that are going to be borne by the future generation because of the careless excavations, deforestation and unending exploitation of natural resources that God has given to us in plenty but the question is how long and how much ? Human beings have become deaf and blind in their ‘explosions that shatter the silence of mountains—as thousand years old rocks are dynamitedhave frightened away all but the most intrepid of birds and animals.’(461)

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There was a time when forest on the banks of the Ganga had provided food and shelter for some thirty or forty tigers; but they in search if trophies had shot them all, and now there remained only one old tiger in the jungle.( 151) Over the years, people’s way of

thinking has changed, values have changed, money and

materials , power and position have become more important and has become the sole motive of life. The parents and children are running for money making jobs.Bond refers to this situation in “The Prospect of Flowers”Most of boys of your age want to be pilots or soldiers or perhaps engineers. But you want to be a botanist.Well, well. There’s still hope for the world, I see.( 215) Bond refers to the changing times as he could hear the footsteps of new things approaching these hilly areas.He is not against development and progression but rather seems to be worried about the traditional ways of living and more particularly about the intimacy in relations between the owner and servants. The so – called development has led to materialism and a professional attitude which has done great damage to the harmony of people on the basis of which relations and relatioships are founded. A beautiful instance can be traced in the story "The Last Tonga Ride"-

Times are changing ,memsahib.Do you know that there is now a taxi- a motor car-competing with the tongas of Dehra? You are lucky to be leaving. If you stay, you will see me starve to death. (323) In another story “Tiger, Tiger Burning Bright” he speaks about the extinction of this royal and graceful animal, There was another thing that had gone with the tiger, another thing that had been lost, a thing that was being lost everywhere – something called nobility.(284) There is always an indication from Bond about his dislike of the routine life of cities and a constant longing to go back to the lap of nature and its surroundings. In The Crooked Tree’ ,he writes,” I wanted to breathe the countryside air, be surrounded by the crowds and concrete jungles of the city.”(33) He seems to be disheartened by the behavior of total indifference of Delhiwallahs, The blare of horns can be heard in the corridors of the hospital, everyone is conditioned to the noise and pays no attention to it. ….In Delhi there is a feverish desire to be the first in line, the first to get anything…This is probably because no one ever gets round to dealing with second comers.(376). Apart from social environment, the short stories of Ruskin Bond also provide vast and varied description of the physical environment of the area where he was born and brought up. “Mountains are in my blood”, he says. “Living in the hills is like living in the bosom of a www.ijellh.com

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strong, sometime proud, but always a comforting mother”.-- In the story “The Tunnel” Kishen Singh seems to assure the leopard by keeping this bond of trust, when asked about the safety in the jungle. Kishen Singh replies, It is safer in the jungle than in the towns. No rascals out here. Only last week when I went into the town I had my pocket picked! Leopards do not pick pockets(254 ). The physical features of Himalayas –snow covered peaks, the topography-rivers, ravines, hills, and glaciers, valleys and rich greenery of pine, deodars and flowers form an essential part of his writings. In fact,it is probably because of his minute graphic like description of the natural surroundings that he is called –the Indian Wordsworth . The shades of physical environment create an atmosphere to unfurl the inner world. Mountains of Himalayas are known in the world for its beauty and its sky-high tops yet the silence and serenity that pervades all over the area gets reflected in the people who live around it. People living in hills are innocent and they never give up in difficult situations. They live simple lives unaffected by the materialistic world. The surrounding environment gives them strength to struggle hard to survive and an unfailing spirit to move ondespite allthe hardships. Stories such as,The Playing Fields of Simla,Panther's Moon, The Adventures of Rusty The Road to the Bazaar, Grandfather's Many Faces ,The Most Potent Medicine of All bring to life the amusing exploits of the people who live in the small hillside town of North India. The people of hilly areas are simple and innocent but they are being exploited by the businessmen and contractors The road helps you and me to get about but it also makes it easier for others to do mischief. Rich man from the cities come here and buy up what they want—land, trees, people!(488) The story “Dust on the Mountains” describes the pathetic state of the mountains after years of blasts and excavations.There were trees here once, but the contractors took the deodars for furniture. And the pines were

trapped

to

death

for

resin

and

the

oaks

were

stripped

of

their

leaves to feed cattle. (491) Bond's stories reveal that man, nature and animals are dependent on each other and there interdependence leads to a world of growth, harmony and trust. They are closely linked together. The trees and I know each other quite intimately and we have much to say to each other from to time.They watch over me as I write. . . They are best critics. As long I am aware of their presence I can try to avoid the trivial and the banal. (199). In another place, he says, “….when the last tiger goes,so will the soul of the country,” www.ijellh.com

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(189) Bond’s stories manifest deep love for creatures. He understands the importance of wild life and its inhabitants. His thoughtfulness about birds and animals is evident from many of his short stories i.e 'The Leopard', 'The Tiger in the Tunnel', 'The Monkeys', 'A Crow for All Seasons' ,'A Tiger in the House' and 'All Creatures Great and Small' to name a few. In 'All Creatures Great and Small', he remarks 'we should be more gentle with birds and animals and should not kill so many of them'(151). Again he comments, It is also important that we respect them…we must acknowledge their rights. Everywhere, birds and animals were finding it difficult to survive because we are trying to destroy both them and their forests(149). In 'Death of the Trees' Bond sarcastically remarks, Forest birds ,all of them, they will now be in search of some other stretch of surviving forest. The only visitors will be the crows, who have learnt to live with, and off, humans and seem to multiply along with the roads, houses and people. And even when all the people have gone, the crows will still be around.(461) There is a constant reference to the environmental problems in the short stories of Ruskin Bond. He does not emerge as an environmentalist but is rather suggestively points at this serious matter in a very subtle way. He observes various sides of the issue. For instance, In ‘A Crow for All Seasons', he has described a person who hated the monkey that lived in a tree of their home but gradually develops affection for it. Bond comments, From persecutor to protector; from beastliness to saintliness. And sometimes it can be the other way round: you never know with

humans! (512) Despite the bleak scenario of

naked mountains, deforestation excavation and the loss of faith and innocence in relationships that is highlighted in many short stories, Bond presents some stories where flowers and trees are loved and preserved, insects and animals are a part of family and are fed. In some cases there is realization of the damage done and the will to go back to mother nature. In 'Dust on the Mountain' he says,’ I'll work on my land. It's better to grow things on the land, than to blast things out of it.’(502) Such stories from Bond provide a kind of positivity and hope on the grave issue of environment as it makes the reader feel inspired and motivated to procure and preserve this universe.

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References: 

Bond, Ruskin. Dust in the Mountains. New Delhi. Penguin Book India Pvt.Ltd.2009.Print.



Bond, Ruskin .Rain in the Mountains. New Delhi. Penguin Book India Pvt.Ltd.1993.Print.



Bond, Ruskin. Our Trees Still Grow in Dehra. New Delhi. Penguin Book India Pvt.Ltd.1991.Print.



Bond, Ruskin. The Adventures of Rusty. Living Media Publication.1981.Print



Bond, Ruskin. Scenes from a Writer’s Life. New Delhi. Penguin Group India.1997.Print.



Khorana, G. Meena. The Life and Works of Ruskin Bond. United States of America.2003.Print.



Singh, K. Prabhat. The Creative Contours of Ruskin Bond: An Anthology of Critical Writings. Pencraft Publications.1995.Print.

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