Brimming over with his trademark wisdom, warmth and candour, this collection shows why Ruskin Bond is one of India's most treasured writers (less)

Ruskin was only seventeen when he first started writing to be published in 1951. Even as his first novel The Room on the Roof was being published in England, he returned 'home'to India in 1955.

After a few years of wandering in the plains, he scampered up the foothills north of Dehra, and has spent the last forty years in Landour and Mussoorie, living close to nature, amongst good friends and those he loves. And this is where Ruskin-the icon of the mountains and its unsung tales-has written many of his finest stories, essays, poems, novels and verse (less)

This is a book you can dip into anytime, and come up with something that will make you smile or think with its wit and gentle common sense (less)

This is a book you can dip into anytime, and come up with something that will make you smile or think with its wit and gentle common sense (less)

. This brilliant new collection of stories by one of India s best-loved storytellers richly evokes Dehradun of the 1940s, with its quaint cinema halls and crumbling villas, its modest chaat-shops and ubiquitous tongas.

But, as young Ruskin the narrator in these interconnected tales soon discovers, not all is as it seems in this sleepy town (less)

Whenever Uncle Ken arrives at Grandma's house, and he does frequently, there is trouble afoot! Uncle Ken drives his car into a wall, is mistaken for a famous cricketer, troubled by a mischievous ghost, chased by a swarm of bees and attacked by flying foxes. Be it the numerous bicycle rides with the author or his futile attempts at finding a job, Uncle Ken's misadventures provide huge doses of laughter.

Crazy Times with Uncle Ken includes old classics as well as new stories, and will be enjoyed by all Ruskin Bond fans. Uncle Ken was one of those people who went through life without having to do much, although a great deal seemed to happen around him (less)

is the spoilt, selfish, beautiful widow of the Maharajah of Mastipur. She lives with her dogs and her caretaker, Hans, in an enormous old house in Mussorie, taking lovers and discarding them, drinking too much, and fending off her reckless sons who are waiting hungrily for their inheritance.

The seasons come and go, hotels burns down, cinemas shut shop, and people leave the hill station never to return. But H.

H. remains constant and indomitable.

Observing her antics, often with disapproval, is her old friend Ruskin, who can never quite cut himself off from her. Melancholic, wry and full of charm, Maharani is a delightful novella about love, death and friendship (less)

A winner of many awards for his outstanding literary contribution, he has also been awarded the John Llewellyn Rhys Memorial Prize in 1957, the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1993 (for English writing in India) and the Padma Shri in 1999. Several of his stories, including The Blue Umbrella, have been made into memorable films (less)

His Earliest Memoirs Are Bitter-Sweet, And Relate To Jamnager Where He Lives Till He Is Six. The Happy Hours Spent In Exploring The Ram Vilas Palace Grounds And Playing With His Younger Sister Ellen And The Palace Children Are Overshadowed By The Acrimonious Relation Between His Parents.

Their Estrangement While He Is Still A Child Leaves Him With A Life-Long Sense Of Insecurity. His Unhappiness Is Exacerbated By The Untimely Death Of His Father - His Emotional Anchor - When The Author Is Just Ten.

Forced To Stay With His Mother And His Stepfather, Both Of Whom Are Absorbed In Their Own Worlds, He Tries To Fend Off His Loneliness Through Books And The Company Of A Few Friends. Left For The Most Part To Himself, The Gentle Dreamer Realizes Very Early - As A Pimply (less)

The Tribes On My Frontier Is The Author's Witty And Entertaining Take On The Tribes On His Frontier The Birds, Beasts And Insects That Inhabited The General Vicinity Of His House In Dustypore (less)

. As I was never her husband, I have survived to tell this story.

' (less)

Introduction. 2.

Physiognomy of Naugachia C.D.

Block. 3.

New agricultural technology and its impact on cropping pattern. 4.

Origin and development of banana plantation. 5.

Input-output relationship of banana plantation. 6.

Problems of banana cultivation. 7.

Findings, conclusions and suggestions. Bibliography.

"Fruits are a part of Indian heritage and culture. There are numerous references to fruits in India's scripture.

The Padma Puran states that "the man planting trees by the way side will enjoy bliss in heaven for many years as there are fruits, flowers and leaves on the tree he plants". The importance of fruits in human diet has been well recognized.

Professor Ruskin aptly said, "Cultivate health instead of treating diseases". The banana is one of the oldest horticultural products, which dates back to the advent of mankind.

These days bananas are cultivated both for commercial and nutritional purposes. At present, banana is the second important fruit crop both in (less)

Contributors. Introduction.

1. Muslim image in post-colonial South Indian fiction/Masoodul Hasan.

2. (Un) Veiling (Dis) honour: image of Muslim woman in post independence Indian writings in English/A.

R. Kidwai.

3. Imagining another Pakistan- Muqaddastan: perception of Muslims in Balwant Gargi's Purple Moonlight/A.

R. Kidwai.

4. The trope of home and the representation of Muslim women in Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain and in Attia Hosain's Sunlight on a broken column/Md.

Mahmudul Hasan. 5.

Feminism and feminist Utopia in Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain's Sultana's dream/Seemin Hasan. 6.

Suffering of women and the question of plural identity: Amitava Kumar's reading of the politics of faith in Husband of a Fanatic/Mohd Asim Siddiqui. 7.

Representation of Muslim women in Qurratulain Hyder's Agle Janam Mohe Bitia Na Kijo and Ruskin Bond's A Flight of Pigeon: a comparative study/Sami Rafiq. 8.

A Muslim woman's life in Qurratulain Hyder's fiction with special reference to Sita Betrayed, The Housing Society and A Woman's life/Humera (less)

This new selection draws on the whole range of his output, including representative material from all his major works. The introduction outlines the development of his life and thought and shows why he remains such a rewarding writer today (less)