Ruskin Bond penning his autobiography

Ruskin Bond's extraordinary journey is set to get a book treatment as the author is busy giving shape to his autobiography.

Yet untitled, the book will include anecdotes from writer's personal life as well as his bond with his adopted family in Mussoorie.

"It starts with my growing up years in Jamnagar, Dehradun and Shimla to London where I wrote my first book and generally my life as a writer and the kind of struggle I had over the years while trying to establish myself.

"It will also have details from my personal life, which consists of my adopted family that has grown around me. I have lived in the hills for last 50 years and it has made me not spiritual but more contemplative," Bond told PTI in an interview ahead of his 82nd birthday tomorrow.

The author says he likes to celebrate his birthday by taking a nap but joked that everyone around him will be taking him out for dinner.

Bond, who has collaborated with Landmark to encourage budding readers to express and hone their narrative skills with 'Child Reading to Child' initiative, will visit the local book shop on his birthday.

His young fans turn up to get their books signed from the author at the book shop, where he is a regular visitor.

Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">When asked how he will celebrate his birthday, Bond said, "I am a sleepy fellow. I will take a nice long nap the first chance I get. I don't do anything very special. In the afternoon, I go to the local book shop and they celebrate in a small way. I have one of my publishers, they will come and take me out to dinner."

I think it's something of a surprise for me because I can't think of anybody in my family who got past 70. I think it is because I have been living in the hills for so many years. Hills are relatively healthy compared to cities... I am fortunate in that respect."

Born to a British Air Force personnel in Kasauli, Bond went to London for a few years to complete his studies but he returned and established a successful writing career. He is the winner of the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Award and the Padma Bhushan.

It was not an easy call for Bond to choose writing as a career but the author says he finds more youngsters interested in the profession now.

"When I finished school, my mother asked me, 'What do you want to do Ruskin?' and I said 'Mama, I think I am going to be a writer'. She said, 'Don't be silly, go join the army'.

"Writing was very unfashionable when I was young. Today, I meet a lot of youngsters who want to become writers. When they say they want to be writers, I tell them to go ahead but it has many pitfalls. It's not easy making a living out of it, at least in the beginning."