BCS boys visit much-loved author Ruskin Bond as he approaches his 89th birthday.
Dreams do come true….. This weekend a few lucky boys from BCS met one of our most celebrated story-tellers who attended BCS. Ruskin Bond, Old Cottonian and popular children’s author attended BCS for 8 years from 1943-1950. His books are filled with charming stories from his school days and the funny characters who worked at BCS.
The full interview with the Cottonians is here on this link: https://youtu.be/2yaWy67D8ME
Cottonians meet much-loved author Ruskin Bond
11 May 2023
Bishop Cotton School, Shimla (BCS) school boys recently visited much-loved Indian children’s author Ruskin Bond as he approaches his 89th birthday in Mussoorie. Ruskin Bond has written fondly of his times when he went to the boarding school in Shimla in the 1940s.
A representative from the Junior, Middle and Senior sections of the school travelled to Ruskin Bond’s home town to meet the famous author and film an interview with him as he approaches his 89th birthday.
Ruskin has written many famous children’s books about his time in the British boarding school along with his friends who were from all over the world, from Pakistan, German, Britain, Thailand and from all over India.
Ruskin Bond said; ”I owe a lot to BCS, this is where I started my love of books and reading in the library and where I wrote my first short story. BCS grooms a boy with the routines to be polite and have manners. This has got me and many other Cottonians far in life, it is a secret weapon.”
As a traditional heritage school, many of the old routines have been kept alive since its foundation in 1859, 165 years ago. The students still get up early for physical training (PT) every day and have sports like shooting, boxing and swimming which Ruskin has written many books about. His time at school was set during an especially historical era, during the political turbulence of the 1940s, during the ‘Quit India’ movement. Seniors would patrol the dorms with rifles to protect students due to the unrest and riots at the time in Shimla (then Simla).
Ruskin Bond attended the boarding school for 8 years from 1943-1950. He went on to become the Ibbetson House Captain and his books are filled with charming stories from his school days and the funny characters who worked at BCS. One teacher who kept a pigeon in the classroom, a feisty teacher who used to cane the boys for their misdemeanors.
The school boys were very grateful to meet him and hear the stories first hand and give him his birthday presents for his upcoming birthday. The whole session has been recorded and will be played to the rest of the school at the weekend.
The school Captain Yatish, Nimish from Class 10, Rajveer from Class 9 and Kushagra Class 6 got a chance to interview Mr Bond and hear his stories first hand and find out which were fact and which were fiction. They were very grateful to meet him and give him his birthday presents. Thank you Ruskin Sir.
