Children are just as developed as adults: Ruskin Bond

It was a memorable day for children, not to mention their parents, on the second day of the Times Literary Festival, interacting with legendary children’s author Ruskin Bond.
The creator of such characters as Rusty and Uncle Ken talked about inspiration, the people who inspired his stories and the importance of nature. He also had sage advice for parents.
“If children respect me, perhaps it is because I respect them.Children are no less developed than grownups. They just have to get used to the world around them. They need a helping hand. Someone to say: you are doing well. Carry on,” Bond told the packed audience.
The children had an endless list of questions for him, and Bond was happy to oblige.
“The characters in The Blue Umbrella were based on children in a village near Mussoorie. Uncle Ken was based on an uncle of mine. Rusty was based on my experiences,” Bond said.
The author of Room on the Roof was at his humourous best, allaying children’s concerns about spooky stories.
“These days you have very scary ghosts on TV. My ghosts are harmless. Children complain they are not scary enough,” Bond said, to laughter from the audience.
Bond also had a word of caution on climate change. “The urban spread has affected small places, like hill station. It takes away their charm and beauty. Humans have not done a good job of looking after the planet. It is our duty to put things together again,” he said.
After 60-odd years of writing, Bond said he still had a lot more in store. “I hope to chug on a little more. The real reward is readers like you. I am lucky to make a living from doing what I like to do,” he said.
Bond was also optimistic about the social media generation. “There are more readers today than in my time. Reading has always been a minority pastime,” he added.