Kolkata: Legendary author Ruskin Bond who is penning an autobiography hopes that it would help young authors. At the same time the author feels that if parents
interfere in what children read and stop them from doing so, they will definitely read it when parents are away.
Speaking at a session at the Tata Steel Kolkata Literary Meet at Victoria Memorial yesterday, Bond said that he writes ghosts stories to make a dull afternoon interesting. Speaking about Ms Ripley-Bean, a character of his latest
book, 'Death Under The Deodars: The Adventures of Miss Ripley-Bean', the author said she was a real person and stayed on the ground floor of a house where he was a paying guest in a house in Mussourie about fifty years ago.
Saying that he would not reveal anything more about his autobography, he added that he would continue writing childrens' short stories. Bond was also asked whether he had anyone in mind who could play the role of Ms Ripley Bean.
"I would love to have it filmed. I can't think of..you would know better it is hard to find anyone who could play 70-year-old Ripley Bean unless one of our well-known actors ....you could have Salman Khan playing Ripley Bean, I don't
know. He could get an Oscar for it I am sure," Bond said as the crowd burst into laughter.Asked about the relevance of his stories both for children and elderly, he said it was not done consciously.
Speaking about his stories being made into films, Bond said it becomes a disappointment only if its (story) changed radically."Fortunately Vishal Bharadwaj now has a cottage next to mine in Mussoorie. So when he is up in town, I throw stones on his roof and if he is not being helpful when making films the stones get bigger," Bond said, sending the crowd into peals of laughter. The film maker made a movie based on his novel 'The Blue Umbrella besides '7 Khoon Maaf'.
