‘Looking up, I notice a number of bright paper kites that flutter, dip and swerve in the cloudless sky. I cannot recall seeing so many kites before.

“Is it a festival today?” I ask.

“No, Sahib,” says the rickshaw boy. “Not even a holiday.”

“Then why so many kites?”

He does not even bother to look up. “You can see kites every day, Sahib.”’

Hitch a ride with Ruskin Bond on A Journey through the Vibrant Land, meeting a variety of quirky characters in diverse places and circumstances. Whether it is ‘The Last Tonga Ride’ in Dehra, ‘On the Road to Delhi’ or being ‘Footloose in Agra’, his vibrant prose weaves evocative images that highlight a world beyond the apparent. Told with characteristic wit and poignancy, his stories become snapshots of specific times and places, forming a collage of a world in transition.

So come aboard and join the adventure. It will be a journey to remember.