“What one loves in childhood stays in their heart forever.” — Mary Jo Putney Whenever I read Ruskin Bond’s books, I feel a surge of enthusiasm to express my thoughts. His simple writing style, especially while describing sunsets and everyday occurrences, makes his work magical and interesting. Bond prefers writing with a pen and has never used email. During my research, I tried to find his email address, but eventually received his home address from Rupa Publications. I wrote a lengthy, handwritten letter using a gel pen to inform him about my research. Bond’s love to write with an ink pen hurled me back into my childhood. As a child, I wrote with an ink pen. Although we had ballpoint pens, the school teachers insisted that we use ink pens. These ink pens in those days were thick; they were designed with a large hollow space to hold lots of ink. I kept mine in a Camlin pencil box, which was the most popular instrument box back then. Later on, other brands emerged, introducing attractiv...
Health has always been a priority for me, but sometimes stark realities remind us that more needs to be done. A few weeks ago, I slipped and fell during my morning walk. I got up quickly, brushed myself off, and continued on my way. I forgot the incident as quickly as my morning walk. The pain was manageable for a couple of days, but it worsened with my walks, and I noticed swelling behind my knee. I ignored it for a few days, but the pain wasn’t reducing. I felt an X-ray could reveal the cause. We searched for the nearest orthopaedic hospital. The hospital was well-maintained, and we were soon attended to. After a checkup, the doctor gently shared that the signs were of early osteoarthritis. It was hard to believe, as I was up every day at dawn to exercise before leaving for work. Although the X-ray results were typical for my age, the orthopedician recommended an MRI. I had to choose an expensive location to get the quickest appointment. I stood watching people at the MRI centr...