3 Review(s)

The laidback lifestyle and moderate climate of the Doon Valley and its surrounding environs make it the ideal retirement that it is. Some parts of the town in this region still retain a distinctive British character, while several have outgrown their colonial origins, transforming the area from an unhurried summer retreat to the bustling capital of a newly formed state. The anthology captures the unique flavour of the region - both its old world charm and the newer characteristics that now define parts of it. Most of the contributors to this volume have lived in the valley long enough to witness the changes have taken place. There is nostalgia here, and history too, and the social change. All the writers have lived in Doon and love the city and write about a region that has shaped them.  Once Upon A Time In The Doon .... Includes writing by eminent authors, and also by gifted people, who writing entertainingly but whose occupations prevent them from becoming full-time writers. They may have spent the greater parts of the lives in the district, or they may have discovered it comparatively recently. Either way, their own personality traits have bearing on the subject, and the result is a variety of views and viewpoints. The richness and diversity of the Doon is captured in these personal stories and vignettes. This book of interest to one who has journeyed through the valley and explored it. It will be doubly so to those who have lived in it. About the Author One of India’s finest and most popular storytellers, Ruskin Bond is the author of several bestselling novels and collections of short stories, essays and poems. These include The Room on the Roof (winner of the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize), A Flight of Pigeons, Time Stops at Shamli, Our Trees Still Grow in Dehra (winner of the Sahitya Akademi Award), Rain in the Mountains, Roads to Mussoorie, and A Little Night Music. He has also, over the years, expertly compiled and edited a number of anthologies.He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1999 and the Delhi Government’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012.