Ruskin Bond (born 19 May 1934) is an Indian author of British descent who is perhaps the best-known writer of children’s fi ction. Numerous awards have come his way including the Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan and the Sahitya Akademi award. His fi rst novel, ° e Room on the Roof , was written when he was 17—and since then he has written several novellas (including Vagrants in the Valley, A Flight of Pigeons and Delhi Is Not Far ), essays, poems and children’s books