On the eve of his 86th birthday, and with a new book out, Ruskin Bond holds forth on food and the reason why he is a ‘pickle fiend’ The chaat shop in Dehradun played a very significant role in The Room On The Roof, my first novel, published in 1956," says author Ruskin Bond during a phone call from Landour, days before his 86th birthday on 19 May.
In fact, quite a few friendships in his books have been forged over pakoras and chaat. “I love them. Just this morning I was hinting to my granddaughter that we haven’t had pakoras for some time now.
You know what, after this call, I will have onion ones this evening," Bond says. Reading a Bond story always gives one hunger pangs.