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Unit 12: A Flight of Pigeons by Ruskin Bond
Digvijay Pandya, Lovely Professional University

Unit 12: A Flight of Pigeons by Ruskin Bond Notes

CONTENTS
Objectives

Introduction
12.1 Introduction to Author

12.2 Brief Introduction–A Flight of Pigeons
12.3 Plot
12.4 Main Characters
12.5 Analysis

12.6 Summary
12.7 Keywords
12.8 Review Questions

12.9 Further Readings

Objectives

After reading this unit, you will be able to:

• Know about Ruskin Bond;
• Understand A Flight of Pigeons;
• Discuss the plot and characters of the story;
• Make analysis of A Flight of Pigeons.

Introduction

A Flight of Pigeons is a novella by Indian author, Ruskin Bond. The story is set in 1857, and
is about Ruth Labadoor and her family (who are British) who take help of Hindus and Muslims
to reach their relatives when their father is killed in a church by the Indian rebels. The novella
is a mix of fiction and non-fiction and was made into a film in 1978 called Junoon by Shyam
Benegal, starring Shashi Kapoor, Nafisa Ali, and Jennifer Kendal.
Ruskin Bond’s A Flight of Pigeons comes somewhere in between. The story is based on the life
of Ruth Labadoor of Shahjahanpur who survived the mutiny of 1857 (First war of Independence).
Just enough imagination is used to weave Ruth’s life, accounts and records of the mutiny into
a novella highlighting the lifestyle, politics, people of that era and, of course, humanity, which
according to the author is what the book is all about.

12.1 Introduction to Author

Ruskin Bond, (born. 19 May 1934) is an Indian author of British descent.
In 1992, he received the Sahitya Akademi Award for his short story collection, Our Trees Still
Grow in Dehra, given by the Sahitya Akademi, India’s National Academy of Literature. He was

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