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Unit 8: A Flight of Pigeons by Ruskin Bond-Detailed Study

8.5 Summary Notes

• This one is different among most of Ruskin Bond’s books, though I have not yet read
all of his work. Most of his stories are either based on his own life’s experiences,
involve nature in one way or the other, and are concerned mostly with normal people
and their normal lives and that’s what makes them very realistic. This one is like a
chapter from the history of our country, INDIA.
• The story starts with the capture of Shahjahanpur, a small town village in U. P., from
English army by Indian Freedom fighters. With that starts killing and looting of English
people settled over there with burning out their houses and capturing and imprisoning
of their women, if there were any. Ruth, her mother (Mariam) and rest of her family,
all women, were one such group. First they take refuge in the house of Lala Ramjimal,
a friend of her father, but soon people around find out that there is group of English
women hiding in his house. Then a Pathan named Javed Khan, one of the men of then
Nawab of that area, takes them to his house. He puts the proposal of marrying Ruth
before her mother, though he can have her forcibly, but he wants to do so with the will
of the girl. Well, its hard to know, whether he loves her, but surely he likes her very
much and is fond of her beauty. Mariam being a captive under Javed didn’t have much
options but somehow manages to save her daughter from the Pathan using one excuse
or the other. In the backdrop of this story the events of the Revolt of 1857 is presented
beautifully in bits and pieces. Finally story ends with English army once again taking
over the city almost after an year in 1858.
• The story is narrated by the lead character Ruth. There are two main characters leaving
Ruth—Javed Khan and Mariam, her mother. The character of Mariam is the one which
is most impactful and strong, so much so that it makes you admire her. A strong willed
woman with a great presence of mind! The way she saves her daughter from Javed is
very impressive. Then Javed Khan a strong and powerful Pathan who can possess the
girl any time he wants, but he waits for the agreement of Mariam. You like him somehow,
like Ruth, though it is a negative character. The story is a real one told to Ruskin by
his father and to him by someone.
• This novel has been made into a T.V. serial called “JUNOON”. The book is readable,
at least for one time, though not a very happy reading, it is interesting surely and
humorous too at times. Consists of 120 pages with very simple words, it can be found
in the “Collected Fiction Books of Ruskin Bond”.

8.6 Keywords

Humorous : Humour or humor, the tendency of particular cognitive experiences to
provoke laughter and provide amusement.
Expectations : A strong belief that something will happen or be the case in the future.
A belief that someone will or should achieve something.
Dystopian : An imaginary place or state in which the condition of life is extremely
bad, as from deprivation, oppression, or terror.

8.7 Review Questions

1. Who is the best character in ‘A Flight of Pigeons’ and why?

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