Ruskin Bond's Adventure Stories for Children

Study Notes

The story is about Uncle Ken, who believed in the concept of zigzagging in life.
Uncle Ken's philosophy was to take new directions and meet new opportunities, but it did not always lead to success.
He had many projects, including a chicken farm and a mineral water bottling project, but they were not successful.
The mineral water bottling project failed because the water was corrosive and customers returned their bottles.
Uncle Ken also invented the zigzag walk, which involved walking in a haphazard way to get to know a place.
He used this method even when he had to catch a train, which often led to him being late.

The story is set in a village near the Himalayas, where a strong wind blows down from the mountains.
The story revolves around 11-year-old Usha, who has to go to the bazaar to shop.
Usha's younger brother, Suresh, and her friend, Binya, help her prepare for the trip.
Usha has to walk through the ruins of a settlement on Haunted Hill, where ghosts are said to appear.
Grandfather told Usha that the settlement was abandoned by the Britishers due to frequent lightning strikes.
Usha meets her aunt, Lakshmi, in the town and spends some time with her.

A storm hits while Usha is on her way back to the village, and she has to take shelter in the ruins.
Usha is scared, but she finds a place to hide and waits for the storm to pass.
Meanwhile, Suresh and Binya come looking for Usha, thinking she might be a ghost.
The three of them huddle together, waiting for the storm to pass.
When the storm subsides, they see that the plum tree has lost its blossoms, but they are relieved to have made it through the night.

The story is about Vijay, a boy who walks four miles to school every day.
Vijay comes from a poor family and often goes hungry.
He survives on wild fruit, such as bilberries, strawberries, and cherries, that grow on the hill slopes.
In November, there is no wild fruit, and Vijay has to walk past fruit stalls and sweet shops in the bazaar, which torment him.
Vijay meets a well-dressed boy who is eating sweets, and he is tempted to take some.
The boy leaves a bag of sweets on a bench, but Vijay finds that it contains stones instead of sweets.