Readers Digest

ADVERTISING FEATURE

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2021

ALL BRANDS LISTED HERE ARE IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER

HEALTH & PERSONAL CARE

C AT E G O R Y BRAND

COSMETICS DOVE
LAKME
HEALTH DRINKS L'OREAL
NIVEA
PONDS
BOOST
B O U R N V I TA
COMPLAN
HORLICKS
PROTINEX

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ADVERTISING FEATURE 2021

Trusted Brand Special Supplement

ALL BRANDS LISTED HERE ARE IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER

HEALTH & PERSONAL CARE

C AT E G O R Y BRAND

H E A LT H A M W AY
SUPPLEMENTS DABUR
H I M A L AYA
T O O T H PA S T E PATA N J A L I
ZANDU
C O L G AT E
DABUR RED
ORAL-B
PEPSODENT
SENSODYNE

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2021

ALL BRANDS LISTED HERE ARE IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER

HOME IMPROVEMENT

C AT E G O R Y BRAND

BATH FITTINGS CERA
HINDWARE
ELECTRICAL
SWITCHES JAQUAR
JOHNSON

KOHLER
ROCA PARRYWARE

ANCHOR
HAVELLS
ORIENT
PO LY C A B

WIPRO

KITCHEN BOSCH
CHIMNEYS B UT T ER FLY

FABER
HINDWARE
SUNFLAME

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2021

Johnson Bathrooms: Leader In
Aesthetics And Quality

H& R Johnson (India) a division of latest introductions is Johnson
Prism Johnson Limited was International, a premium range of
established in 1958. A pioneer of ceramic exquisite Faucets & Sanitaryware designed
tiles in India, the brand expanded its and developed in-house at Johnson’s
offerings over the last 63 years adding manufacturing facility. Some of the unique
Sanitaryware, Faucets, Wellness products, features of the Johnson International range
Cabinets and Engineered Marble & Quartz. include Water-Saving Technology—all
Faucets come with International Grade
The Johnson Bath Division started aerators that reduce water consumption. It
operations in 1998 with Milano as their also has 4D–360 Degree Flushing, a new
brand. Milano was the first to introduce mechanism that creates a powerful swirl
Instant Showers, Shower Panels and Bath for efficient flushing, Rim-free Toilets that
Enclosures in India. Following its success are easy to clean and prevent germ
with showering units, the company build-up, a Smooth Zircon Opacified glaze
expanded its product range. This led to a that resists the build-up of stains due to
change in the brand’s positioning and it usage, Durashine chrome plating on
was renamed Johnson Bathrooms—a faucets for a long-lasting dazzle finish and
complete bathroom solutions provider. Faucets with Tilting aerators that enable
controlled flow of water by simply
Johnson Bathrooms over the past decade adjusting the aerator. „
has grown immensely and now offers a
comprehensive range of Sanitaryware,
Faucets and Wellness products.

One of Johnson’s innovative solutions is
the introduction of Germ-free
Sanitaryware that helps maintain hygiene
and health of customers. And one of its

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

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2021

ALL BRANDS LISTED HERE ARE IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER

HOME IMPROVEMENT

C AT E G O R Y BRAND

MODULAR WINDOWS AIS WINDOWS
AND DOORS F E N E S TA
LESSO

LINGEL WINDOWS

WINDOW MAGIC

BAJAJ

CERA

TILES JOHNSON
KAJARIA

SOMANY

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ADVERTISING FEATURE 2021

Trusted Brand Special Supplement

ALL BRANDS LISTED HERE ARE IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER

SERVICES

C AT E G O R Y BRAND

FREIGHT AND BLUE DART
COURIER DHL
DTDC

FEDEX
INDIAN POSTAL

SERVICES

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2021

Fenesta: Innovation, Passion,
Perseverance Driven by Legacy

Established in 1889 as a family-owned health and wellness. The change has
business, DCM Shriram Ltd., is now won a million hearts. Fenesta raises a
a global conglomerate with diverse toast to celebrate 18 years of innova-
business interests. Fenesta is one among tion, customer love, and success!
the several innovative ventures of this
Traditionally, most homeowners
` 8,308 crore company. would spend time and money on a se-
lection of sanitaryware to kitchen ame-
A lot has changed in Indian homes nities, but windows were always an
since Fenesta forayed into the market afterthought. Windows and doors were
18 years ago with ready-to-install Win- handmade and no carpenter could
dows and Doors. Moving beyond mar- guarantee their quality and perfor-
ket and sales competitions, it has mance. The vagaries of weather would
changed people’s perception of win- take a toll on wood, revealing chinks in
dows and doors in their homes and the windows and doors. They would
shifted their focus to living spaces that shrink in the monsoons, gradually fade
shuts off the menace of pollution. and eventually lose their sheen. When
Backed by science and eco-friendly Fenesta launched uPVC windows in In-
practices, Fenesta has brought about a dia, it did not replicate European tech-
profound makeover in people’s life- nologies. It took into account that
styles with far reaching impact on their Indian climatic conditions needed ro-
bust technology and advanced scientific
Call: 1800 102 9880 | Web: www.fenesta.com inputs to address concerns of ultraviolet
rays, tropical heat, monsoon storms,
coastal winds and 100 per cent relative
humidity to create products that with-
stand these weather conditions.

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PROTECTING MILLIONS OF HOMES finish. Termite- and water-resistant,
Homes with Fenesta windows are com- they can withstand temperature ex-
pletely insulated from air, dust and tremes, and require negligible mainte-
noise pollution. Rainwater seepage nance. Fenesta doors are available as
through windows is a thing of the past ready-to-install integrated door solution
Significant energy savings and reduc- systems, which includes the frame, trim,
tion in carbon footprint are made pos- panel, lockset, handle, hinges, stopper,
sible. In addition to this, Fenesta offers buffer, transportation, installation and
its customers customized solutions, ex- post-sales service which makes them a
ceptional durability, zero maintenance One-Stop Door Solution. The hassle-free
and round-the-year proactive service. installation is done by well-trained com-
pany professionals. Fenesta also offers
INNOVATION, QUALITY AND its customers prompt and comprehen-
PRECISION MERGE WITH THE NEW sive after-sales service, to ensure maxi-
ALUMINIUM SERIES mum peace of mind!
After uPVC, Fenesta took another tech-
nological leap when it introduced its Today, Fenesta is reaching out to its
ultra luxury Aluminium Windows and customers with a vast network of Deal-
Doors. Aluminium is highly tensile and ers and Signature Studios in India and
malleable, and it is 100 per cent recy- the subcontinent. The brand footprint
clable. Furthermore, using aluminium now covers 327+ cities with a product
instead of wood in windows and doors portfolio of over 1,000 design options to
reduces deforestation and global warm- both retail and institutional customers.
ing. Fenesta’s ultra luxury Aluminium An in-house customer service centre
series is a style statement that enhances operates 365 days a year, offering assis-
the luxury quotient of living spaces. tance and resolving customer queries.
Now customers can also visualize the
DOORS TO PEACE OF MIND windows for their living spaces through
From the Fenesta portfolio comes the the AR-enabled Fenesta APP and a 360°
elegant, state-of-the-art Internal Doors VR-enabled Studio walkthrough also
made of hybrid polymer that combines helps customer experience the products
the aesthetics of wood and the durability in a showroom-like environment within
of polymer. Available in 4 colours— the safety of their homes. The brand en-
White Oak, Natural Oak, Teak and Wal- deavors to make it more futuristic while
nut, they come in plain and designer adding newer technologies for better
customer experience. Q

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

Trusted Brand Special Supplement

2021

Johnson Tiles: Offering
‘Smart’ Solutions

Established in England in 1901, The other tiles in the SMART category
Johnson Tiles came to India in 1958. include Solar Reflective tiles which
Today, H & R Johnson (India) is one of lowers room temperature thereby
India’s leading names in tiles, improving indoor comfort and saving air-
sanitaryware, bath fittings and conditioning costs. Other innovations
engineered marble & quartz. include the patented Anti-static tiles,
which grounds static electricity and
Tiles from H & R Johnson are creations reduces the risk of fire or explosion,
with a range of features that makes them Tactile—warning and directional tiles for
the first choice of millions. Focusing on the visually impaired, MaxGrip, India’s
the key lifestyle elements of health, first R-Value-rated slip-resistant tiles.
hygiene, environmental safety, Johnson Another addition to the Johnson portfolio
is transforming the tiling industry with is Stepping Stone, a range of ready-to-use
their unique offering of SMART Tiles. staircase solutions.
Among these, the germ-free feature
stands apart. Johnson introduced India’s Many of Johnson’s tile collections are
first range of Antimicrobial tiles back in Green Pro certified, helping the customer
2009. This range of wall and floor tiles are make an environmentally-conscious
infused with the brand’s patented, non- choice. Johnson’s focus on innovation has
toxic Germ-Free technology which is earned the brand awards such as the
99 per cent effective against germs. Superbrand title, the Golden Peacock
Johnson’s R&D wing, Industrial Products Innovative Product Awards and Brand of
& Natural Resources (IPNR), approved by the Decade, to name a few. „
the Department of Scientific and
Industrial Research, Government of
India, has driven several such innovations
in the tile industry.

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

2021 Trusted Brand Special Supplement

Blue Dart: The Nation’s Trade

Facilitator BALFOUR
MANUEL,
Blue Dart, a Made in India brand, Managing
continues to reign as South Asia’s Director,
premier express air & integrated trans- Blue Dart
portation and distribution company.
Part of the DPDHL Group’s DHL eCom- gon, carrying COVID-relief aid. The
merce Solutions division, Blue Dart brand has formed Blue Dart Med-Ex-
drives its market leadership through its press Consortium to operate experi-
passionate Blue Darters, cutting-edge mental Drone Flights for delivery of
technology, a wide range of vertical- critical medical supplies in Telangana.
specific products and value-added ser-
vices. Blue Dart’s network stretches Balfour Manuel, Managing Director,
across 35,000 locations in 220 coun- Blue Dart says, “We are all surrounded
tries and territories worldwide. by challenging times where TRUST
plays a very important role. The fact
As the national lockdown was im- that Blue Dart has been recognized as a
posed, Blue Dart leveraged its extensive Trusted Brand for the 15th year is a
ground network and market differen- matter of pride. We follow a simple
tiator fleet of six Boeing 757-200 freight- approach based on our ‘People First’
ers to ensure supply chain and business philosophy and customer centricity.
continuity. As part of the government’s Happy Blue Darters translates to happy
‘Lifeline Udan’ initiative, Blue Dart air- customers and this has helped us to
crafts were operated to Guangzhou, continue to be an Employer of Choice, a
Shanghai, Hong Kong, Dhaka and Yan- Provider of Choice and the most trusted
Investment of Choice.” „

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

Trusted Brand Special Supplement

2021

CONCLUSION

Fostering Relationships Built on Trust

Successful brands are not built their ethos intact. The Trusted Brand
overnight. Great brands go beyond Award 2021 winners have not only me-
marketing blitzkriegs—they walk that ticulously adapted to the changing
extra mile in order to establish a loyal marketplace, but have also been able to
consumer base and add new patrons continuously deliver on
into the fold by ensuring that their consumer satisfaction, product quality,
products and services meet the
highest quality and reliability innovative product range and versa-
standards. They also hold tility, while also providing the
steadfast to their core consumer with a positive,
principles and wholesome experience.
continue to evolve Consumer trust is
and innovate in hard to win and
order to meet the harder still to main-
high expectations of tain. The best brands
the modern-day understand the value
Indian consumer. of this trust and know
that a satisfied, happy
Over the years, as customer is key to a suc-
traditional marketplaces cessful business. The
have given way to newer Trusted Brand Award 2021 win-
platforms, consumer needs and de-
mands have evolved alongside it. The ners believe that ensuring consumer
altered market landscape has ushered satisfaction converts consumers into
in fresh challenges along with a host of loyal brand champions. The Indian con-
new opportunities. Brands need to tap sumer looks not only for the best bar-
into the potential of this rapidly chang- gain, but at how a brand enriches their
ing market environment while keeping life in a holistic way. This is what makes
a Readers Digest Trusted Brand. „

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Reader’s Digest

AS KIDS SEE IT

“Are you sure I’m not allergic to broccoli and Brussels sprouts?
Maybe you should check again.”

During the pandemic, The older sister One day, my seven-year- CONAN DE VRIES
my two granddaugh- paused, then said, old was staring at my face.
ters—six and eight years “Spell ‘mosquito.’” Me: What is it, sweetie?
old—were being home- My seven-year-old: Is my
schooled by their mom. —Misir Doobay nose weird, too?
One day, the eight-year-
old had a spelling bee There is no stronger act- — @THISONESAYZ
with her sister. “Spell ing performance than a
‘elephant,’” the older kid who pretended to fall Reader’s Digest will pay
one said. “Let her spell asleep in the car so they for your funny anecdote
small animals, not big could be carried into the or photo in any of our
ones,” said her mom. house by their parents. humour sections. Post it
— @DADMANN_WALKING to the editorial address, or
email: [email protected]

readersdigest.in 115

Reader’s Digest
116 june 2021

INSPIRATION

He
Trots
AirT H E

HerNhoorwse s.
lseidtehfoimr 25gyoear
ihtawd satasyteidmbye her

to

By Pam Houston
From OUTSIDE

readersdigest.in 117

Reader’s Digest

In the summer of 2019, I put my violent household, so my tempera- photos, previous spread: elizabeth allnut/offset (horse). natalia van d/shutterstock (horseshoe)
old roan horse in the ground. But ment ran a little closer to Deseo’s. I
there’s way more to the story than counted on Roany to keep the whole
that. Thirty-nine years on the barnyard calm, not just Deseo and the
planet, 25 of those with me. mini donkeys but also the ewes and
The first thing I noticed about lambs, the recalcitrant rams, the age-
Roany was that he had a kind eye; ing chickens and me.
the second was his size—just un-
der 17 hands (five foot eight) at the I called Roany “the horse of a differ-
shoulder. The cowboy from Santa Fe, ent colour.” In the dead of winter, he was
New Mexico, who sold him didn’t tell burgundy wine with tiny white flecks. In
me much apart from his age, which March, he would shed to a dappled grey
likely had a year or two shaved off. with rust highlights. By midsummer he
Within days, I came to understand was red again, but not such a rich red as
Roany’s intensely good nature. Each
morning when I went out to feed him, ROANY BLEW BUBBLES
he greeted me with a just-happy-to- IN HIS WATER BUCKET
be-here chortle. BECAUSE HE KNEW IT

He was as solid a trail horse as I’ve MADE ME LAUGH.
ever ridden, never flinching in strong
winds, or while crossing water, or in wintertime. And when his heavy coat
when mule deer twins who’d been grew back in October, he was solid grey
stashed by their mother in some wil- for most of a month.
lows leaped in front of him. He was so
bombproof that the county search- For two and a half decades at
and-rescue team enlisted his help a the ranch, Roany’s coat marked the
few times a year to find and deliver a changing of the seasons. I stopped
wayward hiker. riding him when he turned 33, be-
cause I thought he deserved a lengthy
I bought Roany the same year retirement, though he stayed well
I moved to a ranch in Creede, muscled and strong until a few
Colorado, because Deseo, my other months before his death.
horse, was deciding that Colorado was
the scariest place he’d ever been. First He had a bout of lameness in April
off, there was snow—a whole lot of it. and a longer one in May. By late June,
The predator-to-livestock ratio was he was limping more often than not.
not to his liking, and the pasture was When Dr. Howard came for a ranch
surrounded by 100-foot spruce trees call, he said, “There’s a number
that often sang in the wind. associated with this lameness, Pam,
and it’s 39.”
I grew up in an unpredictably

118 june 2021

Roany’s coat marked the changing of the seasons: burgundy with white flecks in the
dead of winter, dappled gray in the spring, and red again in summer.

photo courtesy of pam houston Idid the things there are to do: and named it Roany’s golf course.
supplements, an ice boot, DMSO gel He had some good days there, but
to reduce swelling, Adequan shots, mostly he hung around the corral.
even phenylbutazone on the most
painful days. We’d had very little snow The downside of Roany having the
and no spring rain, and for the first best head on his shoulders of any ani-
time in my tenure the pasture stayed mal I’d ever owned was that he never
dormant all summer, the ground extra got the bulk of my attention. But that
hard on sore hooves. summer, between me, my fiancé,
Mike; and my ranch helpers, Kyle and
Roany loved nothing more than Emma, he hardly had a moment’s
the return of the spring grass, and peace. We iced his legs and groomed
it seemed radically unfair that in him twice daily, mixed canola oil into
what was looking to be his last year, his grain to help keep weight on him,
there wouldn’t be any. I watered, and hugged him constantly.
daily, a thin strip of ground between
the corral and the chicken coop He seemed bemused, maybe even
touched, by all the attention. Every

readersdigest.in 119

Reader’s Digest

time we set the water in front of him, sneak into the barn to get at the win-
he took a giant drink, and I suspect it ter’s stash of alfalfa. He blew bubbles
was more for our sake than his. One in his water bucket because it made
day, Kyle, not knowing I was out there, me laugh, and he would sometimes
set a bucket down next to Roany not even give himself a bird bath by
three minutes after he had drunk splashing his still-mighty head.
three fourths of a fresh bucket for me.
Roany looked at Kyle for a minute, I also knew that just because he
glanced over at me, then lowered his could handle the discomfort didn’t
head to drink again. mean he should. He had been so
strong so recently, a force of nature
My biggest fear was that he would thundering back and forth across the
fall and break something during one pasture. There was no chance I was
of the weeks I was away from the going to ask him to make another
ranch and would have to be put down winter, but as long as he was hobbling
immediately. This was accompanied to his golf course and chortling to me
by a lesser but still palpable fear that each morning, it seemed too early to
the same thing would happen on a end his life.
day when I was there all alone.
That summer, I was getting
As his condition deteriorated, I ready to marry Mike, a US Forest
worried that we would pass the point Service lifer who was teaching
when we could ask him to walk far me, in my 56th year, what it meant
enough across the pasture to a burial for a man to show up in a relation-
site where his grave wouldn’t invite ship. More than one of my friends
trouble to the remaining animals who suggested that Roany had held on so
lived in and around the barn. long to deliver me safely to Mike, and
I had no reason to argue.
I had made difficult decisions a
dozen times in my life with beloved Among Mike’s other gifts is a deep
dogs, but the length of a horse’s life intuition about the suffering of peo-
and the sheer size of its body made ple and animals, so I paid attention
the timing even trickier. I knew I when he said, on a Monday night in
didn’t want Roany rendered with a mid-August less than two weeks be-
chainsaw. I knew that if we had to fore the wedding, “This is entirely
drag his body across the pasture be- your decision, but if you want to put
hind a piece of heavy equipment, it Roany down this week, I could take
would tear him all to hell. Wednesday afternoon off.”

Roany was stoicism defined. As I was not surprised, on Tuesday
his condition worsened, he learned morning, to see a slight downturn in
to pivot on his good front leg—and Roany’s condition. He ate his food,
would, for an apple or a carrot or to

120 june 2021

Inspiration

drank his water, stood for his treat- that after all these weeks of suffering
ments, but there was something a he was miraculously cured. Then I
little lost in that kind eye, in the way heard Deseo’s high whinny. My hot-
he held his body up over his ach- blooded alarmist, my early-warning
ing feet. I called Doc and made the system, my tsunami siren. Deseo skid-
appointment for Wednesday after- ded to a stop in front of me and butted
noon, with the caveat that I could his head against my chest, seeming to
cancel if Roany’s condition improved say: About time you got here.
or I lost my nerve.
The flashlight batteries were already
By Tuesday night, Roany was sway- dying, but my eyes were adjusting to
ing just slightly over his feet. He ate the dark. I started out across the pas-
his gruel of Equine Senior horse food, ture with Deseo beside me, heading
bute powder and oil, but with a little for one of Roany’s favorite spots—the
less enthusiasm than usual. I went out wetland (though dry this year) at the
back of the property. When I turned
“IF YOU WANT TO PUT at the quarter pole, Deseo whinnied
ROANY DOWN,” MIKE again: Not that way, human. By this
SAID, “I COULD TAKE time, Mike was crossing the pasture to
meet me. Deseo whinnied again, and
WEDNESDAY OFF.” we followed him to another favorite
spot—a shady stand of blue spruce at
to check on him at 8 p.m. and then at the base of the hill where the ranch’s
10 p.m. The moon was bright and the original homesteaders are buried. It
coyotes were singing; there was a tinge was the first time since last summer
in the air that suggested a light morn- that Roany had been out that far.
ing frost. Even by moonlight I could see
that Roany was holding his body like he He was still standing when I got
didn’t feel right inside of it. there. But the minute he saw me, he
went to the ground with relief. He
I woke at 4:30 a.m. with the kind of curled up like a fawn, and I could hear
start that always means something has that his breathing wasn’t right. Mike
happened. The moon had set by then, and I sat beside him and petted his
so I grabbed a flashlight and rushed handsome neck.
to the corral, but Roany wasn’t there,
nor on his golf course, nor in the yard. Above us, stragglers from the Per-
seid meteor shower, which had peaked
I called his name and heard hoof- over the weekend, streaked the black-
beats coming hard across the pasture. ness. Pegasus, the biggest horse of
I allowed myself to indulge the fantasy all, galloped across the sky, carrying
Princess Andromeda away from her
mother, Queen Cassiopeia,with her

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The author and Mike on their wedding day, with the excitable Deseo (right) and a
donkey named Isaac serving as the four-legged members of the wedding party.

future husband, Perseus, alongside. OK, and he could go whenever he photo: kyle wolff
Eventually, a lighter blue tinted the needed to, but he went on taking one
slow breath after another.
eastern horizon. Deseo stood nearby,
head lowered. We listened to Roany’s On one of Roany’s first bad days,
breathing and the coming of dawn. a bank teller in town, a compas-
In the distance, the hoot of a great sionate horsewoman named
horned owl, the sheep stirring in their Debbie Lagan, had quite innocently
pen clear across the pasture; even far- asked me how I was. My answer was
ther away, tires crossing a cattle guard. no doubt more than she’d bargained
for, but on that day she became my
In the gathering light, Roany adviser and advocate in horse elder-
stretched out his long legs and put care and pain relief. She also prom-
his head in my lap. I thanked him for ised that, when the time came, she
taking good care of the ranch animals, would send her husband out on his
including the humans, including me.
I told him I’d be OK, that we’d all be

122 june 2021

Inspiration

track hoe to dig the hole, never mind wanted an excuse to stay near his old
that they lived off the grid more than friend for a while, he would have one.
32 kilometres away.
Debbie’s husband, Billy Joe
It was finally daylight, but the sun Dilley, had a dozen things to do that
hadn’t risen. Mike and I were shive- morning, but he arrived at the ranch
ring hard, so he slid into my place to before the first vulture (or even fly)
hold Roany’s head and I ran to get made its appearance. I don’t know
sleeping bags. I called Debbie to say Debbie very well, and Billy Joe hardly
I thought we were close, and Doc to at all, but as much as anything else
say I thought we might not need him. this is a story about them and about
When I got back across the pasture, the way people in my town care for
Roany’s head was still in Mike’s lap, one another.

“AN OLD COWBOY When I tried to pay Billy Joe for his
DOESN’T TAKE time, or even for gas, he shook his head
MONEY TO BURY and said, “An old cowboy doesn’t take
AN OLD HORSE.” money to bury an old horse.” He buried
Roany respectfully and efficiently, the
but now he was struggling for breath. cowboy way, with his tail to the wind.
“Touch him,” Mike said. I knelt and
If there is such a thing in the world
put my hand on his big red neck, and as a good death, Roany had one. It was
he took one breath and then another almost as if he had heard Mike’s offer,
and then the last breath he would looked at his watch, and said, All right
take forever. then, Wednesday, and how about in
that stand of spruce on the other side
“I was helping him go,” Mike said. “I of the hill? What I’ve always said about
was with him in that place, you know?” Roany is that he was a horse who never
I nodded. I did know. I had been in wanted to cause anybody trouble. He
that place with several dogs and more remained that horse till the last second
than one human. Mike said, “I think he of his life and beyond.
was waiting until you got back.”
Late that night, I watched the
A moment later, the first rays of Perseids burn past my window and
sun came over the hill, turning the imagined my old Roany up there,
sky electric. I crossed the pasture one muscles restored to their prime
more time to get Roany’s brushes to and shining, burgundy coat alongside
groom him up for burial. I grabbed the white of Pegasus, both of
a flake of hay for Deseo so that if he them with their heads held high,
and galloping.

From Outside (May 2019), Copyright © 2019 By Pam
Houston, Outsideonline.com.

readersdigest.in 123

photo by: sandeep sahdevReader’s Digest
124 june 2021

INTERVIEW

THE EVER
BELOVED
MR BOND

In conversation with the grand old man
of Indian storytelling

by Naorem Anuja

Few writers can make the old mountains sing like
Ruskin Bond. His timeless stories have introduced
countless readers to the mountains of Garhwal, its tall
deodars, and to the lively characters and ghosts that
people his Himalayan universe, transporting readers
back to simpler times. As a writer who seems endlessly
delighted by children and their world, Bond’s writing is
bracingly real, often relaying the knottiest ideas about
loss and loneliness in granular detail that resonates
across ages. Reader’s Digest spoke with the grand old
man of Indian storytelling over a lively phone call, just
after his 87th birthday last month.

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Reader’s Digest

Your first book was published when a good story but won’t tell you much
you were 21—almost right after about himself really. So, there is room
school. At 87, you are writing still. for all kinds of writers and I wouldn’t
Is it safe to say that, for you, the joys say one is better than the other.
of writing outweigh the anguish?
Oh yes! For me there is no anguish to How do story ideas come to you? Do
writing at all, or I wouldn’t be writing. they sail in unannounced, or is there
I like to enjoy my work and I think I some sort of method you follow?
have succeeded. That’s why I have In different ways. For one thing, the
been able to continue writing without longer you live, the more memories
a break for 70 years. you have—provided your memory is
good. You’ll have met so many people
I was 17 when I wrote my first and seen so much happen around
novel—it took me a couple of years to you. You pick up little anecdotes here
find a publisher. Over the years there and there and then you can develop
have been lots of ups and downs but them. I keep a notebook, where I put
I have kept going simply because I down ideas and thoughts that I might
truly love writing. And I have been not use immediately, but they may
fortunate in that, for most of those come in use some time. I also keep a
70 years, I have been able to make dream book. When I have an interest-
a living off it. To be able to live off ing dream, I make a note of it. I don’t
doing something you enjoy, that’s try to interpret the dream—I’m no
what makes it so worthwhile for me. Freud. He got it all wrong anyway!

Much of your work draws heavily Stories and characters can some-
from your own life. Is it good writing times take on a life of their own.
advice to say that people should Have you ever been surprised by
stick to writing what they know? one of your fictional creations? At
Or could that potentially be limiting? their trajectories or final forms?
No two writers are the same. The sub- Sometimes a character can run away
jective writer is someone like myself, with you—actually, they usually do.
who writes a lot about his or her own Very often I will start with an episode
life—about the people you know, your but when I start writing it, the story
own experiences. Emily Bronte wrote will go on in a different direction, a
passionately out of her own life. On character will change. One of my early
the other hand, you’d get the objective stories called The Woman on Platform
writer, someone who is a good story- Eight is based on a memory of being
teller, like a Somerset Maugham, a stranded at Ambala station on my way
Dickens or a Balzac who writes about to school in Shimla when I was eight or
people rather cynically and could tell

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nine. I was on my own, feeling lost. A twenties. It was only when I got older
lady came up to me—she had her own and came to the mountains that
son with her—and she was very kind. I came closer to nature. For about
When the next train came in, she put 10 years, I lived near the forest above
me on it. In the story version, I tried to a mountain stream, surrounded by
explore why she was being so nice to different trees, birds and small ani-
me, and started seeing her as a sort of mals that came there. The stream was
substitute mother, imagining that she just about a 20-minute walk down the
perhaps had a small boy or girl, whom hill and I would visit it quite often.
she lost. I ended up creating a sort of So, daily life changed considerably. It
mother–son relationship there. But all came into my writing more and more
that hadn’t really happened. When I as time went by. Today, whatever I am
was writing, I could just remember this writing, the natural world comes into
it, even though for the last year and
a half I have been home-bound like
everyone else. Most writers write from
home anyway. I have been fortunate in
the sense that this current catastrophe
hasn’t stopped me from working, as it
has so many people.

photo by: m zhazo Bond at a meet-and-greet in Mussorie with You’ve been quoted as saying that
his young fans, in pre-COVID-19 times. as a boy you wrote for adults, and
for children once you were grown.
person’s kindness. So sometimes the How and why did that happen?
story carries you away towards some- Was it a conscious shift? Which
thing quite different from what you set do you enjoy more?
out to do. Not always, but often. That’s true. Although as a boy, I was
writing for adults, or rather for the
The natural world is a consistent general reader, I was writing about
and important participant in many childhood—my own, or that of boys
of your stories. How would you de- and girls I knew—and about friend-
scribe your connection to nature? ship. It’s only when I was about 40 that
Like most of us, I took nature for I started writing stories specifically for
granted when I was boy and in my children. Since I was quite at ease writ-
ing about children, I could now write
for them too. It happened quite acci-
dentally: I wrote a sort of novella called
Angry River and sent it to a publisher

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Ruskin Bond, with his family at home in Landour, Uttarakhand

in England and the editor there said, then you are inclined to get a bit lazy. photo: courtesy siddharth bond
“Mr Bond, this is too short to be pub- And you get used to a certain time
lished as a novel for adults, but if you of the day. For me, it is fairly early in
could make a few changes, we could the morning, after I’ve had a cup of
make a great story for children.” I did tea. The sun comes into my room, it’s
that and it worked. bright and cheerful and I will sit at the
desk for half an hour or an hour at
Day to day, what does a disciplined the most. For the rest of day, you feel
writing routine look like for you? happy that you’ve done something.
Is having one important to the If, in the middle of the night, I wake
writing process? up with a great idea, I switch on the
It helps to be a bit disciplined. I don’t light and jot it down. It will come in
tie myself down to any particular time use later on.
of day, and sometimes two or three
days may pass, without my having Do you use a laptop to write?
written anything. But it is nice to be I don’t use any technology. I still write
fairly regular. If you keep missing out, by hand. In fact, I’ve got fairly decent

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handwriting, so the publishers don’t upon us. We are never looking for it,
complain too much. I enjoy writing by it’s not something you enjoy. Solitude
hand. There is something fairly sensu- on the other hand, we seek. A writer,
ous about it—the feeling of the paper, particularly, wants a certain amount
the pen. When I was younger, I used to of solitude. You can call it a matter of
type but [typing] gives me a stiff neck temperament—not everybody enjoys
now. I wouldn’t be able to write very solitude. I was a lonely boy. I lost
long, hunched over anything. And I my father when I was 10 and had to
rather like the business of holding a adjust to a stepfather and a completely
pen and watching it flow against the different life. I’ve since learnt to cope
page, the words coming to life in nice with loneliness, while at the same time
purple ink. I use purple ink. appreciating being alone sometimes. I
think, as someone who makes a living
That’s quite specific! as a writer, an artist of any kind would
Well, I must confess the ink doesn’t need solitude from time to time. It
make me a better writer! But, long ago, helps you in your work, you can be
I was in love with this girl in Delhi. more reflective. In a way, you are
She and I used to go to India Gate communing with yourself.
and eat jamuns. There were those
jamun trees there—lovely fruit that You’ve often said that you are an
stain your lips purple. Purple was my Indian not only by birth, but by
favourite colour, and she would ever choice. Did India ever force you
so often wear jamuni dupattas as well. to look at yourself as the ‘other’?
So I feel a bit nostalgic when I use Yes. I went to England after finishing
jamun-coloured ink. school, but I could never feel at home
there—I was always longing to come
V. S. Naipaul said that no one quite back. India was very much in my blood.
writes about solitude the way you I missed everything I had known as a
do. What distinction do you draw boy, from friendships to the things that
between loneliness and solitude? I could write about like the monsoon
Did writing ever leave you lonely? rain, dust storms and mangoes in sea-
Writing doesn’t, but I’d say that son—everything that was India. These
loneliness is, of course, in a way thrust were things I couldn’t write about

IT HELPS TO BE A BIT DISCIPLINED WITH YOUR
WRITING. IT IS NICE TO BE FAIRLY REGULAR. IF YOU
KEEP MISSING OUT, YOU ARE INCLINED TO GET LAZY.

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Ruskin Bond, who turned 87 in May rang in his birthday with a new book.

sitting in a room in London. Apart problems. But, by and large, it also photo: m zhazo
from being happier here, you can makes for some sort of homogeneity
never run out of stories in India. in itself. It’s a land of contradictions.
You wouldn’t get anything like it
But I guess at times I did feel like anywhere else in the world. It is
the outsider looking in over the years. different and I think we should
Some people see me as an outsider appreciate that difference.
of sorts, because obviously I am not
everyone’s ideal of an average Indian. One assumes anybody who has
But the thing about India is that over gotten to your age has been knocked
centuries, all sorts of people have come around a bit. With time, do you find
and made their home here and become yourself developing a growing
Indian—even though they might pessimism about the world?
have been something else before. At times. As we get older, we become
India is a wonderful—and at times a little critical of the changes that take
troublesome—mix of ethnic, racial place. We don’t like change so much,
and religious and language differences but one has to accept the world is
of all sorts, which, at times, makes for

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going to change—some things change read because they might find a story
for the better and some for the worse, or memoir of mine in which I say one
I would say. We have to sort of bal- of my favourite books is Alice in Won-
ance them together. At times, I am derland. Over a year, I have received
pessimistic, and at times I feel, well, six copies of Alice in Wonderland. The
it’s not such a big, bad world after all. good thing is that usually the illustra-
tions are different, so I have some-
You have a phenomenal body of thing different to look at.
work, dating back several decades.
Was it hard to pick the stories in your I cannot resist a cliché: What advice
latest collection (All-Time Favourites would you give budding writers?
For Children)? For people or children who want
This is a selection of some of my more to write but have problems with
popular children’s stories. I’ve added language, the best way to improve is
three or four new ones, so the reader to read more—read well, write well.
won’t complain. And while making So many people want to have their
the selections, I tried to include a few name on a book, or feel they have
that aren’t so well-known. This new got a book in them that they dash
book is a blend of what’s popular, off sometimes without any regard
what I like and a couple of new ones. to the language itself—not just the
rules of composition but a feel for
For an Indian kid reading in English, the language. Be patient and work on
you are essential reading. Who are your writing. Be professional about it
some of your favourite writers and rather than rushing into print just to
what are you currently reading? say you’ve written a book. In the long
I am reading a lot—much more than run, it will pay off.
I normally do. Sometimes I read old
favourites—I like going back to books After writing for almost seven
I have enjoyed before. I also read decades, do you sometimes not
quite a lot of current writing. I am just want to put your feet up and relax?
finishing this book that I couldn’t put I have my feet up right now and I am
down, called An Officer and a Spy by relaxing! There is a heater on in front
Robert Harris. I’ve read half a dozen of me—we’ve had a lot of rain and
of his novels recently. I have also been it’s a bit cold today. A cup of tea is
reading classical ghost stories by writ- just being made for me, along with a
ers like M. R. James, Edith Wharton, ham sandwich.
Oliver Onions, Algernon Blackwood.
Kids often send me books—very sweet That sounds wonderful.
of them. They send me books I’ve See how well I am looked after!

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132 june 2021

TRUE CRIME

By Steven Leckart

From Chicago, published in
partnership with Epic Magazine

joleen zubek (money) Tom Justice chased Olympic gold on his bike.
Then he used it as a getaway vehicle

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Reader’s Digest

The man in the baseball cap and “Thank you,” he said, and walked courtesy tom justice
sunglasses waited for the teller to out the front door.
notice him. The morning of 26 May
2000, was quiet inside the LaSalle Less than two minutes later, he
Bank in Highland Park, Illinois, a emerged from an underground park-
suburb of Chicago. ing lot carrying a bicycle on one
shoulder and a messenger bag over
“May I help you?” said the young the other and wearing a red, white
woman behind the counter. The man and blue spandex bodysuit. He
reached to the back of his khakis as if climbed on to the bike and began to
to fish out a wallet. Instead, he pre- ride leisurely.
sented her with an index card. The
teller’s smile wilted as she stared at He cruised up to a trash can. After
the words: “THIS IS A ROBBERY. PUT fishing two crisp $20 bills out of the
ALL OF YOUR MONEY IN THE BAG.” plastic bag, he held it upside down
over the can. Several bundles of
The robber, a slender man wearing cash—$4,009 in all (around `1,74,390
a blue oxford shirt, returned the card at the time)—tumbled into the trash.
to his pocket. “Nice and easy,” he said The man returned the empty sack to
coolly, handing over a plastic shop- his messenger bag and pedaled away.
ping bag. While the teller anxiously
transferred bundles of cash, the man Seated in the bleachers, 13-year-
gently pressed his palms together as if old Tom Justice watched in awe as the
he were about to whisper “Namaste”. cyclists careened around the outdoor

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track of the Ed Rudolph Velodrome, everything else—lapsed. Instead of

outside Chicago. Every time the pack training, he broke into empty houses

whirled by, it cut the air, unleashing a to smoke cigarettes and chug beers

concentrated whoosh. with his buddies.

Before that summer of 1983, Tom Somehow Tom still harboured

had never seen a bicycle race, let grandiose expectations. And since

alone a velodrome. But from the nothing else ever clicked for him the

moment he entered the stadium, he way cycling had, after graduating

was transfixed. from college, he moved to Los Ange-

He returned a week later with les to train alongside the US Olym-

his maroon Schwinn [bicycle]. As pic team. He did little to distinguish

the stadium lights buzzed, a dozen himself. The other sprinters could

suburban kids gathered on the track. tell he lacked discipline. “Tom’s fast,

Everyone was wearing T-shirts and but he doesn’t train right,” one noted.

gym shorts except for Tom, who stood “He needs to apply himself.” He soon

out in the professional-grade jersey

and padded cycling shorts his father HE PRESENTED HER
had just bought him.
Tom won the 12- to 14-year-old heat WITH AN INDEX CARD:

handily. Straddling his bike, his chest “THIS IS A ROBBERY.
still heaving, he felt a surge of adrena- PUT ALL OF YOUR
line. He had finally found something
at which he excelled. His father, Jay MONEY IN THE BAG.”

Justice, a Navy veteran with an abun-

dance of athleticism, was thrilled.

By Tom’s junior year at Libertyville washed out, returned to Chicago and

High School, his identity hinged found a job as a social worker. Help-

on cycling. In 1987, just four years ing people was a welcome distraction

after his first velodrome victory, from his own issues. But after a while,

Tom was selected to attend the it felt like a pointless slog.

Olympic training camp in Colorado As Tom’s Olympic dream slipped

Springs, Colorado. away, he fantasized about identities

In the school’s 1988 yearbook, one he could substitute for the thrilling in-

page asked, “What will your friends stant gratification of cycling. He made

be doing in 10 years?” Tom Justice’s a list, and then wandered from inter-

caption read: “On the cover of a view to interview, growing increas-

Wheaties [cereal] box, with his bike.” ingly unhappy with his mundane life.

But after high school, Tom’s Late one night in 1998, Tom revis-

c o m m i t m e n t t o c y c l i n g — a n d ited the list he’d added to over the

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Tom’s fascination with bikes started early. He had this one when he was four.

years. Under ‘helicopter pilot’ and between two houses and slid on a

‘lock picker’, he’d scrawled two letters: pair of khakis and a blue oxford but-

‘B.R’—Bank robber. ton-down over his cycling spandex.

Several notorious American bank He slipped on his wig and dark over-

robbers had spent time in Chicago. sized sunglasses reminiscent of Jackie

That history added to the allure O’s and then continued on foot to the

for Tom. At a wig shop in the same American National Bank branch.

neighbourhood where gangster John When Tom approached the teller,

Dillinger hid out, Tom considered she perked up immediately. Hallow-

his options. Ultimately, he settled on een had apparently come early this

black braids with short bangs that year. Then the love child of Rick James

made him look like ‘Super Freak’ and Jackie O handed her an index

singer Rick James. card but wouldn’t let go of it. As an courtesy tom justice

On 23 October 1998, Tom entered awkward tug-of-war ensued, the teller

his parents’ garage, grabbed his mes- leaned in and read the message. Tom

senger bag and Fuji AX-500, and ped- slid his plastic bag across the counter,

alled towards downtown Libertyville. and she loaded it up with cash.

He coasted up to a tree-lined fence Tom strode outside, bag in hand.

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His heartbeat surged. His legs tingled. was moving to Southern California

Two minutes later, he was beside his to train for the Olympic trials. He had

bike, feverishly stripping down. He retained his classification as a

shoved his disguise and the money Category-1 cyclist, so he would auto-

into his messenger bag. matically qualify for the trials.

Then he casually cycled back to When he arrived in California, Tom

his parents’ house. He parked his looked in the mirror and told himself,

bike in the garage and tiptoed into “I’m not going to rob any more banks.”

the basement. Kneeling on the shag

carpet, he looked at the money and “How’s it going?” asked Laura, calling

began to weep. It had been a long from Chicago.

time since Tom had felt this alive—or “Well!” replied Tom. His skin was

this important. tan from his time at the San Diego

Outdoor Velodrome. Every morn-
For months, that $5,580 (`2,30,230 ing, he worked through the Olympic

that year) he’d stolen sat in a gym bag

inside the closet of his old room at TOM’S HEARTBEAT
his parents’ house. Tom assumed the

bills were traceable, so he kept only SURGED. IT HAD BEEN

two $20s as souvenirs. Late one night, A LONG TIME SINCE
he tossed the remaining cash into a
few dumpsters. HE’D FELT THIS ALIVE.

Nearly one year after his first

robbery, Tom committed his second.

This time, he discarded the bills

in alleys where he knew homeless strength-training regimen to build

people would find them. Robbing muscle mass. His already explosive

banks and giving away the money dead start was getting deadlier. As

were intoxicating. Tom saw himself the weeks passed in early 2000, Tom

as both mischievous and righteous. rounded into the best shape of his life.

But that feeling faded. Tom’s real But the monotony of training was

life seemed mediocre and unfulfill- setting in. The day after Valentine’s

ing. He wrestled with depression and Day, he hit a bank in Encinitas. On

brooded over the realization that at 29 February, one in Solana Beach.

29, his window of opportunity to be- The next day, another in Encinitas.

come a world-class cyclist had nearly Two weeks later, one in San Diego.

passed. If he wanted to pursue his On 24 March, Tom robbed two

Olympic dream, he had to do it now. banks, nabbing his biggest score yet:
He told his girlfriend, Laura, he $10,274 (`4,61,713 at the time).

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Then one morning, an intense dependent on drugs. He had no job,

pain surged through Tom’s lower but he had pockets full of cash and

back. He’d thrown it out overtraining. cocaine. As he increased dosages, his

It would take weeks before he could post-high depression deepened.

pedal without waking up in agony the Tom started attending Narcotics

day after. His plan to race in the Olym- Anonymous meetings. When it was

pic trials was over. his turn to share, he talked about

Soon after he returned to Chicago, merely experimenting with drugs. He

Laura dumped him. He moved into was in denial. “This is gonna be my

an apartment with George, a 104-kilo last meeting,” he announced after

Greek hulk who worked nights. just six weeks. He said he was moving

“What do you do?” asked Tom. back to California. He was planning to

“I’m a cop,” said George. apply to grad school there. Everybody

Once his lower back recovered, in the room wished him luck.

Tom robbed the LaSalle Bank in

Highland Park—the heist in which “Two-eleven in progress.” The voice

he dumped his $4,009 haul in a trash crackled through the radio in Officer

can. The next week, he hit three banks

in three days. George had no clue his HE BOLTED IN A DEAD
roommate had just knocked over his

13th bank. START AS HELLACIOUS

In the summer of 2001, Tom AS ANY HE HAD
joined a club cycling team run by EVER MUSTERED.
Higher Gear, a bike shop not far

from the LaSalle Bank. One day, the

shop’s manager mentioned to Tom

that a local rider was selling a used

Steelman. Steelman bicycles are Greg Thompson’s squad car. Some-

exceptional. Tom, whose own bike one had just robbed a Union Bank

had recently been stolen, was looking in Walnut Creek, California. It was

for a replacement. As soon as he saw 7 March 2002, a drizzly day. Thomp-

the Steelman, he was torn. It was son was passing a parking garage

painted a garish Day-Glo orange. But when a bicyclist shot out of the

he knew that a used Steelman didn’t driveway and flew behind the cruiser.

just magically appear every day, so he Thompson squinted into his side mir-

bought it. ror. The cyclist looked like every other

By this point, Tom had stopped weekend warrior, except for one de-

giving away the cash from his tail: the messenger bag draped over

r o b b e r i e s . H e w a s b e c o m i n g his shoulder.

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courtesy tom justice As a teenager, Tom qualified to compete in lifted his right foot, clicked down into
the Olympic trials as a track cyclist. the pedal and—whoosh!—bolted into
the street in a dead start as hellacious
An 18-year police veteran, as any Tom had ever mustered
Thompson taught new recruits to on a velodrome.
thrive on instinct. This was one
of those moments. But before he A few blocks away, Officer Sean Dex-
could flash his lights, the cyclist ter was sitting in a squad car when he
pulled over, hopped off his bike and spotted a cyclist on an orange bike
started fidgeting with his back wheel. charging through traffic towards a
Thompson parked a few feet ahead red light. Dexter pulled into the inter-
and walked back to the cyclist. Tom section, but the cyclist didn’t stop.
pretended to adjust his brakes before
climbing on to the bike and clicking Tom swerved around the police car,
his left foot into the pedal. crossed two lanes and hopped the
curb. Darting through a parking lot, he
“Do you mind if I take a look in your headed towards a tall fence bordering a
bag?” Thompson asked. thicket of 15-foot-high bamboo.

“Yeah, no problem. I just have to un- Dexter reached for his radio, but
clip,” replied Tom. “These pedals are before he could even open his mouth,
actually counterbalanced, so I need to another cop hopped on the channel. “A
click into both in order to get out at guy on a bicycle just ran from me!”
the same time.”
“I’ve got him right here!” Dexter
There’s no such thing as counter- shouted into the radio.
balanced pedals. But Thompson didn’t
know that. He watched as the cyclist Dexter got out of his car and paced
towards the fence. He slowly cracked
the gate and peered into the jumbled
mess of vegetation. A creek flowed
30 feet below, amid fallen tree branches,
dry brush, and piles of wet leaves.

Sirens blared as officers secured the
perimeter. While Dexter and Thomp-
son walked the upper banks, police
dogs combed the creek. After about 15
minutes, a detective spotted something
in the leaves: an orange bicycle. Then
a German shepherd from the K-9 unit
led them to a pair of cycling shoes hid-
den under a concrete retaining wall
beneath a bridge.

As the sky grew bleaker, the search

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Reader’s Digest

was called off. They had one good clue, said. He wanted to see his parents

though: the orange bicycle. before the cops found him.

Tom was lying facedown in a cold,

damp dirt tunnel. Hours earlier, as Although he didn’t know anything

the orange Steelman tumbled through about bikes, Officer Dexter had a

the brush, Tom had slid down the hunch that the orange 12-speed was

embankment, crashing violently special. He walked it from the sta-

through the leaves. He trudged 50 feet tion to a nearby bike shop. A guy be-

upstream and took cover underneath hind the counter said the frame was

a bridge, where he discovered a two- custom-made by a man named Steel-

foot-wide hole at the water’s edge. He man. Dexter called the company and

crawled in headfirst and squirmed spoke to Steelman’s wife, who han-

11  feet to the narrow tunnel’s end. dled the bookkeeping. She told Dexter

Panting in the dark, he heard sirens, that the serial number he had might

then faint voices and the jingling of a be for a 1996 orange bicycle sold at a

dog’s tags. Tom assumed that was the shop called Higher Gear in Chicago.

end. But then—a miracle. The cops Dexter called Higher Gear, but the

gave up the search. guy who answered said they didn’t

It was dark when Tom emerged. He keep records that far back.

had parked his 1983 Mercedes-Benz Meanwhile, the FBI was doing its

about three kms away. He found it and own investigating.

drove to his apartment in Oakland. A month later, the manager of a

“Is everything OK?” asked Tom’s bicycle shop in Chicago called the

roommate at the time, Marty. Walnut Creek police. In 1996, he’d

“Yeah, just a rough couple of days,” assembled the orange bike. He knew

Tom replied. the original owner and the guy who’d

A six-foot-five opera singer, Marty bought it secondhand.

wasn’t looking for a new friend, but

he’d found one in Tom. Marty knew Tom and his father sat in the kitchen.

Tom was snorting cocaine, but he was It was less than a week since Tom had

unaware of his other vices. confessed to Marty.

“What’s going on?” asked Marty. “How’s that job of yours?” Jay asked

“I can’t say,” Tom said. his son. “What’s your plan for the

“Tom, you can tell me anything.” future?” As far as he knew, Tom was

Eventually, Tom reluctantly told working as a bike messenger.

Marty everything. “I’m gonna apply to some new grad

“What are you gonna do?” Marty school programmes,” Tom replied.

asked. Jay nodded. Sounds familiar.

“I need to buy a ticket home,” Tom Tom headed out the door. “See you

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True Crime

Left: Tom while he was living with a cop—and robbing banks. Right: the Steelman bike.

from left: courtesy tom justice. courtesy scott crosby guys later,” he called, and he climbed of Tom. The orange Steelman had
into his car. led them right to him. Riding an
average bicycle, Tom might never
When the first police car appeared have been caught.
behind him, Tom didn’t think much
of it. Then there were three more. Red He gave a full confession. In all,
lights were now flashing. Tom pulled he had robbed 26 banks and stolen
over and glanced back. Five cops were $1,29,338 (`62,87,120). He pleaded
aiming their guns at him. guilty and was sentenced to 11 years.

As the handcuffs tightened around After being released, Tom returned
his wrists, Tom wanted to cry, not out to cycling at his local velodrome.
of despair or fear but out of a much He also eventually found a job at a
heavier sense of something he wasn’t doughnut shop. Little do the cops
expecting: relief. After four years, his know that the 49-year-old handing
self-destructive cross-country loop them their chocolate glazed is one
was finally coming to an end. of the most prodigious bank robbers
in history.
In the interrogation room, an FBI
agent placed a photograph on the CHICAGO (29 january 2019) in partnership with
table. It was a security-cam shot EPIC MAGAZINE. © 2019 by vox media, llc.

Don’t Do That, Please

Life hack for parents: Convince your kids you hate something you actually like.
My five- and seven-year olds just spent 10 minutes ‘tormenting’ me
by massaging my shoulders.

@lexmobilegaming

readersdigest.in 141

CULTURESCAPE Has your phone been busier
than ever post Scam 1992?
Books, Arts and Entertainment What kind of offers have
come your way?
HAVING Oh, yes! After Scam, my phone
FINALLY has been buzzing non-stop
ARRIVED with lots of messages and calls.
The best part is that many are
Fresh off the success of web series good offers for mainstream
Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Bollywood films or web series
Story, actor Pratik Gandhi talks or even brands. There’s some
about how he suffers a “multiple interesting content coming my
passion disorder”—how he wants way. It’s an exciting time.
to now do many things
You have won multiple
by Suhani Singh awards for your perfor-
mance. Did you imagine
142 june 2021 the series would enjoy
this much success?
The one thing I was sure of was
that we were on to something
really good, something we will
be proud of. None of us had
thought that it’d be so big that
it would change lives, like it
has mine. It was not my first
project, but in Hindi main-
stream, it was my biggest. Be-
fore that, I was only the hero’s
friend in projects like Mitron
and Loveyatri.

It has taken you a while to
find a break like Scam …
I had been trying to get some-
thing better in Hindi cinema
for a long time, but I had no

Reader’s Digest

idea about who to meet
or where and how I could
meet them. The only route I
knew was to audition for the
part. It took me time to un-
derstand that leading roles
aren’t cast through audi-
tions. I realised I needed to
be a part of a writer’s and
director’s mind to be their
first choice. To reach that
level, however, I had to prove
myself. For that, I needed a
break. It was a vicious cycle
which kept going.

readersdigest.in 143

Reader’s Digest

Now that you’ve established yourself, cal and OTT—is the same. Everybody
is there pressure to be more judicious seems to be open to experiments now.
with what you do next?
I felt this pressure for five days after Your first Gujarati web series,
Scam released. Many people said that Vitthal Teedi, released recently.
the next thing you do will define your Is shuttling between Hindi and
career. But there is no process or thumb Gujarati projects a priority?
rule. I still have to go with my gut. I have I will be working in Hindi and Gujarati
been doing that all this while and it has projects, and if given a chance, in other
helped me in everything I have done. languages too. Every language has its
Scam helped me prove to myself that own grammar when it comes to writ-
I can be the lead. The format gave me ing or speaking it. I believe it has a dif-
that chance. It changed the belief that ferent grammar for performance, too. I
you may be good on stage or in regional am curious to explore different regional
cinema, but for mainstream Hindi, you
need a name to get audiences in.

Your upcoming Hindi films see you Gandhi, as the gambler Vitthal from Vitthal Teedi
as the lead. Do you think it shows
that producers believe in actors
more, that once actors have had
their breakthrough on OTT, they
enjoy a mass appeal which can
translate to box-office success?
There are a lot of aspects to this. I feel
that having proven myself in a web
series—almost nine-and-a-half hours
of screen time, which, in turn, is the
equivalent of three to four films—film-
makers will now have a lot of confi-
dence about doing something more
with me. That’s what OTT has given me.
But then again, I have been told by a lot
of people—even I am thinking on simi-
lar lines—that you may have already
proven yourself on the streaming front,
but the box office is a different ballgame
altogether. At the end of the day, the au-
dience for the two mediums—theatri-

144 june 2021

Culturescape

THEATRE IS AN ACTOR’S GYM, A PLACE WHERE
YOU MASTER YOUR CRAFT. BECAUSE, ULTIMATELY,

ACTING IS A PRACTISING ART.

cinema, also. I have a multiple passion tiful part of theatre is that an actor gets
disorder—I want to do many things. multiple opportunities to create the
same character. When I perform the
We have seen actors from other same play five times, or the 500th time,
languages break the geographic living through the same journey, there
barrier. Would you like creators to are a lot of things I learn on each occa-
cast you in non-Gujarati roles, too? sion. Theatre is an actor’s gym, a place
I don’t want to put myself in any one where you master your craft. Because,
category or cage. I am ready to explore ultimately, acting is a practising art.
characters from all walks of life and You cannot learn it only by watching
from different parts of the world. In- or listening to somebody or by reading
dia is such a diverse country that each about it. You have to fail multiple times
region has lots of stories and I want to to get that move or emotion right. Only
be part of them. That way, I can create the stage gives you that opportunity.
characters that are absolutely different
from me as a person, characters that Looking back on your journey so far,
will help me grow as an actor. In what- which has had its share of struggle,
ever work I have done, no two charac- would you do anything differently?
ters have been the same. My constant Somewhere I always felt that if I had
effort is to think like the character. I got this success a little earlier, I’d have
don’t want to put Pratik into them. had a long run in this industry. But
that thought came from sheer
You love theatre. How instrumental immaturity. Now I am fully convinced
a role has the stage played in the that the universe gives you the
artist you are today? opportunity when you are absolutely
All credit to whatever, wherever and ready. So, there is no better time than
whoever I am today, goes to theatre. It this, even if it has come when I am 40.
has given me everything. I stepped on There are no complaints and regrets
stage for the first time when I was in whatsoever. Also, I stopped using this
the fourth standard. Since then, I felt word ‘struggle’ long ago. I never saw
that’s where I belong. It has taught me what I did as a struggle. To put my
a lot of things about life and the per- journey in proper perspective, I use
forming arts. The most basic and beau- the word ‘experience’.

readersdigest.in 145