The Wind on Haunted Hill
Author: Ruskin Bond
Class: 7th Standard | Type: Prose | Syllabus: SCERT New Syllabus
About the Author
Ruskin Bond (born 19 May 1934) is one of India's most beloved authors of English fiction. Born in Kasauli, Himachal Pradesh, Bond grew up in the hill stations of India and has spent most of his life in Mussoorie, Uttarakhand. His deep love for the Indian hills, nature, and the simple lives of ordinary people shines through in all his writing. He has authored over 500 short stories, essays, novels, and books for children. Some of his most famous works include The Room on the Roof, The Blue Umbrella, and A Flight of Pigeons. Bond was awarded the Padma Shri in 1999 and the Padma Bhushan in 2014. His stories often feature children as protagonists, set against the backdrop of the Himalayan foothills, blending adventure, mystery, and warmth.
Detailed Summary
The story is set in a small village near the Himalayan hills, where the wind is an ever-present force. Three children — Usha, her younger brother Suresh, and her friend Binya — are introduced while drying clothes on a stone wall, weighting each garment with rocks to keep the wind from blowing them away. Usha, who is eleven or twelve, announces she must walk to the bazaar, which is three miles away on the other side of Haunted Hill. Binya cannot accompany her because she must help with housework, and Suresh is told to stay behind to help their grandfather chop wood. Before she leaves, the children discuss the ghosts said to haunt the hill — their grandfather has told them that over a hundred years ago, English settlers lived there until a terrible lightning storm destroyed a house, killing everyone inside, including two children (a brother and sister). Grandfather claims to have seen the ghost children playing in the moonlight.