When the Trees Walked — by Ruskin Bond
Class: 6th Standard | Subject: English | Type: Prose | Syllabus: SCERT New Syllabus
About the Author
Ruskin Bond is an award-winning Indian author of more than 500 books, short stories, essays, and novels. He writes poetry and books for children as well as adults. He lives with his adopted family in Landour, Mussoorie, India. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1999 and Padma Bhushan in 2014.
Summary of the Lesson
The story "When the Trees Walked" is a beautiful autobiographical narrative by Ruskin Bond about his Grandfather's deep love for nature and trees. The story begins with the author sitting on the veranda steps with his Grandfather in the soft sunshine of a North Indian winter. He notices a tendril of a creeping vine slowly moving towards his Grandfather. The author likes to believe it moved simply because it wanted to be near Grandfather, as everyone always felt like drawing close to him. Grandfather had served many years in the Indian Forest Service and after retirement, he built a bungalow on the outskirts of Dehradun, planting many trees around it — lime, mango, orange, guava, eucalyptus, jacaranda, and Persian lilacs.
Grandfather was not content with just planting trees in his compound. During the monsoon rains, he would go into the jungle beyond the river-bed armed with cuttings and saplings to plant in the forest. He explained to the young author that trees are essential — they keep the desert away, attract rain, prevent river banks from being washed away, and provide food and shelter to animals and birds. He warned that if men keep cutting trees without replacing them, the world would become one great desert. Inspired, the author helped his Grandfather enthusiastically. They discovered a small rocky island in a dry river-bed where a small mango tree was growing, and they planted tamarind, laburnum, and coral tree saplings there.
Years later, after the Second World War, the author was sent to boarding school, then to Delhi, and eventually to England. His grandparents sold the house and also moved to England. When the author finally returned to Dehradun after several years, he visited the old house and then walked to the river-bed. He was amazed to find that the small rocky island had transformed into a green paradise. The coral trees were blooming with spectacular red flowers, squirrels lived in the trees, and wild plants and grasses had sprung up under the trees' protection. The trees they had planted long ago had multiplied — they were "walking again." In that one small corner of the world, Grandfather's dream had come true.
Characters
| Character | Description |
|---|---|
| The Author (Ruskin Bond) | The narrator, who as a young boy helps his grandfather plant trees and learns to love nature. |
| Grandfather | A retired Indian Forest Service officer who has a deep passion for planting trees and protecting nature. He plants trees in his compound and in the forest beyond the river-bed. |
| Grandmother | She prefers growing flowers over trees and is practical about keeping the house safe from encroaching plants. She is shown as slightly cross when plants threaten the house structure. |
Glossary
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Tendril | A thin, curling part of a climbing plant that attaches to a support |
| Fertile | Able to produce a lot of plants or crops |
| Abandoned | Left without care |
| Vigorous | Healthy and strong |
| Protested | Opposed or disagreed |
| Nightmare | A frightening dream |
| Interfering | Stopping or meddling |
| Rambling | Wandering |
| Sprout | When seeds begin to grow into small plants |
| Spectacular | Eye-catching |
| Beckoned | To signal someone with your hand to ask them to come closer |
| Saplings | Young trees |
| Bough | A main branch of a tree |
| Aerial roots | Roots that grow above the ground, as in a banyan tree |
Themes Covered
- Love for Nature and Trees: The central theme is Grandfather's deep love and respect for trees and nature, which he passes on to the author.
- Conservation and Environmental Awareness: The story highlights the importance of planting trees and the dangers of deforestation, warning that the world could become a desert without trees.
- Importance of Trees: Trees keep the desert away, attract rain, prevent soil erosion, provide fruit, flowers, timber, food and shelter for animals and birds.
- Patience and Long-term Thinking: The trees planted by Grandfather and the author took years to grow and multiply, showing that the rewards of conservation require patience.
- Bond Between Generations: The story beautifully depicts the relationship between a grandfather and grandson, and how values and love for nature are passed across generations.
- The Resilience of Nature: Despite being on a dry, rocky island, the trees planted grew, multiplied, and created a green paradise, showing nature's ability to thrive when given a chance.