What makes a Tirupati publisher Ruskin Bond's biggest fan and a lifelong translator of his books

This is a story straight out of a children’s book—about a young boy in the temple town of Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, who turned his fascination with Ruskin Bond’s stories into a lifelong pursuit.

At his small publishing house, Kathaaprapancham Books, Tirupati Kiran has made it a mission to make the author’s works accessible to the current generation through translations in languages such as Kannada, Telugu and Tamil. To this end, he has also been conducting children’s book festivals across schools in the city, and is being supported by the Ruskin Bond Foundation in the endeavour.

Kiran had been a vociferous reader right from an early age. He would sneak into the school’s library as a child and browse through the picture books even though he couldn’t read fluently at that age. The library had a vast collection of comics, including Chandamama, Balamitra, and Bommarillu, as well as books by authors like Ruskin Bond, R.K. Narayan, and Leo Tolstoy.

At home too, there was great emphasis on literature and storytelling. His grandmother would tell him tales at bedtime and his father would give him pocket money to buy books. The hours after school would see him walking to local libraries in search of new titles to read. “By the time I reached grade 6, I was inspired to write stories for children's magazines. My first story got published in Balamitra,” says Kiran.

Since 2017, he has been conducting storytelling sessions in government and private schools to share this love for books with the current generation. “I am planning to set up a van—a mobile library of sorts—to take books to streets and alleys of India. Efforts are underway to make this happen,” he adds.

Meanwhile, at the publishing house, Tirupati is working on translations of 60 books from English to other languages. Some of the upcoming titles translated into Telugu include Bond’s The Hoopoe on the Lawn, Song of the Forest, Tales of Fosterganj, The Hill of Enchantment, and Anees Salim’s The Bell Boy and Fly Hasina Fly.

“I have always been fond of translations. Many people may not be familiar with the English language or other Indian languages like Odiya, and therefore might miss out on reading excellent stories. Translations help bridge that gap,” says Kiran. As of now, he has acquired translation rights and requisite permissions from several prominent publishing houses. He also hopes to create a platform for new authors and promote local literature on digital platforms.

But what is it about Bond that continues to fascinate him? For one, they share the same birthday: 19 May. Though he loves all of the author's books, Adventures of Rusty remains the most memorable as that was the first of the Bond stories that he read. Kiran could relate with the adventurous and curious streak in Rusty, the protagonist of the story. Added to that was a shared connection with nature. “He is one of the rare authors whose books appeal to people of all age groups. However, I noticed that many children in Tirupati were not familiar with his works as there were very few translations. I decided to make a small effort this June to change that and as part of our children’s book festival, I organised the Ruskin Bond’s Book Exhibition,” he adds.

Such has been the response that some of the schools in Tirupati have requested him to set up a Ruskin Bond book library. When Bond's family members learned of his efforts, they sent him a video message from the author, encouraging and congratulating him. “Watching that video brought tears of joy to my eyes. I never imagined that Ruskin Bond would personally acknowledge my efforts with a video message,” says Kiran. “My love for his books remains unchanged, and I continue to read his books with the same enthusiasm.”