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One of the best loved writers for childern and adults is Ruskin Bond. Bond has forged an enduring relationship with the hills of North India by living in a hill station there. His vivid description of Nature and people, and gentle humour are characteristics of his writing. He has written several novels and short stories.
'The Woman on Platform 8' is written in Ruskin Bond's inimitable style. The story is set on a railway platform - platform number 8 in Ambala. The young boy whose name is Arun is the narrator of the story. He says that he was about twelve years at that time, and his parents considered him old enough to travel on his own. He arrived on the platform and waited to catch a train to get to his boarding school. Arun spent time on platform 8 pacing up and down and watching trains arrive and depart. He watched the mass of humanity appear and disappear each time a train stopped. Just as he was starting to feel bored and lonely, he was startled by a gentle voice asking him if he was all alone. He looked up to see a pale, dignified, dark-eyed lady. She was dressed simply in a white sari. She started a conversation with Arun, making gentle enquires of him. She then took him for a snack. Arun took an instant liking for the lady and began talking to her, giving her an insight into himself. He found himself getting attached to the quiet, kind lady.
As they came back to platform 8, they observed an engine shunting up and down. Just then a young boy appeared, running across the rails, taking a short cut to the next platform. Instantly the lady clutched Arun's arm hard. The boy reached the platform safely. Arun looked up to see pain and fear on the lady's face. She kept looking at the boy till he disappered into the crowd. Arun reassured her that the boy was alright. Soon, Arun's schoolmate, a boy named Satish and his mother arrived. Arun looked at Satish's mother - a large, bespectacled, domineering woman. He felt an instant dislike for the lady who spoke with an air of superiority. When she asked if the lady was Arun's mother, Arun hesitated. But the kind stranger, before Arun could offer an explanation, calmly said that she was. Arun was completely taken aback, but the stranger did not appear to be embarrassed and was smiling.
All the while Satish's mother talked loudly about travel and safety for young boys. Arun's dislike for her grew more and more intense. The train arrived and the two boys got on. Satish's mother continued giving innumerable instructions. Meanwhile, Arun looked at the lady in white, feeling her warmth as she gazed affectionately at him.
As the train chugged out of the station, Satish yelled out a goodbye to his mother. Arun quietly said a good bye to the kind lady in white, now addressing her as mother. He watched her till she was completely out of sight.
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