Be it the adventures of Rusty and his friends in the hidden streams of Dehradun, or the tales of the snowy leopard in the Himalayan foothills, author Ruskin Bond's writings have always brought alive a side of India that's real and yet tucked away from the human eye. "I grew up identifying with Ruskin Bond's stories because they were so real," says Manali Navalakha Rathi, a Pune-based curriculum designer and storyteller. To spread her love for the octogenarian writer's works with young readers, her learning platform Unplggd is hosting a short story marathon, starting today.

Titled Bond with Ruskin Bond, the programme is open to children above the age of five. It will be conducted in the form of 30-minute reading sessions till July 31. "I feel that Bond's stories stay with children for a long time. For instance, I read Panther's Moon as a child, and still go back to it," shares Navalakha Rathi, adding that they will read tales from The Room of Many Colours: A Treasury of Stories for Children by Bond. "Every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, we will get together, and the instructor will read stories from the book. The most impactful parts will be highlighted on the screen along with visuals so that kids can read along."