A PROJECT REPORT ON

Fictitious Interview with

Ruskin Bond

Submitted By:

Name of the Student : Mrinal Kanti Saha

Class : XII

Roll : ABCD12345

No : 6789

Registration no : A200547G63

Academic Year : 2018-2019

In Partial Fulfilment to Class XII English Course.

Sainthia, Birbhum

Bona Fide Certificate

Certified that this project report on Fictitious Interview with RUSKIN BOND by

.................................................................................. Class XII, Section ......................

Roll No ......................................................... Registration No ........................................

Year 2018-2019 submitted In Partial Fulfilment to Class XII English Course during the academic

year, 2018-20189 is a bona fide record of work carried out under my guidance and supervision.

......................................................................... Signature of the project guide with date.

Name: ................................................

Designation : Assistant Teacher , English

School : ....................................................................

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Acknowledgment

This project report on Fictitious Interview with RUSKIN BOND has provided

me to cope with the first-hand experience of having such a joyful and educative

task. I consider myself fortunate enough to have the valuable guidance of

Mr. .......................................................... for giving me a chance to do my project

work under his surveillance. I sincerely stretch out my thanks to my venerable

mates for their guidance and encouragement in carrying out this project. I also

wish to uphold my gratitude to all the teaching and official staffs of my

................................................. School, who have widened their kind help towards

me trough-out the span.

I also would like to show my respect and gratitude to

Mr. ................................................., the hon’ble Headmaster of this institution for

setting up the opportunity to mount on this project.

……………………………………………….

Signature of the Student

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Table of Contents

1. INTRODUCTION PAGE NO : 05

2. METHODS AND TECHNIQUES PAGE NO : 07

3. OUTPUT OF THE PROJECT PAGE NO : 10

4. CONCLUSION PAGE NO : 12

5. REFERENCES PAGE NO : 13

*******

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Introduction

1.1 PROJECT IN OUR SYLLABUS

ln the new syllabus, prescribed by West Bengal Council for Higher Secondary Education, project work

has been included as a part of course content. In class XII, four topics have been selected:

i) Film/Theatre Script.

ii) Fictitious Interview of an Eminent Personality (Current or Historical)

iii) Changing the Background/Time/Social Context of a play and recording how the characters

behave in a changed scenario.

iv) Indianization of the Writings of some English writers like Charles Dickens, Thomas Hardy, Jane

Austen, Oscar Wilde. Out of these four projects, only one can be chosen.

In our class, we understood the aspects of different projects and chose the second topic,

Fictitious Interview of an Eminent Personality (Current or Historical) and tin this regard we have

selected the eminent author Mr. Ruskin Bond. The experience of project work in Class XI has

also helped us.

1.2 OBJECTIVES

i) We will be able to learn about the personality.

ii) We will be able to know the significance of shaping a personality.

iii) We will be able to explore the rise of an individual to great heights.

iv) We will able to develop our art of questioning.

v) We will able to write down the script for an interview and.

vi) We will able to use our language skill in presenting the eminent personality.

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1.3 RESOURCES

Books containing biographies of eminent personalities.

Internet

1.4 GUIDING PRINCIPLES

i) A biography can be transformed into a real-life interview by framing suitable questions.

ii) A life-story can be portrayed through a fictitious interview.

iii) Only a selection of significant events in the life of an eminent personality can give a glimpse of

the character and personality of that person.

iv) Each dialogue should match with personality and role of the character.

1.5 LIMITATIONS

i) We are not very much acquainted with most of the writers and their works.

ii) We have read Ruskin Bond in our text though there much of information was unavailable.

iii) It needs more time than the allotted time limit of ten periods.

iv) A great deal of teachers' help is needed to select the writing.

v) Group work and collaborative learning is quite effective though individual imagination is also

necessary.

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Methods and Techniques

2.1 INTRODUCTION

In this project, the whole task from selection of the project work, fictitious interview with

RUSKIN BOND, was conducted following a time-bound routine. Our teacher fixed up a schedule

by breaking up the task into day-wise activities. We worked together in groups. An account of

some of the collaborative activities along with methods and techniques are given in this section.

2.2 FIRST DAY

On the first day, we

i) discussed about some of the stories of Ruskin Bond with a prominent focus on The Eyes

Have It.

ii) Selected some important story books to have better concept of the person.

2.3 SECOND DAY

On the second day,

i) our teacher told us about interview, different aspects of interview and their steps.

ii) the teacher asked various questions related to these.

iii) some real stories were read aloud to its end.

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2.4 THIRD DAY

On the third day, we

i) tried to find out the peculiarities of the setting.

ii) formed groups and tried to chalk out different parts of the interview which were not so

easy work.

iii) discussed our findings within different groups.

2.5 FOURTH DAY

On the fourth day,

i) each group started to change the chalked out papers in a way that it looked typically a

success.

ii) Facing some difficulties we consulted with our guide teacher.

2.6 FIFTH DAY

On the fifth day,

i) each group drafted their prospective setting of the dialogue and consequent corrections

were done.

ii) each group read their manuscript aloud.

iii) each group photocopied and distributed drafts of their manuscript among others for

suggestion.

iv) each group graded other manuscripts, on a grade scale of A to D.

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2.7 SIXTH DAY

On the sixth day, we

i) chose the best manuscript.

ii) each group gave suggestions to make it better.

iii) made another draft out of the collaborative effort.

2.8 SEVENTH DAY

On the seventh day, we

i) wrote the final manuscript.

ii) we read out the manuscript.

2.9 EIGHTH DAY

On the eighth day,

i) a photocopy of the final manuscript was given for review.

ii) each group discussed among itself and made a draft of the review.

2.10 NINTH DAY

On the ninth day, each group read out their reviews.

2.11 TENTH DAY: EVALUATION

i) Some of students shared how they enjoyed the whole process.

ii) We submitted the project report for evaluation.

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Output of the Project

We worked together to develop the Fictitious Interview with Ruskin Bond. The final manuscript is given

below:

Main Manuscript :

FICTITIOUS INTERVIEW WITH RUSKIN BOND

This is an imaginary interview with Ruskin Bond

This eminent person gave me this interview at a hotel named Hotel Ellora.

Interviewer : How are you?

Ruskind Bond : How do you do?

I : Well. Nice to meet you.

Ruskind Bond : Also.

I : What is the first thing you ever got published?

Ruskind Bond : I was 16 when The "Illustrated Weekly of India published my first story soon after I left

school. It was a funny story about one of my teachers. They didn’t like it back in school.

I : You have been a prolific writer. Have you ever experienced the dreaded Writer’s Block?

Ruskin Bond : Yes I have occasionally abandoned a manuscript. I write a story in my head. I see the

story like a movie. So writing that out is relatively simple. When I write I just keep a waste paper basket

handy in case I am experiencing a block. I mostly write short stories. They are best written in a continuous

creative process. You have a feel of immediacy. When you write a novel you have to live with the

characters for a long time. So I prefer short stories. I never wrote anything more than 250 pages. <picks up

my novel Mediocre But Arrogant and looks at the page count> Your novel is 261 pages. You just managed

to beat me <laughs>. I can’t ever see myself writing something like A Suitable Boy or Mediocre But

Arrogant!

I : Where do you find triggers for your stories?

Ruskin Bond : They could be about people or incidents that have happened to you or to others. A lot of

my stories are portraits of people.

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I : Is nostalgia a better trigger for you than the reality of today?

Ruskin Bond : I was nostalgic even as a young man. Preferred listening to Opera not Bing Crossby. I read

Hugh Walpole, Jack London, Charles Dickens, Joseph Conrad, Evelyn Waugh, Richard Jefferies and Louise

Imogen Guineyas a young man. I watched a lot of movies. I was deeply influenced by movies. I was in

Dehradoon with my mother and step father. Neither had much interest in what I did.

I : Do you feel unhappy when you see your stories on celluloid?

Ruskin Bond : Film is a different medium. So you have to change settings, characters etc to suit the

medium. Sometimes the ending may have to be different. Junoon was very close to what I had in mind. So

was Blue Umbrella. Saat Khoon Maaf was a black comedy. Not sure if the comedy through.

I: Do introverts make better writers than extroverts?

Ruskin Bond : There are two kinds of authors – subjective and objective. Introverts are more inward

looking. Emily Bronte, Virginia Woolf etc wrote from within themselves. Poets like Keats or Shelley were

introverts. On the other hand John Grisham would be my example of an objective writer. Frederick Forsyth

is an example of an objective storyteller. They are extroverts.

I : How would you describe yourself?

Ruskin Bond : I am a storyteller from a personal viewpoint. When I run out of people I invent ghosts.

(chuckles) I don’t believe in ghosts. Never saw one.

I : How has the Indian literary scene changed over the last few years?

Ruskin Bond : There were no lit fests and launches in India till the eighties when we had the first World

Book Fair. In the ’50s and ’60s newspapers also published fiction especially short stories. So I wrote short

stories. We did not have many publishers. But many writers have been forgotten – like Kamala

Markandeya, Mulgaonkar or Mulk Raj Anand.

I : Should a writer experiment with different genres of writing?

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Ruskin Bond: Readers want more of the same from you. So stick to one genre. Chetan Bhagat has got five

novels of a similar nature. Not sure if would want to write an autobiography or a travel book etc.

I : Advice for aspiring writers…?

Ruskin Bond : The more you write, the better you will write! So – keep at it!

I : Ok! Thank you very much for sparing your invaluable time with us.

Ruskin Bond : Welcome my son!

Conclusion

4.1 PRESENT VALUE

After completing the project we have learnt the following:

i) How to transform biographical sketch into an interview.

ii) How a dialogue should be set in an group work.

iii) The utility of collaborative effort in creative writing and critical thinking.

iv) The importance of culture and Nature in our life.

v) How writing skills can be developed by such kind of project work.

vi) How to enjoy learning in a cordial situation.

4.2 FUTURE PROSPECT OF THE SCRIPT

The product of this particular project will help others in the following way:

i) It will serve as an interesting biography of Ruskin Bond

ii) It will serve as a script for dramatization.

iii) It will teach lessons and develop life-skills in overcoming the odds life.

iv) It will serve as a ready-made material for working on Ruskin Bond

v) It will impart values required for proper development.

vi) It will enable all to take up any such projects in future.

vii) It will encourage us to think in the language.

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References

Boulton, Marjorie: The Anatomy of Drama.Indian Reprint, Kalyani publishers, 1985.

The Guide : R. K. Narayan & A Train to Pakistan : by Khuswant Singh

National Curriculum Framework. NCERT, 2005.

O'Shea, catherine and Egan, Margaret: A Primer of Drama Techniques for Teaching Literature.

National council of Teachers of Engrish,1978.

The Selfish Giant by Oscar Wilde.

WBCHSE : A Textbook of Englkh (B), Rapid Reader and A Book on ESP and project, Deep Prakashan,

2016.

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