The residents of Pipalnagar, a dull and dusty small town, hope to one
day leave behind their humdrum lives for the thrills of Delhi. Deep
Chand, the barber, dreams of giving the prime minister a haircut;
Pitamber wishes to ride an autorickshaw instead of pulling a
cycle-rickshaw; and Aziz will be happy with a junk-shop in Chandni
Chowk. Sharing their dreams of escape is the narrator Arun, a struggling
detective fiction writer. As he waits for inspiration to write a
blockbuster, he seeks and discovers love in unusual places-with the
young prostitute Kamla, wise beyond her years, and the orphan and
epileptic Suraj, surprisingly optimistic despite his difficult
circumstances.
In Delhi Is Not Far, one of his most enduring novels, Ruskin Bond
sketches a moving portrait of small-town India with characteristic
sympathy and quiet wisdom.