There is something about the mountains — something inspiring and moving; something .that which makes a person pick up a pen and write down something that makes a mark in the world of books. Shivdutt Sharma did just that with his first book, The Hill Billy. It’s a book full of nostalgia about his childhood he spent in the 1950s-1960s in Mussoorie and its enchanted surroundings.

The 200-page novella begins with the protagonist recalling his family’s escape from Sialkot, Pakistan, making its way to India” “Angry. Turbulent. Vicious. Violent. The river that normally ran shallow and placid had overnight swollen in the July rain to a flood. The small bus carrying sixteen people including mine and our neighbour’s family, both fleeing from Sialkot in Pakistan, came to a halt at the riverbank. The driver turned and asked my father, “Ab kya karna hai Bauji?” “Paar toh jaana hi hai, Makhan Singh…” “Toh Bauji, bacchon ko bus mein baitha rehne doh, aur aap sab badhey log uttar kar paidal chalo nahin toh paar jaana namumkin hai.”

The Hill Billy is a personal memoir of Sharma’s early years in Mussoorie. As the author claims, “I led a very interesting childhood, and a fairly colourful and exciting life in the hills, and that I thought it would make a lively and exhilarating memoir.” And so he put pen to papers, and his hard work and determination took close to over a year as he jotted down stories he heard, and wrote down about his encounters with, tigers, murderers, fairies, swamis and more in Mussoorie.

These are just a few exciting events that a child who grew up in a hill-station would empathise and relate to as seen from the viewpoint of The Hill Billy. The book also brings to life ordinary people we come across in our day-to-day life in the hills with its crisp and crackling narrative. The easy-flowing prose creates vivid word images. It is a must-read for those who believe that once the mountains are in your blood, there is no escape.