Ghost stories from the Raj / edited by Ruskin Bond

Stories about the existence of ghosts and evil spirits have been an integral part of the stories told to us by our grandmothers, our literature and our folklore. Ghost Stories From The Raj by Ruskin Bond contains nineteen short stories which were written during the British colonial times. These stories give the reader an insight into the perspective of British soldiers and officers on the subject of ghost stories. Some of the stories which have been mentioned here are believable, some are humorous and others, like The Men Tigers, are unbelievable by any stretch of imagination. This story is about strange tigers that are said to exist in the forests of Central India. These tigers, after eating a mysterious root, could take the shape of man and after eating another root could return to their original form. Other stories like The Haunted Village, The Return of Imray, The Old Graveyard at Sirur, Chunia, The Summoning of Arnold, Panther People, Caulfield's Crime and The Pool are also included in this book.

Ruskin Bond's first novel, The Room on the Roof, written when he was seventeen, won the John Llewellyn Rhys Memorial Prize in 1957. Since then he has written several novels (including Vagrants in the Valley, A Flight of Pigeons and Delhi Is Not Far), essays, poems and children's books, many of which have been published by Penguin India. He has also written over 500 short stories and articles that have appeared in a number of magazines and anthologies. He received the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1993 and the Padma Shri in 1999.