Why have I chosen to write about the twenty-first year of my life? Well, for one thing, it s often the most significant year in any young person s life. A time for falling in love; a time to set about making your dreams come ture; a time to venture forth, to blare new trails, take risks, do your own thing, follow your star… A handful of Nuts is a gloriously funny and unexpectedly tender story of being young and adventurous in small town India. The narrator hopes to establish himself as a writer but he is constantly diverted from his task by romances, escapades and other distractions. The Maharani of Magador; Stewart Granger, the movie-star; William Matheson, the always-broke Journalist: sitaram, the annoying but resourceful son of the local dhobi; a runaway circus tiger and an assorted posse of Dehradun denizens populate the book making it a delightful read. A Classic coming of age story, A handful of Nuts is one of Ruskin Bond s finest works.