Sooner or later, most of us hit a quiet wall where we realise that having everything we ever worked for can feel strangely hollow if there’s nobody around to share it with.You can land your dream job, buy a comfortable house, save enough money to travel wherever you please and tick off every item on your wish list. Yet when good news arrives and you realise there’s nobody to text first, or when a difficult Tuesday leaves you needing a familiar voice on the other end of the phone, all those hard-won achievements can suddenly lose their shine.That quiet ache is pretty much what Ruskin Bond captures in one of his poems about love.The beloved Indian author, who has spent decades writing about life, people and nature, makes a simple argument: we must love someone, anyone, and keep doing so for as long as we live. Bond isn’t talking strictly about romantic relationships or grand gestures. He’s pointing towards everyday affection, companionship and the human need to feel connected to someone.Here is the verse:
We must love someone
If we are to justify
Our presence on this earth.
We must keep loving all our days,
Someone, anyone, anywhere
Outside our selves;
For even the sarus crane
Will grieve over its lost companion,
And the seal its mate.
Somewhere in life
There must be someone
To take your hand
And share the torrid day.
Without the touch of love
There is no life, and we must fade away.
There is an astonishing amount of truth tucked inside these lines. Read them once and they sound simple. Spend a little time thinking about them, and they begin to feel like a reminder of everything we overlook while chasing deadlines and making a living.
Why Does Ruskin Bond Say We Must Love Someone?
Right from the beginning, Bond makes a strong point. He suggests that loving another person is one of the things that gives meaning to our presence on this earth.Think about how most of us spend our days. Almost every waking hour goes towards keeping our own lives running. We work, earn money, pay bills, organise our schedules and worry about what might happen six months from now. There’s nothing wrong with that. Responsibilities are part of life.But things can begin to feel empty when every thought revolves around our own comfort, our own problems and our own needs.Caring deeply about someone else changes that. You start remembering little details about their day. You worry when they’re unwell, feel genuinely happy when something goes right for them and sometimes put their happiness ahead of your own.None of this requires grand gestures. Sometimes, it means making ginger tea for your mother before she asks, calling an old college friend just to hear their voice or waiting for a sibling to message that they’ve reached home safely.These small, everyday acts may not look like much, but they’re often what make an ordinary day feel special.Bond seems to be reminding us that life isn’t measured only by what we achieve for ourselves. It also matters how much love and care we give to others.
Love Doesn’t Always Have To Be Romantic
One phrase in the poem deserves special attention: “Someone, anyone, anywhere / Outside our selves.”Notice how Bond doesn’t specify who that person should be. He doesn’t insist that everyone needs a spouse, a soulmate or a romantic partner. He simply says there should be someone we love.And that changes the meaning of the entire passage.We often associate love with romance, marriage and relationships. But some of the strongest bonds in our lives have nothing to do with romantic feelings.It could be the understanding between a father and his grown-up daughter. It could be a friendship that survives years of distance, or the affection we feel for an elderly neighbour who waves at us every morning.Sometimes, it’s a pet waiting eagerly by the front door when we return home.Your person could also be the friend who notices you’ve been unusually quiet and checks in without making a fuss. Or the cousin who can tell something is wrong just by listening to your voice.Meaningful love doesn’t need a label. What matters is having someone whose happiness matters to you and knowing that your presence matters to them, too.Bond reminds us not to become so caught up in ourselves that we forget how good it feels to care for somebody else.
Why Does Ruskin Bond Mention The Sarus Crane And The Seal?
Just when the poem seems focused entirely on human relationships, Bond brings in two creatures from the natural world: the sarus crane and the seal.He writes about how the sarus crane grieves for its lost companion and the seal for its mate.Why bring animals into a poem about love?Because attachment isn’t something that belongs only to human beings.The sarus crane is known for its strong pair bonds. These tall birds are often seen with their partners, and their companionship has long made them a symbol of devotion in Indian culture.Seals, too, form social bonds and show attachment to other members of their species.By bringing them into the poem, Bond makes a simple observation: the need for companionship is not limited to us.There’s something deeply moving about imagining a bird searching for the companion it once shared the skies with.And that’s perhaps why these lines stay with us. They remind us that wanting someone beside us isn’t a weakness. It’s a natural part of being alive.If other creatures can form attachments and respond to the loss of their companions, why do we sometimes pretend that human beings can go through life without needing anyone?
‘There Must Be Someone To Take Your Hand And Share The Torrid Day’
Of all the lines in the poem, these may be the most comforting.Bond doesn’t promise that love will make life easier. He doesn’t describe someone who will solve all our problems, take away our worries or protect us from every disappointment.He asks for something much simpler: someone willing to hold our hand and share a difficult day.The word ‘torrid’ brings to mind intense heat and discomfort. But it can also be read as a reference to those exhausting periods in life when nothing seems to go right.We’ve all had such days. A difficult conversation at work, financial worries, an unexpected setback or simply the pressure of managing too many responsibilities can leave us feeling completely drained.And during those moments, advice isn’t always what we need.Sometimes, we just want someone to sit beside us without trying to fix everything. Someone who listens without judging and doesn’t disappear when we’re tired, upset or struggling to find the right words.Think about those evenings when you return home after a long day and someone quietly asks, “Have you eaten?”It’s an ordinary question. But when it comes from someone who genuinely cares, it can feel like a little comfort after a difficult day.That’s the kind of love Bond seems to be describing. Not a perfect relationship or an effortless life, but someone willing to share the difficult parts of it.
Why Does Bond Say Life Cannot Exist Without The Touch Of Love?
The closing lines carry a certain sadness: “Without the touch of love / There is no life, and we must fade away.”Bond isn’t talking about physical survival. A person can live independently, manage their responsibilities and appear perfectly self-sufficient. But emotional needs are different.We all want to feel that somebody remembers us, notices when we’re missing and cares about what happens in our lives.That need doesn’t disappear with age.In our twenties, friendships often happen naturally. We meet people at college, spend evenings together and make plans without much thought. But as the years pass, life begins to pull everyone in different directions.Friends become busy with work and families. Children grow up and move away. Parents get older. People who once knew every little detail about our lives slowly become familiar names on our phone screens.And somewhere along the way, we start assuming there’s always more time.We postpone visits, miss calls because we’re busy and promise ourselves we’ll catch up properly when things settle down.But life rarely becomes as convenient as we expect. And time doesn’t wait for us to finish everything on our to-do lists.Perhaps that’s why Bond’s closing lines feel so personal. They remind us that love shouldn’t be saved for birthdays, anniversaries or special occasions. It needs to be part of our everyday lives.
A Simple Reminder To Stop Taking Love For Granted
What makes Ruskin Bond’s words so relatable is that he doesn’t ask us to do anything extraordinary.He doesn’t talk about becoming successful, winning awards or changing the world. He simply asks us to love someone while we can.Call that person you’ve been thinking about. Spend an afternoon with your parents. Listen to an old friend talk about their life. Tell the people closest to you that they matter.And don’t keep waiting for the perfect moment to show affection.Often, the strongest relationships aren’t built through dramatic declarations. They’re held together by little things that nobody else notices.A hand held during a hospital visit. A familiar voice after a terrible day. Someone saving you the last piece of your favourite dessert. A friend who understands your silence and doesn’t feel the need to fill it.That’s the heart of what Bond’s words seem to convey.We spend years building careers, saving money and trying to create a secure future. But when we look back at our lives, many of the memories that stay with us involve other people.The conversations, the laughter, the shared meals and the moments when someone stood beside us without being asked.Perhaps that’s what makes a life meaningful. Having someone to care for, someone who cares about us and someone whose hand we can hold when the days get difficult.Because a good life doesn’t have to be extraordinary. Sometimes, it just needs to be shared.
