Who is the author of the nostalgic childhood book Coming Round the Mountain set around the time of India Partition?

Introduction / Context:
"Coming Round the Mountain" is a popular book that continues the autobiographical series of stories by Ruskin Bond about his childhood in pre independent and early independent India. Questions about authors and their works are a staple of book and author sections in general knowledge exams. This question tests recognition of the author, focusing on Indian English literature and nostalgic writing about school days and Partition era experiences.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The book title is "Coming Round the Mountain".
• The book describes childhood experiences around the time of India's Partition and school life in the hills.
• Options include Anish Kapoor, Ruskin Bond, P. C. Ghose, and Veer Das.
• Only one of these is a famous author of such children and young adult literature.

Concept / Approach:
The best approach for book and author questions is to link the style, genre, and setting of the book to the correct writer. Ruskin Bond is widely known for his stories set in the Himalayas, especially Mussoorie and Dehradun, with themes of childhood, friendship, nature, and growing up. "Coming Round the Mountain" fits exactly into this pattern. Therefore, the key is to match the book title with the author whose body of work matches this description, rather than guessing from unrelated names.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Note that "Coming Round the Mountain" continues the story of a boy named Rusty and is set in a hill town boarding school context. Step 2: Recall that Ruskin Bond has written several companion books such as "Looking for the Rainbow", "Till the Clouds Roll By", and then "Coming Round the Mountain", all of which build on his childhood memories. Step 3: Connect the nostalgic tone, Indian English style, and hill station setting with Ruskin Bond's well known writing themes. Step 4: Examine the options and identify Ruskin Bond in option B, who is clearly associated with this type of narrative. Step 5: Conclude that Ruskin Bond is the correct author of "Coming Round the Mountain".

Verification / Alternative check:
One verification method is to recall the other names in the options and their areas of fame. Anish Kapoor is a renowned sculptor and visual artist, not an author of children's stories. Veer Das is primarily a stand up comedian and actor. P. C. Ghose is associated with the judiciary. None of them are known for autobiographical children's literature set in Indian hill stations. Only Ruskin Bond matches the profile of an Indian author of nostalgic, school based stories in the hills, which confirms that he wrote "Coming Round the Mountain".

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Anish Kapoor: He is known worldwide as a sculptor and installation artist. There is no major literary work by him with this title or theme, so this option is incorrect.
P. C. Ghose: He is associated with legal roles and is not known as a writer of children's or autobiographical fiction about Partition era childhood, so this option is wrong.
Veer Das: He is primarily known for comedy, acting, and stand up performances. He has not authored this book and is included only to distract candidates who choose based on popularity rather than context.

Common Pitfalls:
A frequent mistake is to ignore the setting and theme of the book and simply guess based on the most recently heard name in media. Another pitfall is failing to link Ruskin Bond with his recurring character Rusty and the series of hill station stories. Some candidates might also confuse this book with other school based books by different authors and overcomplicate the question. Remembering that Ruskin Bond often writes short, warm, nostalgic stories about his own childhood is key to avoiding these errors.

Final Answer:
The author of the book "Coming Round the Mountain" is Ruskin Bond.