More About Kersi Rustomji

Introduction by Kul Bhushan

The author, Kersi Rustomji, was born in Kampala, Uganda, in 1936. He spent his early childhood in Mwanza, Tanganyika, now Tanzania. As a child, he grew up with a man of Sukuma tribe, who mentored him in the magic of the wilderness, its flora and fauna.

Young Kersi explored not only the exciting wilderness around Mwanza, but even as a toto, a young boy, he roamed far out of the town and befriended the rural people, and walked in the bush observing and viewing the wild life that abounded in these areas. Indeed he was told by his indigenous friends, that he was a very strange muhindi, Indian boy. From age 11, he grew up in Kenya and was involved with wildlife even as a young boy, and walked the wilderness and parks. In the forty years he spent in Kenya, he was an ardent conservationist of the flora and fauna of the country. He was a very well known figure on the old Nairobi Mombasa road and from the Ukambani to Kibwezi, and coast, areas he tramped regularly for more than thirty years. Kersi had a long and distinguished service as a teacher. At Likoni, a coastal town just off Mombasa Island in Kenya, he was well known, esteemed and highly regarded, and known as 'Mwalimu Rusto’ teacher Rusto by the local population. Kersi also has had a brilliant career in scouting despite loosing his left arm in a childhood mishap.

He is the recipient of the Silver Acorn award, the highest for Rovers, for having completed a 100 mile hike, the last stretch of it on his favourite Nairobi-Mombasa road in 1956, commencing from Voi to Mazeras on the coast. His extensive experience and close encounters with wildlife and the indigenous people, has resulted in this very refreshing and entertaining CD of African animal stories, 'East African Animal Tales.' It is the ‘Jungle Book’ of East Africa. Nearly a hundred illustrations and graphics excellently woven in the Tales, with a currently much needed message of living in peace and harmony, makes exciting as well as pleasant reading for the 11 years old and even adults. His other work, 'My African Animals and Australian Animals', illustrated and with simple text makes for wonderful reading to children 3 years and older. It is also produced on CD. Kersi has also written a brief account of his people, the Parsis, and their contributions in the development of Kenya, as a contribution to the Asian African Heritage Trust in Nairobi, Kenya.

His autobiographical work, 'Jambo Paulo, Jambo Mykol, Hello Paul, Hello Michael, Kem Che Paul, Kem Che Maikl, How Are You Paul, How Are You Michael,’ is a fascinating reading. This work tells in vivid details the real life story of an Indian mtoto, boy, growing up in Tanganyika, now Tanzania and Kenya. It is a rather unique work, as no other such work, by an East African Asian or Indian is known of.


Kul Bhushan. Kenyan Editor, Author, Publisher, Freelance Journalist, Media Consultant to UNIDO in New Delhi. New Delhi. India.


Tags: Kersi. Bhushan, Kenya, success, welcome