Kolkata, Jan 24 (IANS): Celebrated author Ruskin Bond on Wednesday said there are more writers in the country now than ever before and also hailed the reading culture among the youth of today.

"There are more writers in India now than ever before. A lot of them are very successful. Books are selling. So somebody is obviously reading them," Bond said during a session at the Tata Steel Kolkata Literary Meet here.

Asked if kids read less these days, Bond said: "During my time in school, there were few children who would spend time in the library reading books. We did not have so much distraction those days. But now even with so much to do, I do feel people read books that's why we have so many good writers around," the 84-year old writer said.

Bond's supernatural stories have been adapted for films but for the first time his works are being made into a web series.

Quizzed about his idea of the supernatural, he said he cooks up ghost stories when he runs out of people to write on as well as fictitious ideas.

"My inspiration is the people I meet and I know. When I run out of people to write about, I cook up stories.

"When I am desperate for an idea, I cook up ghost stories and it's very easy to cook up ghost stories.

"A number of my ghost stories were produced as plays on radio."

This isn't the first time his stories are being adapted as in the past, too, his short stories such as 'Blue Umbrella' and 'Susanna's Seven Husbands' have been adapted on the silver screen.

Bond also said that he does not regret spending most of his life writing.

"I have no regrets looking back at my 65 years of writing life. In between I took jobs, but mostly I did freelancing."

Bond was born in Kasauli, Himachal Pradesh, and grew up in Jamnagar, Dehradun, New Delhi and Shimla. As a young man, he spent four years in the Channel Islands and London. He returned to India in 1955. He now lives in Landour, Mussoorie, with his adopted family.