NEW DELHI: “I have made up my mind. I’m going to live the rest of my life in Jamaica ” said the legendary “James Bond” author Ian Fleming when visiting Jamaica as a British intelligence officer. Far from the maddening crowd, Fleming found solace in Jamaica and decided to pen down the 14 prominent James Bond thrillers which went on to become an epic series.

Located in Oracabessa, 20 minutes from Ocho Rios, Goldeneye, the house that Fleming designed himself is nestled amongst the tropical forests and lush gardens on a seaside bluff overlooking the Caribbean. Jamaica gave Fleming the balance of privacy and serenity to draw on his own experiences, his fascination for military gadgets, sharp wit and his dry arrogance to create 20th century’s most successful action hero – James Bond. In 1952, he sat down in his house, Goldeneye, in Jamaica and wrote Casino Royale and introduced James Bond to the world.

Apart from writing all the Bond novels, Fleming set major parts of three of them -- Dr. No, Live and Let Die and The Man with the Golden Gun -- in Jamaica . To mark the centenary celebration of the legend on May 28 this year, a host of events and activities are planned for visitors giving them an in-depth exploration into the 007 phenomenon and the life of his creator. Some of the events would be executed in Jamaica under the auspices of the Jamaican Government while others will be organized and staged in Britain and elsewhere by the Fleming family and the British Government.

‘For Your Eyes Only: Ian Fleming and James Bond’ exhibition at the Imperial War Museum in London, will see a recreation of Fleming's study at Goldeneye, his home in St Mary, Jamaica, being mounted as part of exhibition. Ian Fleming died on August 12 1964 after having just completed his first children’s story about the car that flies - Chitty Chitty Bang Bang – and having seen Sean Connery play James Bond in only the first two of the Bond films.