Indian Hardy Boys

The author on a forgotten city and why urban children can relate to two precocious boys

Achemical engineer by profession, Deepak Dalal set out to write “Indian tales for Indian children” in 1998. And thus was born the VikramAditya series of adventures, set in some of the most picturesque places on the map—Lakshadweep, Ladakh, the Andaman Islands and Ranthambore. Vikram is a meticulous, intelligent and very correct schoolboy. His friend Aditya is the opposite—strong, impulsive and not averse to bending a few rules. Both love the great outdoors, which helps forge a bond among them as they fight to save wildlife from poachers and evil traders.

Twelve years and six books into the series, Dalal has turned publisher. This week, the newly launched Tarini Books released the seventh and eighth books in the series—Sahyadri Adventure-I: Anirudh’s Dream and Sahyadri Adventure-II: Koleshwar’s Secret. Though set in gritty Mumbai, the books tell the story of the city before it became a megapolis, when Fort was not just an address and Churchgate meant more than a railway station. Edited excerpts from an interview:

What are the ‘VikramAditya’ books about?
They are stories of adventure of two schoolboys, Vikram and Aditya, set in the very beautiful wild world beyond our cities. These are primarily meant for the 12-16 age group. Today’s children live very urban-centric lives. What I’m trying to do is tell them about the exciting country beyond: the Himalayas, the coastlines, the wild forests. There’s a lot of wonderful children’s books—old favourites like Enid Blyton or the Harry Porter series or Artemis Fowl. But there’s hardly any good Indian stories being told to Indian children. Yet India is one of the most vibrant countries in its history and geography.

Full interview here Mint