I’ve absorbed the natural world in my books: Deepak Dalal

What made you interested in writing for kids?
It is a disturbing fact that kids in India read more of foreign books and know better about the foreign land than their home turf. Kids can only be interested in reading when the information is dished out to them in a palatable manner. Keeping this in mind, I have written six books in my 10-year-long writing career.

What is it that you want kids to pick up from your books?
I realise that kids these days know very little beyond the tethers of their own city. India is a beautiful country with a lovely geography. Since all my books are set in India, I want to make the kids familiar with our environmental and wildlife content.

What has been your biggest achievement as a writer?
My books are now used in nearly 100 schools as part of their curriculum. However I felt really heartened to know that my second book Ranthambore Adventure has inspired many kids across
India to join several ‘save the tigers’ campaigns and conferences.

Full report here DNA

Weaving magic in a plot

Deepak’s latest book Sahyadri Adventures features Vikram and Aditya  along with a girl  Chitra and their adventures in Sahyadri. Deepak’s books are set in exotic locations like Lakshadweep, Ranthambore, Ladakh, Andaman and now the Sahyadri. The best part is that he gets to stay in these places for research work! Windsurfing in Lakshadweep — check, snow leopard expedition — check, well, one gets the gist. Excerpts from an interview:

Tell us about your two latest books Sahyadri Adventure — Anirudh’s Dream and Koleshwar’s Secret.
The two books follow the adventures of Vikram and Aditya in the Sahyadri. Koleshwar’s Secret is a sequel to Anirudh’s Dream, although one can be read independent of the other. Just like the Harry Potter series took seven books to tell the story, this needed the two books. But it took me a long time to finish these two books (almost four years) because a lot of research was involved.

Your protagonists, Vikram and Aditya, always put up a good fight?
Well, they tackle things intelligently. They are always fighting against mining industry. For instance, the Supreme Court passed rule to stop all mining in Kudremukh or Bellary because mining was taking place in a forbidden territory. With just two to three per cent land preserved as sanctuaries, at least choose where you mine sensibly.

Full report here Bangalore Mirror

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