He was a chemical engineer, but decided to follow his true calling writing 10 years ago and went on to create the Vikram Aditya series, an adventure tale involving two young detectives, modelled on famous youthful crime busters such as the Famous Five and Secret Seven series.
“The stories have elements of travel, photography, adventure and exotic locales. I enjoy all these activities tremendously and they find a place in the books,” says Deepak Dalal, the author of the series. Speaking at the launch of the latest book in the adventure series, “Sahyadri Adventure” at Reliance Timeout, Deepak says, “I always felt that most children growing up in urban areas do not learn much about their own cities. Schools follow a regimented style, which ensures that students give up the subject as soon as they can.”
“Sahyadri Adventure” is a story that goes back and forth in time and concerns itself with a tale in the Sahyadri ranges that surround Pune, Deepak's home town. “The regimented form of teaching history ensures that not many children or adults have any idea about the history of cities like Mumbai, which has seen a multitude of changes in its long history.” Though the Fort in Mumbai is a well known location, not many people know that an actual fort stood on that very location few centuries ago, he points out.
Sense of adventure
With his stories, Deepak aims at inculcating a sense of history and adventure in youngsters. “We are a country with a lot of history, but have to rely on historical accounts by foreigners. In order to evince interest, it must be studied like a story. William Dalrymple manages to do that brilliantly.”
Fiction, one may think, would not take very long to write, once a plot is in place. However, Deepak undertook four years of research before penning down the novel. “I had to travel to the archives in Mumbai. I have grown up looking at the Sahyadri ranges. In the course of this book, I learnt much more about the range. It was an amazing experience.”
Deepak refuses to categorise his book as fiction for children. “I do not believe in typecasting any particular book into a set category. The book can be read by children and adults alike, much like the Harry Potter series is enjoyed by all age groups.” When Deepak began penning his books, he did not find a publisher and so turned publisher himself. “This way I get more freedom to decide the content, can include images and photographs at will.”
The book is priced at Rs.195 and is available at book stores across the country.
