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.

Your favourite writers?
I am a complete fiction fan; I like the works of JK Rowling, JRR Tolkien, and of course, PG Wodehouse has been my favourite.

What age-group of kids do you target?
My books are particularly aimed at kids between 11 and 16 years of age; that is the age when a child is most influenced by what he sees and what he reads.

How long a gestation period is demanded for each of your books?
A lot of researching goes into writing all my books. For all my six books so far: Lakshadweep Adventure, Ranthambore Adventure, Ladakh Adventure, The Snow Leopard Adventure, Andaman Adventure — The Jarawa, Andaman Adventure — Barren Island, I have actually spent about two months in the particular place and tried to absorb the natural world into my books.