The Past is No Longer Tense

The book The Missing Rocks of Hampi centres around three children, Devyani, Nakul, and Sarang, who accompany their mother, Dr Brinda Ratnagar, a water resources expert, to Hampi.

- RASHMI GOPAL RAO

Ratnagar is scheduled to ratify the construction of a huge tourism project planned on the banks of the main branch of the river. So, while the book deals with how the children help protect their mother from the devious actions of the landsharks, it also explores history and the age-old water management system of Hampi and its relevance to the present times.

The book oscillates between the past and the present, where every alternate chapter takes the readers back in time to the early 14th and 15th centuries. "I wanted to make history engaging and inspiring for today's readers, which is why I explored the idea of bringing traditional water wisdom and modern situations, which every child can relate to," says Mala Kumar.