#427 - Ladakh Adventure
by Deepak Dalal
“Ladakh Adventure” by Deepak Dalal. Published by Penguin. A gripping story of Vikram and Aditya who find themselves in the thick of action while on a trip to Changthang plateau of Ladakh.
Vikram and Aditya are camping near the Tso Kar Lake in Ladakh. They have come there with Colonel Chacko who is a friend of Vikram’s father to see Black-necked Cranes. Meme Chacko as he is called loves the region so much that he travels there every year to see these endangered and elusive birds who nest in the Changthang plateau. On their way, they had made a brief stop at a village called Sumdo. Vikram and Aditya were surprised to see a wonderful boarding school for Tibetan children whose headmaster was a friend of Meme Chacko. As they left the place, Meme Chacko told them that a young Tibetan boy called Tsering was going to accompany them to their camp.
Meme Chacko had left for Staglung when he got news of cranes being spotted there. This left just the three boys along with the cook at the camp. They found themselves in the thick of unexpected adventure when a mysterious band of men appear at the camp and abduct Tsering. Vikram and Aditya have to rescue the little boy from the clutches of these men. Determined to protect him from any kind of danger, the boys manage to take Tsering away with them. This leads to a chase that traverses the majestic region of Ladakh in search of answers to the mysterious events. Can they manage to keep Tsering safe from the men? Who is Tsering? Why is he being targeted with such fierce intensity? Read the gripping book to know what happens in the perilous game of hide and seek that Vikram and Aditya find themselves in as they go from the remote mountain plateau to the city of Leh.
My nine year old and I found this book extremely gripping and just couldn’t put it down. The plot kept us rushing through the pages keeping us on the edge of our seats. We were also eager to know the mystery surrounding Tsering. The story ensured that we got a glimpse into the rugged beauty of Ladakh which has been high on our travel wish list. This is the second book of the “Vikram-Aditya Story” series. We had already read and enjoyed the first one called “Ranthambore Adventure”. Each of the books in the series feature an adventure set in a diverse region of India while showcasing a special creature that is found there. In this book it was a delight to read about the Black-necked Cranes which visit just two regions in India during winters. One of them is Ladakh and the other is Arunachal Pradesh. We had already read a story set in Arunachal centred around these majestic winged beauties called “Saving Dalai Lama’s Cranes” and my son was therefore aware of them. The adventure in this story doesn’t stop at this book. It continues in the next book of the series as well called “Snow Leopard Adventure”. The entire series and the author himself has become one of our favourites now. Given our love for travel, nature and wildlife, his books are just the kind we like to read :)
Recommended Age
The book is apt for children aged 13 and above for self reading but can be read to a younger child like we did (at his insistence of course!).
Reasons to Read
The book is an ideal means to do armchair travel to the rugged landscape of Ladakh and get to know about Black-necked Cranes as well through the action packed storyline.