#432 - A Dozen and a Half Stories : Strange and Mysterious Places the World Forgot

by Arthy Muthanna Singh & Mamta Nainy and illustrated by Mistunee Chowdhury

“A Dozen and a Half Stories : Strange and Mysterious Places the World Forgot” by Arthy Muthanna Singh & Mamta Nainy and illustrated by Mistunee Chowdhury. Published by Rupa. An engrossing collection of stories about places in India that are shrouded in mystery or secrets and sometimes outrightly spooky.

The book takes one on an armchair trip across India introducing places which are off the beaten track. While some places have an air of unsolved mystery around them, others have been forgotten in the sands of time. They all have a unique characteristic which is why they make it to this collection of a dozen and a half stories in the book. While some places are a creation of nature, others are man made monuments. The places are spread across the Indian mainland from Ladakh in the north to Rajasthan in the West to Karnataka in the South to Odisha in the East.

Do you know of a beach that plays hide and seek and can vanish suddenly only to reappear a few hours later? How about a gate that is believed to have blood dripping down from it? Have you heard of a lake where hundreds of skeletons are found floating on the surface during the brief summer months in an inhospitable region of the Himalayas? What about a tree that is as big as a forest by itself? Know of a crater that was created by a huge chip of the moon that is a biodiversity hotspot? At least know about the musical pillars in a temple which are an architectural marvel? Read the book to know about all these amazing and incredible places which will whet your curiosity to find out more about them or even visit them in person for all that you know!

Overall this is an interesting book that kept me and my nine year old son hooked till the end. Given our love for travel, adventure and mystery, the book was thoroughly enjoyed by us. Across the two of us, we have been to five of the places (Great Wall of India around Kumbhalgarh Fort, the hanging pillar at Veerabhadra temple in Lepakshi, St.Philomena church in Mysuru, the musical pillars of the Vijaya Vittala temple in Hampi and the drowning church of Shettihalli). It was good to read about these places along with other places that we had just heard of or didn’t know about. My son knew a few things about the Lonar crater lake thanks to a book that we had read in the recent past called “The Golden Eagle”. This book added to his understanding of the place. And, yes, we now have a few more places to visit in our ever growing travel wish list! :)

Recommended Age

The book is apt for children aged 9/10 and above.

Reasons to Read

For the love of travel, mystery and especially out of the ordinary places.