In the North, a majestic mountain range emerges from a demon's tantrum. In the South, the avatar of a god gives a forest its name. In the East, a pirate king finds his plans foiled by a formidable force of nature. In the West, a sea keeps a city safely hidden in its deep waters. Long ago, before science came up with explanations for the events that occurred in nature, people turned to stories to make sense of the wondrous workings of the natural world. And so, a life-giving stream became the gift of a goddess, a hot spring arose from the breath of a celestial snake and a heap of broken boulders served as a testament to a divine battle.

Zigzagging through myths, folklore, local history and geological theories, "Gods, Giants and the Geography of India" (Hachette), an extraordinary book, draws fascinating connections between ancient tales and the science behind the spectacular geography of India. Join Nalini Ramachandran on a most unusual, adventure-filled expedition up, down and across the country's varied terrain!

Nalini Ramachandran is always looking for interesting stories to tell | Photo by Tom Hermans on Unsplash

Nalini Ramachandran is always looking for interesting stories to tell – of glorious goddesses, daunting demons, stealthy shapeshifters, gorgeous geographies, wondrous wildlife and ordinary objects. She began writing for children when working with India's only all-comics children's magazine, Tinkle. Today, her short stories have appeared in anthologies such as Gifts of Teaching, Scary Tales, and Thank God It's Caturday!

She is the author of "Detective Sahasasimha: The Case of the Disappearing Books", "APJ Abdul Kalam: One Man, Many Missions" (which won Multistory Learning Pvt. Ltd.'s 'Best of Indian Children's Writing – Contemporary Awards 2019' in the 'Comics/Graphic Novels' category), "Lore of the Land: Storytelling Traditions of India" and "Nava Durga: The Nine Forms of the Goddess". She also edits children's books and holds workshops on creative writing and storytelling.

(Article originally published on IANS) (IANS/ MBI)

Keywords: Gods, Giants, Geography of India, Nalini Ramachandran, goddesses, daunting demons, stealthy shapeshifters