The AutHer Awards’ Best Fiction Award is one of the many honors bestowed upon the celebrated author and educator Sutapa Basu. In addition to being a Write India winner, she has received nominations for prominent awards like the Valley of Words and the Anupam Kher Book Awards. As a seasoned publisher with prominent roles at Oxford University Press, Encyclopedia Britannica, and Eupheus Learning, Sutapa is a voice of authority in both literature and education.

The Kolkata Mail correspondent Priyanka Dutta caught up with the author on her latest book Murder In The Jungle. Excerpts..

How important is it to impart knowledge of wildlife conservation and environment protection among young kids?

Sutapa Basu- I believe it is most important to impart knowledge of wildlife conservation and environmental preservation to young kids because this earth is their inheritance. From the earliest years, they must be made aware of how pollution, climate change, and human negligence have been depleting the natural resources and wildlife habitats on our earth. Once they realize the terrible consequences of careless human behavior on the environment and wildlife, they will understand the need for conservation and take an active part in preserving both. Young kids can participate in various programs that not only make them cognizant but also develop their intuition, conduct, habits, and practices, towards environmental conservation and wildlife protection.

How does your book deal with topics like wildlife conservation?

Sutapa Basu- The story of my book is set in Nagarhole National Park. Since my research has taken place in authentic surroundings, the readers are transported to the forests described in the book and can visualize the animals for the narrative is based on my eyewitness accounts.

Besides the theme of the story is tiger poaching. As the young detectives in the story, who call themselves Mystery Hounders, solve the case of missing tigers, the reader is made aware of how poachers operate, why they poach, and how widespread this criminal network is. All this information naturally triggers the detectives’, and through them the readers’ sense of justice. They are eager to nab the poachers and prevent crimes against wild animals.

One of the characters in the story is a naturalist who explains animal behavior, and why and how their natural habitats must be protected. His words provide significant knowledge about wildlife to readers. Another character is a boy from one of the villages around the park. Conversations between him and the protagonists of the story reveal the interdependency between animals, forests, and humans who live in close contact with each other.

Thus, my story not only focuses on wildlife conservation but also on various regional causes and reasons for environmental preservation.

What is the challenge of writing for young kids in today’s times when they have so many other options for entertainment?

Sutapa Basu- It is extremely challenging to write for children, today. Not only do they have many other options for entertainment, but the world that children are living in changes so rapidly that it is difficult to keep pace with what appeals to them or catches their attention.

Any children’s writer has to keep the interests of the target audience in mind while writing. Since I have been teaching kids and developing learning materials for them for nearly 50 years, it has been essential for me to keep up with their changing environments.

The digital world is a new reality today for young people, today. I am aware that the IT curriculum taught in schools includes coding and artificial intelligence courses. For that reason, AI plays a major role in my story. The program is used to track animals, criminals hack it and the teen detectives trace the crime through AI. Including a digital footprint in my tale has made it relatable to young readers. Many of them declared that they decided to read the book because they wanted to find out how AI could link forests, animals, and crime.

Do you think young kids read enough in recent times?

Sutapa Basu- Young kids do read if they are given the freedom to choose their reading material. Often it is the parents or teachers who choose books for them and frequently these books are about life skills, morals or ethics. But their kids may not find these topics interesting. So they do not even turn a single page of these books.

If a writer wants to insert certain concepts or issues into a story for young readers, it must be done subtly. The main story must deal with themes that appeal to the target audience.

Young readers are like all readers, young or not. Every reader has an area of interest, such as history, adventure, nonfiction, etc. If young readers are allowed to exercise their right to read what they like, they will certainly read enough and more.

Will there be sequels to this story in the future?

Sutapa Basu- There will not be a sequel to this story but the Mystery Hounders will hound more mysteries in the future. So there will be more books with more adventures featuring the Mystery Hounders.

What is your favorite book in this genre of thriller or mystery?

Sutapa Basu- I have many favorite authors in the genre of thriller or mystery, starting with Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie, Robert Ludlum, Satyajit Ray, SharadinduBandhopadhya, Wilbur Smith and many more.

Have you thought of what to write in your next book?

Sutapa Basu- Probably another adventure of the Mystery Hounders. Another unique mystery set in a different locale. Once again, I will focus on a significant dilemma. As the teen detectives untie the knots, my objective will be a passive, rather subtle integration of some global issue into the minds of young readers.