The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : IITian launches virtual tour for children

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Thursday, Nov 27, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

IITian launches virtual tour for children

Staff Reporter

‘Fundoo 4: The Mystery of MindNet’ hits the stands in city

Photo G. Krishnaswamy

Good buy: Aniruddha Sen Gupta at the launch of his book in the city on Wednesday. -

HYDERABAD: How would it be if the virtual world became the real one with its own perils and adventure? Only the Fundoo-4—the four characters in ‘The Mystery of MindNet’—that have been part of the fantasy should be able to tell.

The latest children’s book to hit the stalls, this debut fiction by Aniruddha Sen Gupta was launched at Crossword Bookstore on Wednesday by the author himself.

The first in the ‘Fundoo-4’ series, this book has four children Amay, Fatima, Mani and Piyali volunteering to test MindNet, a virtual reality environment where Internet becomes physical space with real objects and characters. When the children set about exploring on their own, they encounter dangerous territories, virtual villains and exciting challenges all along the way.

The author Mr. Sen Gupta’s life seems no less adventurous. A graduate from IIT Madras in Aeronautical Engineering, he left a rewarding career to become a journalist with a local magazine in Delhi. Later on, he began his own communication agency and did graphic designing. But the author’s mantle, he says, is what he has been wishing to don since childhood.

“In a way, the book is a return to what I really liked to do. I loved to write stories as a child, but had to choose a different career option due to various reasons. It was only while working on a Games CD that we hit upon the idea of a fiction with the same characters as in the game,” explains Mr. Sen Gupta.

He took three months to finish the book and more in the series are to come. Already launched at Delhi, ‘Fundoo 4:

The Mystery of MindNet’ is published by Scholastic Books and priced at Rs.175 per copy.

The author also conducted a Treasure Hunt for the children present at the book launch, and had them scampering to the stands to find the work by the specified author. Winners were given away gifts at the end.

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