Sharjah school celebrates UAE's Golden Jubilee with pupil's book launch

An institution in Sharjah was abuzz with activities on Monday, matching the jubilant vibes of the nation, as students formed the UAE flag and formed the number 50, as part of the school’s Golden Jubilee extravaganza.

To commemorate the 50th year of the Union, Delhi Private School Sharjah marked the occasion in its inimitable style, with over 5,000 students from across the establishment, participating in an array of events meant to celebrate the momentous occasion.

The highlight of the event was the launch of 'Stunning VI The Demonic Heptagonal Rock', a book penned by DPS Sharjah Grade VIII student, Ratan Vinnu.

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Speaking to Khaleej Times, he said, “I was very happy that the book launch happened at at the UAE National Day celebrations in my school. The buzz of the day was amazing …educative and entertaining. My book is a first person narration of a student during summer vacations, where situations flip and tragic events happen to the protagonist after a demonic soul possesses his world and everything he owns. The boy goes on a quest… he is lost in a parallel universe, going to mysterious destinations, meeting strange creatures and trying to save the Earth. The novel has 83 pages and is meant for eight to 15 year-olds.”

Shedding light on his creative muse, Ratan opines, “I was inspired by my favourite childhood author Elisabetta Dami.”

Although the pandemic has changed lives in different ways for some children, many have managed to forge a stronger relationship with reading and writing, especially during the lockdown, when schools rapidly moved to distance learning and children were barred from playing outside.

Ratan who is a voracious reader says he writes “whenever he finds free time…whether it’s before or after dinner or just before hitting the bed at night.”

He also shares that during school holidays he spends four to five hours daily with his real friends.

He then says, “Reading some of my favourite authors brings alive tales of wonder and joy. When the Covid-19 pandemic struck I mostly spent my time reading books. My father used to take me to a library so I got inspired by all those books. After that I started writing short stories. In December 2020, I used to go to the Sharjah Library to type my book. After that, I was waiting to launch my book.”

Talking about his life’s goal only a year ago, Ratan said, “In December, I used to spend the entire day doing nothing else but typing my story.”

When asked about any simmering ideas in head, the excited teenager said, “Yes of course! Why not? I am working on those. One of the potential plots is where the protagonist gets lost during an educational trip.”

Elucidating about the publisher and platforms where his book is available, Ratan underlines, “Currently the book has been launched in Indian markets – on Amazon.in and BlueRose. Moving forward it will be launched internationally, like Amazon.ae and on many more such platforms. My book is also available on Google Books.”