My writing journey began when I was learning photography. Along with sharing photographs, I also wrote a blog about food and recipes. It turned out that there were as many people interested in the stories as in the recipes.

As part of a photography project, I decided to document my grandfather's life through photographs. My maternal grandfather, Shri Pannalal Patel, was a Gujarati writer and a Jnanpith Award winner. During this project, I was inspired by his life story, which he had written in Gujarati and titled JindagiSanjeevani. This work was divided into seven parts. I found his story relatable to the youth even today but felt it needed to be presented in a different format. So, I reimagined it as 11 short interrelated stories, and the book was titled Finding Gattu.

Finding Gattu was launched by Gujarat’s Honourable Chief Minister Bhupendra Bhai Patel. This event garnered significant media coverage and popularity. We also sent a copy of Finding Gattu to our Honourable Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modijiwho responded with a handwritten letter of appreciation for the book, as he had read many of Pannalal Patel’s books in his youth.

This marked the beginning of my collaboration with The Narrators, who helped me edit and publish Finding Gattu as well as a recipe book called Love at First Bite from my blog.

By this time, I had already written a book of short stories and was about to start its editing. However, around that time, my son developed a deep interest in the Ramayana and Mahabharata after listening to Dr. Alok Pandey’s talk on lessons learned from Rama. The details of how The Time Traveling Adventures of Chotu came into being are explained in the last pages of Chotu Book 1 and Book 2.

Chotu was written for my son, with my son, under the guidance of Dr. Alok Pandey. Once the story was complete, I typed it out to read to my son and later decided to publish it for all children interested in the Ramayana and Mahabharata and the story of the real India.

Now, regarding Chotu 1 – Rama:

First of all, this is not a religious book but one about India and Sanatan Dharma. I have received firsthand reviews from teachers, children, and parents of various faiths and religions. They have read it several times and recommended it to their friends.

Through these books, I want children to understand the rich history and culture of India, our roots, and that we are the descendants of heroes like Rama and Krishna. We don’t need fictional superheroes like those in Marvel and DC comics, as we already have real heroes such as Rama, Krishna, Hanuman, Arjuna, and many others. I want children to realize that these ideals are in our blood, and we need to acknowledge this as we move towards a future where India can be the spiritual leader of nations.

In Chotu – Rama, the book begins with Chotu celebrating American Independence Day due to his fascination with the USA. Here, Chotu deals with anger and learns from Rama that the strong are the calmest, and it is the weak who lose their temper. Rama also introduces the concept of democracy, showing that everyone, from animals to humans, had a voice in his kingdom. Upon returning, Chotu understands that his grandfather, Param, is weak and explains that he cares and desires a new friendship. This realization leads to a change in Param’s heart.

In Book 2, Chotu moves to Mumbai with his parents and struggles to make friends. He becomes focused on his studies to achieve a scholarship to the USA. Despite his dedication, his time machine journey lands him on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, where he meets Krishna. Krishna takes Chotu on a flying chariot to show him key events of the Mahabharata and explains why the war was necessary. Through this journey, Chotu learns that he was never alone and that Krishna was always with him. He also understands the concepts of swadharma, dharma, and courage. Returning from this journey, Chotu feels connected to Krishna and develops friendships with Gattu and Alex, the son of a millionaire. He learns the true meaning of equality and discovers the importance of working hard and leaving the results to Krishna.

Paro Puru is a symbolic story of Prakriti (Paro) who finds herself lost in an unknown place and struggles to recall how she ended up there. She explores various realms and eventually returns to where she started, illustrating the problem of being trapped in life’s vicious circles. The car in the story symbolizes her body, the steering represents Buddhi (intellect), the fuel stands for life energy, and Puru represents the soul (Purusha).

Paro Puru follows Paro’s quest to find Puru as she explores different layers of consciousness. Her journey takes her from the physical world to the subconscious and then to higher realms, eventually leading her to the supramental world where she finds Puru. This story is an ultimate eternal love story of Purusha and Prakriti becoming one. It is aimed at readers aged 10 and above.