The Elephant Girl

The forests of Eastern India, during the late years of the British Raj, were rife with stories about a mythical maiden riding a wild pachyderm. On a train ride through these deep jungles, a series of strange events unfold to pique the curiosity of Raj Narayan, the crown prince of Paschim Behar. Two attempts on Raj's life as well as the murder of his father, the Maharajah and his favourite brother in the Royal Palace seem to be linked to a conspiracy to shroud the legend of the elephant girl in secrecy. What starts as a short trip soon hurtles crown prince Raj into a rollercoaster ride of adventure as he becomes obsessed to get to the bottom of the mystery of the elephant girl. Torn between his urge to seek out the mysterious maiden notwithstanding the advanced pregnancy of his wife and the evolving intrigues around succession amongst the brothers and his beautiful step mother, he finds himself in the maze of royal intrigue with the players shuttling between the opulent royal palace and deep dark forest with royal secrets. Will he betray his loving wife's trust to be with the maiden? Will he find the murderer? Will he survive the savage mysterious forests and live to tell his tale?

Ranjan is an engineer by profession, who lives in Perth, Western Australia with
his wife and two children. His childhood spent in the verdant north-eastern
corner of India sparked his fascination for nature and wildlife. On completing
his bachelor's degree in chemical engineering, he moved to New Delhi for
work. He has since completed his master's degree in process engineering with
Monash University. He has lived in Kuala Lumpur, Abu Dhabi and Paris before
coming to Australia in 2005.
Ranjan is widely travelled and his hobbies include bird watching and reading.
His passion for bird watching combined with his love of nature have culminated
in extensive exploration of the forests of India, particularly in the remote north-
eastern corner. He has organised many bird watching camps in numerous tiger
reserves in India. His love for the jungles of India coupled with his interest in
the history of the princely states under British India have culminated in his first
novel; The Elephant Girl.