Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 1 Oct: Dehradun-based geologist and ONGC executive Rothindranath Goswami has written a children’s novel in which a laboratory mouse thinks, questions, dreams, climbs Mount Everest and ventures into the world of offshore oil exploration. SISING: The Adventures of a Lab Mouse, published by Hachette India, is the English edition of Goswami’s Sahitya Akademi Bal Sahitya Puraskar-winning Assamese novel, Powalmoni Aru Sisingar Duhxahaxik Abhijan. Aimed at readers aged 8–14, the book blends science fiction, adventure, exploration, cultural heritage and ethical questions. Translated into English by Partha Pratim Goswami, the book has received an encouraging response on Amazon India, occupying the top rank in the superhero and science fiction categories.
At the heart of the story is Sising, a laboratory mouse implanted with Powalmoni, an advanced neural-computer interface. What begins as a scientific experiment develops into a journey of consciousness, freedom, courage and moral responsibility.
The novel unfolds through three major arcs. Sising first encounters the possibilities and ethical dilemmas of scientific experimentation before undertaking an extraordinary expedition to Mount Everest, facing freezing temperatures, oxygen deprivation and life-threatening challenges.
The final arc takes Sising into the world of offshore oil exploration. Travelling to Mumbai and boarding Samudrika, he encounters offshore oil operations and becomes involved in a dramatic rescue. Against the backdrop of COVID-19, the story raises a challenging ethical question about using an intelligent laboratory animal in experimental drug trials for humanity.
A distinctive feature is the book’s accessible portrayal of offshore oil exploration and its operational challenges—an unusual subject in children’s fiction. Goswami’s professional experience as a geoscientist lends authenticity to these sections.
Sising’s journey began in 1990, when the character first appeared in the Assamese children’s magazine Mouchaq. Over three decades, he has remained popular with young readers in Assamese language.
Goswami, currently heading Corporate Exploration & Development at ONGC, has more than three decades of experience in hydrocarbon exploration, reserves and resource management and has written across children’s literature, science fiction and travel writing. His literary and scientific worlds converge naturally in SISING, where exploration is as much a journey of imagination as it is of science.
With its English edition, Sising now begins a new journey—from Assam to readers across India and beyond.
