Champs of Devgarh

by Aditya Sharma

In Devgarh, a fictional town, the boys of the Star Eleven cricket team are the good and bad boys of the Holy Mission School. Captained by Ajay but led by Aakash, the team, both individually and together, get into all kinds of scrapes with only one goal in sight being the best cricketing school side in Devgarh.

Follow their capers as they go through a gamut of experiences, from learning the value of money and honesty to first love, examination blues, and victory and defeat. Full of action and fun, this hugely exciting story of friendship and rivalry maps the pleasures and perils of life in a small town.

224 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 15, 2014

Reviews

[Deepa Agarwal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here’s a YA offering revolving around a subject that obsesses young and old alike in our country—the game of cricket. The story of an underdog cricket team who call themselves the Star Eleven, we cannot help but get involved in the fortunes of Aakash and his friends as they toil and finagle their way to their passionately longed for objective—to become the cricket champs of Devgarh.
But while the conflict on the playing field is a powerful page turner, the book kept me engaged because it provides a rare glimpse of genuine adolescent experience—teenage angst as it is lived in thousands of small towns across the country. Places like Devgarh, far from the glitz of the metropolitan cities, where boys from lower middle class families struggle to grasp seemingly elusive goals while attempt to balance their own dreams with the aspirations their parents have loaded them with.
As Ruskin Bond has commented on the back cover—Champs of Devgarh does take you back to Swami and Friends, uncannily so. It has the same innate honesty and reflects the turmoil of growing up in a small town in the same light hearted manner. There is the same naiveté, the same vulnerability and the same impulsive rebellion against authority with disregard of the consequences in the main protagonist Aakash, who follows the same pattern of getting into one scrape after another.
The Star Eleven’s commitment to their cause keeps the pace rolling even as their capers make you chuckle. Like many muddled youngsters, they are willing to lie, cheat and steal to obtain their objective, but each experience seems to dissolve a little of the mist of confusion and inexperience teenagers tend to flounder in. And it is exactly this rawness that evokes the reader’s empathy, keeps your emotions invested in the Star Eleven’s fate. Because let’s face it—many of us have made similar mistakes at that age and hopefully learnt from them. There are also typical characters you will recognize with a smile, since you might have encountered them in real life—kindly Gupta uncle the boys’ mentor, the shady, undesirable (from the parents’ point of view) friend Fakira and the antagonistic teachers, balanced fortunately by the understanding ones.
Simply written, without any literary gimmickry this is certainly a true “slice of life” book. The impact would have probably been greater if Aakash’s point of view had been more sharply delineated. All the same, Champs of Devgarh fills an important need. It is the kind of book that will attract even boys who are reluctant readers.

[Aditya Matolli · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up when I was 12 years old because the author had the same name as me. But little did I know that I was going to be delighted by this book. I ended up enjoying this book thoroughly. Now that I look back at it, the author could have made some huge improvements in storyline and editing. Over the years (just 4 actually) I lent it to a lot of friends and this book changed their reluctance to read books. It cannot be denied that this is a very easy read and go for this book if you not that much into reading.

[Mudra · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is such a good and fun read. I loved it. And I literally started re-reading it immediately after I finished it. if you like cricket, this is the best book for you. Even if you're not a cricket fan, you'll still love it. Just give it a try.btw, no romance only bromance.

[Kunal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Truly a nostalgic trip down the memory lane of school days!

[Zalak Shah · Rating 4 out of 5]

the story is very catchy but sometimes the narrative gets heavier with a few tough words for kids... i loved that too00 as it was good from a vocabulary point of view

[Purnima Pandey · Rating 1 out of 5]

On the cover and title - They do not tend to fudge the simpleness of story. They give immediate visual perception and a glimpse of the story.

On story- It is a simple little story about ordinary boys of Devgarh with not so ordinary optimism. It is an honest effort to portray real struggle faced by teens. Champs of Devgarh don't try hard to spell its story.

On writing style - writing style is good and easy. it is enough simple that make it plain sailing during read.

On editing - more efficient editing was required to remove repetition of word and length of unwanted descriptions.

The Final Comment: I wondered whether a writer is writing a book for children, teenager or youth. Though it doesn't fall into any of the categories, it shows that the writer himself is unable to think clearly.

[Ramit Gulati · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is one of those few ‘unputdownable’ books that I have come across and have read it fairly quickly as compared to my other books. Aditya has beautifully captured the emotions and turbulence of growing phase of life. With cricket as the backdrop, it teaches us how one can realize one’s true and hidden potentials and follow the dreams. It shows the path how to hone your skills and overcome your shortcoming to realize your dreams and be what one wants to be.
The readers can very well relate themselves to the characters of the book.

It’s a must read!

[Akshay Sachdev · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aditya Sharma's 'Champs of Devgarh' took me back to Ruskin Bonds 'Road to the Bazaar'. It had a similar earthiness to it, replete with small town characters with simple aspirations. The book is a pleasant read and gives you an enjoyable insight into the lives of the boys who form the Star 11 cricket team, the underdogs of the cricketing circuit of Devgarh who fight the odds to become cricketing heroes in their small town. A must read especially for cricket lovers.

[Gary · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is written in a simple language, which reflects that author wants to cater to young sports esp. cricket loving youth.
The book picks up pace slowly. It has numerous incidents which depict the life of common man and problems faced by them.
It seems the book is not marketed well, as very less of promotion is done for the book which might be the reason for less popularity of the book.
Nevertheless, it is a good book to read and would remind you of your childhood.

[Sabina · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book maintains its pace throughout - not just in the story topic but the way the story was narrated. The plot of the story is good. I would say it’s a must read for the readers who want to relive their teen life. I am really looking forward to reading other books by Aditya.