A mother of two has launched a new series of illustrated books for children who are curious about Indian gods and goddesses.
"On Diwali when parents pray to Goddess Laxmi and Lord Ganesh, kids are curious about the shapes and forms of their images,' Madhuri Soni told SBS Hindi.
"And the questions raised by these developing minds are sometimes difficult to answer. That is what inspired me to do something to explain our religious and cultural beliefs to my kids," said the Gold Coast-based pharmacist.
When Madhuri was only six, she moved with her parents to Australia from Fiji. The stories she heard or read about the Indian culture as a child are still with her.
"I want to explain it to my kids in a more modern way. I feel the Vedic hero Ganesh's or Hanuman’s story is much more interesting and engaging than Spiderman's or Superman's, but we have to realise that storytelling has to match with time and place."
"For the past year I was on maternity leave which gave me the opportunity to use my creative side to write a series of picture books on our Vedic heroes," she says.
“For Indian-Australian second- or third-generation children it will be more relatable to see Lord Ganesh on a surfboard than other things," she said.
"I have worked closely with Indian-based illustrator Abira Das to create visually engaging characters and fun, familiar scene designs," Soni told SBS Hindi.
Vedic Heroes is a collection of books introducing children to the most popular deities from the ancient Hindu Vedic scriptures.
The books are presented in poetic form, incorporating rhythm and rhyme, with brightly coloured illustrations to engage the youngest of readers.
Madhuri says information presented within each book has been carefully researched from Vedic sources and compiled with simple language that is easy to comprehend for young children.
