Why you shouldn't mess with Kali (she's a bit goth), why Ganesha has an elephant's head and why yoga is good for you ufffd all these and more in a just-released kiddie book which simplifies the chequered world of Hindu deities. A sneak peek
Why you shouldn't mess with Kali (she's a bit goth), why Ganesha has an elephant's head and why yoga is good for you--all these and more in a just-released kiddie book which simplifies the chequered world of Hindu deities. A sneak peek
You're most likely to go 'Aww' when you see this child-friendly guide to heavenly beings. The author/illustrator Sanjay Patel says he chose the Hello Kitty style of imagery so as not to offend anyone. It doesn't offend at all, it's super cute. Pages in full colour and richly illustrated, this little handbook picks one god or goddess or divine being per page. The perfect gift, and you might learn a thing of two along the way too. 
u00a0The Little Book of Hindu Deities, written & illustrated byu00a0Sanjay
u00a0Patel, published by Penguin, Rs 299
Let the music play
What we loved most were the pages featuring Shiva, Kali and the Bhagavad Gita. Peppered with loads of humour including lines like "Some think that when Shiva finishes dancing, the world will come to an end - so keep the music coming! Shiva has long hair, but he is not a girl. He just doesn't like haircuts." The illustration of a hardly forbidding-looking Shiva on a bright red page will attract young ones for sure.
But our favourite is Kali, who even with her skull necklace and belt made of human hands manages to make a stuck-out tongue look cutesy. Parting lines on Kali: "Kali also works part-time making sure everyone gets the measles and the mumps so their bodies can be stronger when they need to fight other germs."u00a0
A bit about Gandhi
The page about the Bhagavad Gita (with a sorry looking Arjuna and a confident Krishna), even brings in Mahatma Gandhi and his constant references to the Mahabharata's most iconic chapter. "Lord Krishna restored Arjuna's nerve to begin and eventually win the battle, and in doing so he showed that we must move beyond our own egos and merge with divine consciousness to fulfill our duties.The great peace activist Gandhi read the Bhagavad Gita often when he was imprisoned; it kept him committed to his duty and his cause."
There you have it. Non-condescending, simple and effective. Though The Little Book of Hindu Deities may be a bit too complex for younger children to read on their own, it's a very parent-reads-out-while-child-looks-at-artwork kind of book.
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