A Gold Coast-based pharmacist and mother of two has launched a new series of illustrated books for children who are curious about Indian gods and goddesses.
"On Diwali festivals when parents pray to the Goddess Laxmi and God Ganesh, kids are curious about the shape and form of them,' Madhuri Soni told SBS Hindi.
"And the questions raised by these developing minds are sometimes difficult to answer.
"This is what inspired me to do something to explain our religious and cultural beliefs to my kids," she said.
Madhuri, who moved to Australia with her parents from Fiji when she was only six years old said the stories she heard or read about Indian culture as a child are still with her.
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"I want to explain it to my kids in a more modern way. I feel the Vedic Hero Ganesh or Hanuman’s story is much more interesting and engaging than Spiderman or Superman, 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.
Vedic Heroes is a collection of books introducing children to the most popular deities from the ancient Hindu Vedic scriptures.
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The books are presented in poetic form, incorporating rhythm and rhyme, with brightly coloured illustrations to engage the youngest of readers.
“For Indian Australian second or third generation children it will be more relatable to see God Ganesh on a surfboard than other things," she said.
"I have worked closely with an Indian-based illustrator Abira Das to create visually engaging characters and fun, familiar scene designs," Ms Soni told SBS Hindi.
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.
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