BY SONAM MIRPURI
LOS ANGELES, CA - Recognizing the need for something lacking in the local Indian-American community and then taking the necessary steps to see that the need is filled is exactly what Los Angeles native Reena Bhansali did. Instead of complaining about the lack of books for children which teaches them how to speak Hindi, Bhansali combined her experience with...
LOS ANGELES, CA - Recognizing the need for something lacking in the local Indian-American community and then taking the necessary steps to see that the need is filled is exactly what Los Angeles native Reena Bhansali did. Instead of complaining about the lack of books for children which teaches them how to speak Hindi, Bhansali combined her experience with...
a long-standing dream of hers, to bring this book into fruition. Bhansali wrote and recently published `My First Hindi Words,’ a simple and enjoyable 28-page word book which assists in teaching your baby Hindi vocabulary and Hindi words they could encounter on a daily basis. “I knew writing a children’s book was something I wanted to do for a long time. Recently though, as my family and friends have had babies -- I saw that there was a real need for a Hindi word book,” said Bhansali. She is a newly published author; however, Bhansali has been running Hindi by Reena, a one stop shop for Hindi learning courses, activities, and products for kids for a few years now.
Additionally, she has been teaching Hindi to children ages 7 and up in Los Angeles. As well as working as a Public Relations Consultant for large companies and startups. Selecting to fulfill the need by writing a word book for children was a significant aspect in the process as it is essential to introduce children to Hindi and to do so at an early age. “That is why I chose a baby book. When kids are very young, they learn faster and are increasing their vocabulary at lightning speed. What a perfect time to introduce Hindi!,” said Bhansali. South Asians have paved their way in various parts of the world and blended in amongst the mainstream population. Thus making it difficult for present and even more challenging for future generations to maintain a hold on the culture, traditions, and languages. “As time goes on living in another country -- the next generation and the generation after are looking for ‘bridges’ to connect them to their South Asian culture.
For me and many families, language has always been that bridge. You can connect with family; Bollywood movies, songs, and dance all through language,” said Bhansali. It required half a year to create this word book, bringing it from thought to reality. “It took about six months for me to solidify the concept, illustrate the drawings, and create the final version of the book,” said Bhansali. Subsequent to overcoming her initial struggle of beginning, Bhansali took the time and effort to put in all of the necessary due diligence for the word book. “I put this book together after lots of research and thought.
I had worked with very young children, teaching them Hindi, and took the time to understand the kinds of words they use every day,” said Bhansali. Afer her immense research Bhansali finally had a general sense of which common and daily words are used in Hindi to include in the word book. “Once I had a handle on what words would be most useful to kids, I had a good blue-print of what Hindi words to include in the book,” said Bhansali. Choosing the appearance of the book and the pictures was an important aspect to consider as well. “Deciding on the style and color scheme for the illustrations took some time as well,” said Bhansali. Bringing this dream and need into fruition compelled Bhansali to pick up and continue a skill she had not utilized for some time. “It required me to shut myself into a room and spend hours sketching and coloring -- something I hadn’t done in years,” said Bhansali. Overall the author’s desire for her book is that it should be used and useful.
She hopes that her book will be the resource which assists in teaching future generations a language that bonds them to where their family members and previous generations came from. “This book is the perfect gift for new parents and for young kids. My aim is to help families who want to teach their child Hindi to keep them connected to their roots,” said Bhansali. Keeping the need in mind and desiring to provide more such resources to the community, Bhansali’s future plans include working on more word and story books.
Additionally, she has been teaching Hindi to children ages 7 and up in Los Angeles. As well as working as a Public Relations Consultant for large companies and startups. Selecting to fulfill the need by writing a word book for children was a significant aspect in the process as it is essential to introduce children to Hindi and to do so at an early age. “That is why I chose a baby book. When kids are very young, they learn faster and are increasing their vocabulary at lightning speed. What a perfect time to introduce Hindi!,” said Bhansali. South Asians have paved their way in various parts of the world and blended in amongst the mainstream population. Thus making it difficult for present and even more challenging for future generations to maintain a hold on the culture, traditions, and languages. “As time goes on living in another country -- the next generation and the generation after are looking for ‘bridges’ to connect them to their South Asian culture.
For me and many families, language has always been that bridge. You can connect with family; Bollywood movies, songs, and dance all through language,” said Bhansali. It required half a year to create this word book, bringing it from thought to reality. “It took about six months for me to solidify the concept, illustrate the drawings, and create the final version of the book,” said Bhansali. Subsequent to overcoming her initial struggle of beginning, Bhansali took the time and effort to put in all of the necessary due diligence for the word book. “I put this book together after lots of research and thought.
I had worked with very young children, teaching them Hindi, and took the time to understand the kinds of words they use every day,” said Bhansali. Afer her immense research Bhansali finally had a general sense of which common and daily words are used in Hindi to include in the word book. “Once I had a handle on what words would be most useful to kids, I had a good blue-print of what Hindi words to include in the book,” said Bhansali. Choosing the appearance of the book and the pictures was an important aspect to consider as well. “Deciding on the style and color scheme for the illustrations took some time as well,” said Bhansali. Bringing this dream and need into fruition compelled Bhansali to pick up and continue a skill she had not utilized for some time. “It required me to shut myself into a room and spend hours sketching and coloring -- something I hadn’t done in years,” said Bhansali. Overall the author’s desire for her book is that it should be used and useful.
She hopes that her book will be the resource which assists in teaching future generations a language that bonds them to where their family members and previous generations came from. “This book is the perfect gift for new parents and for young kids. My aim is to help families who want to teach their child Hindi to keep them connected to their roots,” said Bhansali. Keeping the need in mind and desiring to provide more such resources to the community, Bhansali’s future plans include working on more word and story books.
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