We owe it to ourselves to preserve our own traditional tales to rediscover the realms of our rich culture and heritage. AdiDev Press, an indie publishing house, is born with a quest to bring forth strong themes of South Asian culture, for young children. Their books, created primarily for young children, from ages 0 to 8 years, explore human emotions and universal values through engaging content.
Headquartered in Delhi, AdiDev Press is releasing six titles this November. The flagship title is a Hanuman Chalisa for children. My First Hanuman Chalisa is a simple translation (along with word meanings) in which each verse is brought to life through stunning illustrations. The book has received praise from celebrities as varied as Gautam Gambhir and Hema Malini. Award-winning authors such as Amish Tripathi, Bibek Debroy, Namita Gokhale, and Ira Trivedi have reviewed the book. Further, Sri Sri Ravishankar, Founder of Art of Living and Swami Swaroopananda, Global Head of the Chinmaya Mission have endorsed this book.
There is also a series titled, Learning TO BE, which introduces children to BIG Values though the lives of inspiring personalities. The first set of this series is based on Indian saints including Mahavira, Guru Nanak and Buddha and focuses on the values of Kindness, Service, and Peace. These books explore ways in which children can inculcate these values in their everyday lives. Next in the series is a set on women in science: Courage with Anandi Joshee, Passion with Aditi Pant, Perseverance with Janaki Amal, Commitment with Bibha Chowdhuri.
There is a picture book for toddlers titled, Are your Emotions like Mine? which enables young children to identify and navigate the swarm of emotions they experience, each day. AdiDev Press is focused on introducing the mother tongue to toddlers (especially those living abroad) and has a series of books that introduce Hindi vocabulary (numbers, food, clothes, colours, musical instruments) in a fun and quirky way. All these books have beautiful illustrations and are printed with high-quality international standards.
Talking about the inception and ideology of AdiDev Press, Founder, Mrs. Chitwan Mittal says, “Stories are an intrinsic part of our lives. We want children from the South Asian diaspora to be raised with stories that they can identify with. I, when a young adult, studying in Boston and London, would constantly seek books that were inspirational and uplifting. I would long to see this caliber of books with themes from home, with pictures of South Asian children and places. When I moved to Singapore, as a mother of two young boys, I decided to realize my lifelong dream and started to create such books. We hope our books will introduce the rich heritage of South Asia into our children’s lives, in a thoughtful manner.”
AdiDev Press is committed to creating high-quality children’s books to introduce different aspects of South Asian culture by leveraging exceptional story-telling and beautiful illustrations. To create content, AdiDev Press is working with several young authors, editors, illustrators, graphic designers, and art- directors from across India, giving them an opportunity to showcase their talent.
Founder’s Profile:
Ms. Chitwan Mittal, was raised in the small town of Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. Books form an intrinsic part of her life, since her childhood. She completed her BSc. in English Education from Boston University and her Masters in Values in Education from University of London. An educationist at heart, she is passionate about Value-Oriented Education. She is also a published author of a book on holistic education titled, Education of the Complete Person and a few short monographs, Taittiriya Upanishad, and Arguments for the Existence of God. Through AdiDev Press she aims to create enduring children’s books, with a universal appeal. She aspires to not only introduce children to South Asian culture but also spark wonder, enchantment, and appreciation, in young minds.
