Interview with Anjali Jaipuria & Sudeepti Tucker, author of Colours with Radha Krishna

I’ve always loved stories about Krishna since I was a child. I have written Nursery Rhymes for children in Hindi which incorporate universal values, our culture, inculcate love for the environment.

on Apr 25, 2023

Interview with Anjali Jaipuria & Sudeepti Tucker, author of Colours with Radha Krishna

Frontlist: What inspired you to write the book “Colours With Radha Krishna”?

Anjali & Sudeepti: I had been looking at some early learning children’s books, simple ones on colours, numbers, shapes, and so on and it struck me that children are still being taught about colours in the same boring way, i.e., using an apple to show red, grass for green, blue for water, and so on. The images being used were quite uninspiring as well. So, I began thinking of a different way to approach colours that would be rooted in the Indian cultural context while also teaching kids how to value and appreciate nature. That’s how I came up with the idea for the book! And to the colours I added sounds of nature too, to the rhymes, like buzzing of bees, fluttering of leaves.

Frontlist: You have chosen to feature divine deities like Lord Krishna and Radha in your book. Please elaborate on your decision to do so.

Anjali & Sudeepti: I’ve always loved stories about Krishna since I was a child. I have written Nursery Rhymes for children in Hindi which incorporate universal values, our culture, inculcate love for the environment. For the last two or more decades I have been penning down poems to Krishna. I have always found an irresistible attraction in Krishna and Radha and wished to share their sweet playfulness with the young ones. I felt this would be a fun way to introduce young children to these characters from our rich tradition of religious storytelling, a way to make them interesting and relatable to young readers.

Frontlist: Could you elucidate your thought process behind selecting the colours to depict the relationship between Radha & Krishna?

Anjali & Sudeepti: Starting with blue was the obvious choice since blue is the colour of Krishna’s skin in many depictions. As for the others, I knew I wanted to include all the basic colours, since one of the purposes of the book is to help children associate colours with their names and with objects they are likely to see around them. Once I started writing, each colour spontaneously began fitting into the scheme of the Radha Krishna stories. I went with the flow and wrote what felt appropriate—of course, a little editing was needed, but the colours and the stories felt like a natural fit. It also felt natural to go from day to night, to show the progression of colours in a child’s surroundings through a single day. Gold and silver added a special flavour to the book.

Frontlist: What led you to write “Radha & Krishna” in a bilingual language?

Anjali & Sudeepti: A lot of Indian parents, both in the country and abroad, are keen to teach their children their n native languages, whatever they may be. It’s a simple but profound way to help children feel connected to their culture and their roots. Being bilingual or multilingual is something more and more people are aspiring to be, and many parents I’ve talked to have talked about how hard it is to find books that introduce Indian languages to children in an accessible and fun way. Also, AdiDev Press is committed to publishing books not just in English but in regional Indian languages as well, it seemed like a good opportunity to contribute to this goal by making this book bilingual

Frontlist: How did you come up with the idea of creating enchanting illustrations that captivate young readers?

Anjali & Sudeepti: I cannot claim credit for the illustrations at all, since they were entirely produced by Chitwan, the publisher, and the extremely talented Sudeepti Tucker! Books for very young children need to be visually interesting in order to capture their interest and make them want to keep turning the pages. So once the text was written, we knew we needed someone exceptional to make each spread and each colour stand out. Also, since the book only has two characters and all of the action takes place outdoors, both Chitwan and Sudeepti worked hard to make sure that the pages didn’t look too similar. I think they have done a wonderful job of making each page dynamic and interesting!

Frontlist: In your opinion, how important is it to introduce young generations to books that explore religious concepts and illustrations?

Anjali & Sudeepti: Personally, I feel that religion builds that deep foundation on which the grand edifice of spirituality is built. Religion opens the doorway of faith to spiritual leanings. I believe religion is tied to culture in many ways. Religious stories have survived across generations for a reason: there’s a power in them, a history in them that connects us to our ancestors in a deep and meaningful way. Stories of Radha and Krishna form a part of the ancient history of India. It is our itihaas.

Frontlist: What message are you trying to convey to readers through the book?

Anjali & Sudeepti: No message in particular, beyond an appreciation for colours, for nature’s abundance and beauty and melodious sounds. Inculcating a love for their own culture and history and an innate love of nature will help create a generation who may work together to preserve Mother Earth.