Little Diya began not in a studio or with a business plan — but at a school cultural day, with my six-year-old daughter looking at me with wide eyes, waiting for an answer I didn't have.
Her teacher had just asked the class: "Why do you celebrate Diwali?"
My daughter looked at me. I looked at her. The room felt very quiet for a moment. We celebrate Diwali every year — the diyas, the rangoli, the new clothes, the laddoos. We love it. But why? What does it actually mean? I realised in that moment that I had been passing down the ritual without the story.
"We do Diwali every year. But I couldn't explain why — not really. Not in a way a six-year-old could hold onto and carry forward."
That evening I went looking for something to help. A book, a printable, an activity — anything warm, Indian-feeling, and honest about the meaning behind the traditions. Not watered-down, not clip-art. Something a child could do with their hands and understand in their heart.
I couldn't find it. So I made it.
Diya is the character at the centre of every kit — a curious, big-hearted six-year-old who asks the question every NRI child eventually asks: "But why do we do this?" She's accompanied by Mor, her wise peacock friend, who explains traditions the way a good storyteller would — with warmth, detail, and no condescension.
The name also means something personal to me. A diya — a small clay lamp — holds a flame. It doesn't need to be large to give light. That's what I wanted these kits to do: hold a small, warm flame of understanding that a child could carry forward through their life.
I grew up between two worlds. School in one culture, home in another. There were moments of pride and moments of confusion — not knowing how to explain Holi to a friend, or why we couldn't eat beef, or what exactly was happening at the temple. Those moments shape you.
I don't want my daughter — or your children — to feel that confusion. I want them to feel proud. To have the words. To be able to turn to a classmate and say: "This is Baisakhi. Let me tell you why we celebrate it."
I'm an Indian parent living abroad, designing kits from my kitchen table during nap times and evenings. Every kit is researched carefully, written for children aged 3–8, and tested with my own kids. I'm not a publisher or a big company — just someone who wanted something like this to exist, and decided to make it happen.
Baisakhi is the first. We're building one kit for every major Indian festival — releasing six weeks before each celebration so families have time to prepare.