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 Sooraj ke tarha chamko
Chidiyo ke tharha Cheheko
Phoolo ke Tharha Meheko
Haso hasao Khushe Manao
Now parents and kids who cannot speak or read Hindi can sing this original nursery rhyme created by Sheetal Singhal of San Jose, Calif.. The poem is in Hindi, but comes with English transliteration so it's great for young parents who may not know how to write the script. In India of course you have grandmas and aunts teaching toddlers Hindi rhymes, but here you can depend on Meeramasi (Meera Aunty), an innovative company started by two sisters Singhal and Sonali Herrera.
Herrera could speak Hindi, but did not know how to write it while her older sister Sheetal, who grew up in India, could both read and write it. Anxious to teach their kids the language, they came up with the Khushe Manao Series, five picture books for toddlers, which not only have original rhymes, but also popular American nursery rhymes translated into Hindi, with Hindi script and English transliteration. The books have proved especially popular with U.S.-born parents as well as families where one spouse is non-Indian.
The books come with a CD so that kids can get the right Hindi pronunciation and tone. The ABC song is very popular with children so Meeramasi's next offering is Varnamala Geet in Hindi. Says Herrera, "We have already been approached by Hindi schools locally and on the East Coast about this product. This would also be a great addition to the curriculum for Hindi elective courses in high schools and universities."
The sisters plan to do books in other Indian languages too, so we should have a lot of young linguists soon - thanks to Meera Masi!
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