The Hindu on the Bindu Created to Help Celebrate Diwali and Encourage Children to Write Their Own Stories
The Elf on the Shelf is marketed as being aChristmas tradition– the Mensch on a Bench is its Jewish equivalent. With no doll and storybook set available for children who celebrate Diwali, David Euler decided to do something about it by creating The Hindu on the Bindu.
“I am Jewish. My wife is Hindu. I decided to make a doll that is universal and gives Hindu kids like my children something for the Diwali,” says Euler. “That’s how the Hindu on the Bindu was born.”
Euler, a renowned acupuncturist who also co-directs and teaches an acupuncture course for physicians at Harvard Medical School, explains that his creation is bigger than just a way to celebrate Diwali. The hope is that it will be the spark the ignites the imaginations of children to tell their own stories, examine their culture, learn about others, and know the power a serene smiling face can have.
“The Hindu on the Bindu lives within all of us,” he says. “He is our inner child, our spirit of imagination, and our connection to creativity and hope.”
The bindu is the symbol of all beginnings, he explains, the ultimate opportunity for all creation. “If you know where you are coming from, you know where you are going,” stresses Euler.
The product encourages children to write their own stories that can be shared on the Hindu on the Bindu website at: www.hinduonthebindu.com and can then be printed and published.
“When storytellers pass way, everything disappears. If their stories were written down, they keep on living, generation to generation,” explains Euler. Featured in his book, “Stories from the Hindu on the Bindu,” is a story that depicts his wife’s father, a storyteller, as a way to honor his legacy.Another story, “The Treasure at the End of the Rainbow,” intertwines creatures found in both Indian as well as Western mythology. Leprechauns, a white Pegasus, gentle giants, friendly bears, fairies of all colors, a smiling Cyclops, and a three-headed demon all grace its pages.
Given today’s digital world, imagination and the ability to interact decreases, says Euler. “It’s called social media, but it’s actually anti-social. Today’s technology is highly addictive and changes brain chemistry and I want to counter that. It is my hope that Hindu on the Bindu will encourage children to talk and reconnect with family members, friends and neighbors.”
A Facebook campaign (https://www.facebook.com/hinduonthebindu/)
is underway and hundreds of dolls and books will be given away to lucky followers who like the page. They have also been donated to children’s hospitals across the country. The doll and book are available for purchase by going to www.hinduonthebindu.com
For more information on The Hindu on the Bindu, or for hi-res photography and/or to schedule an interview with Euler, please contact Andrea Doyle at 201-483-7227 or firstname.lastname@example.org.