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- HarperCollins India presents Gita: The Battle of the Worlds by Sonal Sachdev Patel and Jemma Wayne
Is delighted to announce the release of the book Gita: The Battle of the Worlds
A beautifully reimagined adventure story transporting the sacred Hindu verse of the GITA into a book that is relevant to everybody’s life
‘It’s time that the Gita is presented in its true context – not as a moralistic book, but as a book that is relevant to everybody’s life’ Sadhguru
‘Its moral dilemmas are sensitively framed within an individual story, simply told and elegantly illustrated’ Dr Shashi Tharoor
‘Not just children, even adults will find it very relevant to make the importance of Gita teaching’s felt in our personal lives.’ Fabulous Mom Life
A classic moment from the GITA, the battle between good and evil, becomes a modern and crucial reinvention for the youth of today regardless of religious background. When eleven-year-old Dev’s father dies, he can’t stop lashing out at those he loves. Until he meets Sanjay, a sprite-like being who claims the incredible: that there is a battle raging inside Dev’s own body. But despite the mystery of the moment Dev feels his dark thoughts circling and his emotions and anguish once again rushing into his mind. Not to be put off Sanjay explains how he can help him control his emotions and with Dev’s agreement disappears inside his body to embark on a perilous journey beginning in the darkest realm at the bottom of Dev’s spine. As he searches for the noble warrior Prince Arjun, the only hope to defeat wicked Prince Ego, Sanjay encounters starving mobs, thieving gangs, water worlds and lands of fire, until at last he finds Arjun on the battlefield, ready to fight for Dev.
This is the first time that the Gita has been told in this way, bringing out the key spiritual messages within a fictional adventure story for children. It is a modern day instructional manual that brings to life the precious nuggets that are contained in this sacred text, in a way that is relatable for them.
India is facing a serious mental health crisis, with mental distress believed to be a key reason why one student commits suicide every hour in the country. So it’s no surprise that as social philanthropists, writers and mothers, Sonal Sachdev Patel and Jemma Wayne-Kattan are passionate about working on improving mental health in young children. By following the journey of the young boy, GITA: The Battle of the Worlds raises important life lessons and, with meditation at its core, equips young readers with accessible mental health tools. Sonal and Jemma hope that the story will not only inspire individual young readers but will give them tangible tools to cope with the struggles of modern day life.Although taken from Hinduism’s epic sacred scripture Mahabharata, Sonal and Jemma, who was born into a Jewish family, are keen to emphasise the universality of the GITA and hope that by transforming it into a story aimed at children aged 8 to 14 will help promote greater religious understanding and tolerance from an early age.
Complimented by beautiful and original illustrations, GITA: The Battle of the World is a captivating and thought-provoking addition to the children’s book and educational genres.
About the authors:
Sonal Sachdev Patel is a British born Indian Hindu that has been meditating for over 25 years. Living with her family in North London she maintains strong ties with India via the charitable foundation that she runs –GMSP Foundation. As a social entrepreneur, Sonal endeavours to take well-known but complex social challenges and retell them in powerful ways that challenge convention; bringing acid attack survivors to the London catwalk in LFW and curating an ethical luxury fashion line to give a voice to Indian artisans. Through her work she has also taken a leading role in the philanthropy space in the NRI community acting as an advisor to the Prince’s charity –British Asian Trust– and has been recognised for her work to stop gender violence in both India and the UK. She is also head of Global Partnerships an award-winning global initiative THINK EQUAL which due to the alarming statistics on children’s mental health is currently working across twelve countries to bring a system change in education.
Jemma Wayne is a Woman’s Prize listed author. After graduating from Cambridge University with an academic scholarship for her achievements in Social and Political Science before going on to obtain her PGDIP in Broadcast journalism from the University of Westminster and becoming a journalist and writer Her work has featured in, amongst others, The Evening Standard, The Independent on Sunday, National Geographic, Red, Standard Issue and the Jewish Quarterly. Her debut novel After Before (Legend Press 2014) was, amongst others, long-listed for the Bailey’s Women’s Prize for fiction. Other books include; Chains of Sand (Legend Press 2016) and Bare Necessities (Piatkus 2004). She lives in North, London with her family.
Together Sonal and Jemma personify the East meets West mix of this story. With a friendship that has spanned over thirty years, Sonal and Jemma have danced as toddlers in ballets together, studied alongside one another at Cambridge University and now have worked together on this epic story. With Sonal spear-heading Gita expertise and insight, and Jemma taking the lead on the book’s text, the result was a truly collaborative work, made all the more meaningful by the history and understanding between its creators. Each with two daughters, Sonal and Jemma are proud feminists and both strive to incorporate ways to speak out on important issues within their careers.
For more information and review copies please contact Kekuchina.Zeliang@harpercollins.co.in> / +91 7838 655 086
Format: Paperback Extent: 104 Price: Rs 250
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