[00:00:00] Shetal Shah: I knew I wanted to do something different and I was searching for inspiration.
[00:00:06] Shetal Shah: And that's how I came across some of these names. And as I discovered more and more women that I could relate to, I started thinking, Oh, my gosh, where were they when I was young? And I would have loved to have known about these women when I was young. And so I started creating a list of all of these names.
[00:00:25] Shetal Shah: And I had over 30 to 40 and that list continues to get longer as I continued to do my research and, I decided to create this book and I narrowed it down by I knew I wanted every woman to represent a different industry.
[00:00:42] Dori Durbin: That was the voice of, she thought Shaw.
[00:00:45] Shetal Shah: When she realized her ethnicity wasn't represented in books, she got proactive. Find out why she wrote a book about women for her own voice. How each of us has girl power inside. And how we can all use some strong female [00:01:00] figures on the shelves of our lives
[00:01:02] Dori Durbin: When kids read books, one of the most fun things to hear is when readers connect with the characters both physically and emotionally.
[00:01:10] Dori Durbin: But what if there are no characters who look or act like you? Today's guest is a published entrepreneur, former teacher, and school administrator who saw a need for more diversity in South Asian literature.
[00:01:24] Dori Durbin: As a second generation Indian American, she hopes to see stories of girls like her fill the shelves. Welcome to the show. She thought
[00:01:31] Shetal Shah: thank you for having me. I'm excited to be
[00:01:34] Dori Durbin: here, Dori. For sure. So you're a former world history teacher, an administrator, a mom of two boys. Yes. I think it's super interesting that you chose to write for girls.
[00:01:46] Dori Durbin: Tell me a little bit why you felt there was a need for girls books.
[00:01:49] Shetal Shah: Yes. I taught for about 15 years and predominantly in girl schools was where I spent my days teaching. So I started [00:02:00] Teaching at an all girls public school in New York City, and then when I moved to Atlanta, I started teaching at an independent girls school, and it was really in those environments really where I really understood sort of that.
[00:02:14] Shetal Shah: The power of being in that, female centric environment, feeling the support and then seeing those like you pursuing their passion and stepping into roles of leadership. And so even as a teacher, I found myself in those environments.. Finding my own voice and finding my own sense of confidence and really discovering who I was at the core.
[00:02:41] Shetal Shah: And I don't know if that wouldn't have, if that would have happened had I worked anywhere else. And it was really in those spaces where I also discovered how important it was to see representation in books, in media, in curriculum. I Was fortunate [00:03:00] to be able to teach in spaces where it was encouraged to bring in inclusive literature into the classroom stories from history.
[00:03:09] Shetal Shah: And at times I fell short in finding the resources, but when I could. Bring it into the classroom. I had learned as a teacher in my training, but also through my observations, what an impact it had on my students in terms of their sense of belonging and confidence in the classroom, especially for girls where.
[00:03:30] Shetal Shah: Our stories are often overlooked in history textbooks. And it was really that experience really motivated me to write something in particular for girls. And then growing up in the United States as a second generation Indian American, my 1970s from India. I grew up in the U. S. Much through the eighties and nineties.
[00:03:57] Shetal Shah: And I myself saw very little [00:04:00] representation of myself in the books that I read and the curriculum that I was taught. And having my experience as a teacher, but then looking back on my childhood, I've often wondered, gosh, would I have found my voice sooner? Had I have found my sense of confidence sooner had I seen representations of myself in at a younger age in the books that I read, it all just happened much later in life.
[00:04:26] Shetal Shah: And I'm grateful for that. But I think, for young girls to reach them sooner earlier To help them, establish the confidence to be their true selves and follow their passions has, I think, such as positive impact on their impressionable minds. And so I think I really wanted to reach and, get in touch with my younger self and really do something that deep inside of myself I still need and
[00:04:54] Shetal Shah: that was the motivation behind Shakti Girls, and even being a mom of [00:05:00] two boys, I definitely felt like they needed a book where they also saw what women are truly capable of doing, women that look like their mom, and if I want them to grow up To be, not just supporters, but cheerleaders for women and women of color.
[00:05:21] Shetal Shah: If I want them to really be feminist men, they need to start learning and being exposed to these stories at a much younger age to address any sort of subconscious. Unconscious bias that they might have towards women and girls on what they're capable of doing and being okay with stepping aside to let a woman lead when those occasions happen.
[00:05:46] Shetal Shah: So I definitely feel like it's my responsibility as a boy mom to expose them and teach them these stories starting at a young age. I love that. I
[00:05:57] Dori Durbin: love the fact that you're not just focused on the [00:06:00] girls. You're also seeing it as a proactive step as a mom to help empower your boys.
[00:06:05] Dori Durbin: And that's going to serve them so well down the path of life. And it sounds like some of the reasons that South Asian girls Might need the book to is that their life experiences might be a little bit different than their counterparts. Did you see that in your students as well?
[00:06:23] Shetal Shah: Oh, definitely. Definitely certain. Traditions play a role. And how our experiences are different, family dynamics culture, cultural differences definitely play a role. I can definitely say growing up here, having to code switch often between home life and school life was definitely something I had to navigate and experience that I often felt like, I wasn't sure who else could relate to me, in that way with unless I was with my other Indian American friends.
[00:06:57] Shetal Shah: So it was, I think that was [00:07:00] definitely an experience that I had that really, I still carry with me today when I find myself in spaces where I'm. The one and only, I definitely I've always been drawn to the humanities and arts, for education, for example, it was the only Asian teacher for a really long time in my school.
[00:07:19] Shetal Shah: And so navigating that, and although so much of it is unconscious to me, but looking back, I'm like, yeah, you know what, there was added stressors and added pressure being that one and only and figuring out how to be, how to bring my full self and space where there's no one else like me can be really challenging at times.
[00:07:40] Shetal Shah: And then wanting to be what comes naturally to me when it's against the, like the dominant group, or, I was always drawn to the arts and humanities. And so being true to that meant that I had to, maybe pull away from what everybody else is doing and being okay, [00:08:00] if my intelligence is measured in subjects.
[00:08:03] Shetal Shah: That is not typical of, of people that look like me. And so finding confidence in that and honoring my true self is something that I also, it took me a long time to figure out. That's a, that's
[00:08:15] Dori Durbin: a lifetime lesson that unfortunately took the lifetime, versus if we can equip kids with that early, especially like you were saying, the younger girls, that's very powerful.
[00:08:25] Dori Durbin: Speaking of that, your title, tell us about your title and what that means. Yes.
[00:08:31] Shetal Shah: So Shakti in its simplest definition in Hindi means power and is the power within you. And that power can manifest in a multitude of ways. It can appear through your talent, your skill, your intelligence or even through your like compassion and love towards one another.
[00:08:54] Shetal Shah: And so it stems from a feminine energy. Often, [00:09:00] And it stems from a feminine energy in Hinduism, and so there is a goddess. Her name is Goddess Durga in Hinduism and her feminine energy that she brings to the universe that nurtures the universe and balances the universe is called Shakti.
[00:09:18] Shetal Shah: And so it's actually this time of year. That she celebrated. There is a nine day festival that's coming up called Navratri where she is the center of that festival. And it's funny when I was a young girl and we'd go out and to dance and celebrate this festival. I think I knew that it was all about her, but I didn't really let it sink in.
[00:09:39] Shetal Shah: And now as an adult, I'm like, Oh my gosh, that festival is all about girl power. It's all about, Shakti and how it lives within all of us. And that we all have this power and it appears in different ways. And so I definitely wanted to create this book a representation of all these, Indian women who have shakti in different ways and [00:10:00] that we can follow our passion because we were born to bring our unique traits and help the universe in different ways.
[00:10:08] Dori Durbin: That's so cool. And the book, we'll talk a little bit about the structure of the book because I thought this was really interesting. They're basically poems about these women that you were celebrating, right? And so my question was, how did you choose who to incorporate who was worthy of making the book?
[00:10:28] Dori Durbin: Yeah. And how did you decide how to set this up? Because it's really, it's unique.
[00:10:33] Shetal Shah: Yeah, thank you. It was hard coming up with breaking it down to 13 women. Cause there were, as I started doing my research. And actually, the research happened organically. I left my job as a teacher. I knew I wanted to do something different and I was searching for inspiration.
[00:10:57] Shetal Shah: And that's how I came across some of these [00:11:00] names. And then as I discovered more and more women that I could relate to, I started thinking, Oh, my gosh, where were they when I was young? And I would have loved to have known about these women when I was young. And so I started creating a list of all of these names.
[00:11:18] Shetal Shah: And I had over 30 to 40 and that list continues to get longer as I continued to do my research and, I decided to create this book and I narrowed it down by I knew I wanted every woman to represent a different industry. So the arts athletics politics, business executives.
[00:11:41] Shetal Shah: And so I wanted a variety of women from different industries, but I also wanted the women to represent the diversity of India and also the diversity of the diaspora. And so we have women from India from different regions of India, and then we also have women that were [00:12:00] born and raised. in India, they live there their whole lives.
[00:12:03] Shetal Shah: And then we have women that were born in India, maybe moved to another country and, really pursued their career and their adult life in those other countries. And then we have women like me. Who were born and raised in, outside of India, in the U. S. For example, to parents that came from India.
[00:12:22] Shetal Shah: And so I wanted to definitely capture those different generations because I knew my readers and my families would represent those different generations as well. And I know for me personally, it's helpful to have role models. That grew up in the U. S. like me, but then also, are connected to India in different ways.
[00:12:43] Shetal Shah: Like all of those representations matter to me.
[00:12:47] Dori Durbin: Yeah, that would be quite the task trying to figure out all of those pieces. But then my brain also goes there could be another book after this, right? Yeah, I'm working on it. I'm already 13, so there's three books right there. Okay, [00:13:00] yeah.
[00:13:00] Dori Durbin: Yeah exactly.
[00:13:01] Shetal Shah: It takes a long time to write the poems though they're really hard to write and the history teacher in me really wants to make sure the content is there. So I start with, what's the story like, forget about the poem what's the story? What are the details of her life that like, I want to capture?
[00:13:21] Shetal Shah: And every poem from beginning, to challenges that she may have overcome to her impact. And then what is like the big, lesson to take away from her life that readers can really connect with. And so I wanted all of those elements in every poem. And then I went into writing it into poetry and making sure that it rhymed.
[00:13:43] Shetal Shah: So the process was, is lengthy. So to write 13 takes me a long time.
[00:13:49] Dori Durbin: Yeah, I'm sure it took a while. And then you had an artist who the art is beautiful. It's absolutely beautiful and colorful and it just is very alive [00:14:00] and vibrant looking. So I was really impressed with the art as well. Thank you. Yes,
[00:14:04] Shetal Shah: she did.
[00:14:05] Shetal Shah: Kavita Rajput is the illustrator. She's based in New York City. She's from Mumbai, India. And I found her through social media through a friend, and we met on a zoom call and it was we connected right away. She understood the purpose and the mission that was driving the work and I could sense right away that she was going to put in 200 percent into this book.
[00:14:33] Shetal Shah: And she did. She did a phenomenal job, really capturing the essence of every woman. And she also really understood that, how we represent these women and the cover and everything, not only, was deserving by our South Asian girls, but also to really. Peek the interest of those who are curious about learning about Indian culture and women and people in history.
[00:14:59] Shetal Shah: And so [00:15:00] really to entice people to peek through this window into
[00:15:03] Dori Durbin: another world. She did a great job and I can tell the two of you were. In sync just from the creation of the book. So that's fabulous. I think too, it's interesting because some of our listeners, they've never done this.
[00:15:16] Dori Durbin: They've never gone through this process of writing books. So your honesty has been awesome. But I, one question is, you were a teacher before. So what was The light bulb moment that you went from, okay, I have all these ideas and see this need to I'm actually going to do this. I'm actually going to put pen to paper and physically start to create the process.
[00:15:36] Dori Durbin: What was that moment for you?
[00:15:38] Shetal Shah: That's a great question. And it was a friend of mine. I was maybe six months out of, out of teaching. I'd left my school and I was on the phone with one of my childhood friends and I shared with her this idea and what I'd been reading about these fabulous women.
[00:15:55] Shetal Shah: I'd always wanted to. I loved writing as a child. I had post it notes all [00:16:00] over my I was always pursuing the harder writing classes and, and so I, it's always been something I loved to do. Never saw a career doing it.
[00:16:11] Shetal Shah: And so I told her this idea and she has at the time a five year old daughter, she's a little bit older now. And she said, she thought you need to do this. Like my daughter needs this book. If you're not going to write it for your sons, which I did, I write it for my sons too. She's please write this for my daughter.
[00:16:32] Shetal Shah: I need you to do it. And we talk about women supporting women, and how essential that is for us to move further in our goals. I needed to hear that. And her saying that I was able to see myself. And what I was in, how I was able to contribute and I was like, you know what I can contribute to the world.
[00:16:54] Shetal Shah: I know that sounds cliche, but I can do this with the skills and with, what I've been able [00:17:00] to, hone in and sharpen over the years. And so I think that was that light bulb, that turning point where I was able to take my ideas and put them into action. And I just, I turned everything off for two months, except for motherhood, because, that never turns off.
[00:17:18] Shetal Shah: But I carved out dedicated time and just knocked out, a full draft.
[00:17:26] Dori Durbin: That's awesome. Yeah. Because so many people don't get that far. And I think it there has to be a moment. When you just get ignited and you're like, I am going to do this. So having the need of a friend's daughter was enough to get you going, especially when it was already in your mind already. So it just needed that one little extra push to get you there.
[00:17:46] Dori Durbin: Yeah. And it
[00:17:47] Shetal Shah: can be scary, sharing what you're thinking of, it's a risk. But sometimes, sharing those ideas. can be really helpful and give you what you need to take that [00:18:00] next step.
[00:18:01] Dori Durbin: That's awesome. Speaking of that, would you mind reading 30 seconds or so of your book? Sure. Sure.
[00:18:09] Shetal Shah: Okay. So here is Shakti Girls. And I will share a poem about Shakuntala Devi. Shakuntala Devi was a mathematical mastermind. She was born November 4th, 1929. She died April 21st, 2013. And she was from Karnataka, India, which is a southern region of India. Equations, cubes, roots, and puzzles, oh my!
[00:18:39] Shetal Shah: Shakuntala's a genius, a one of a kind. Karnataka is where she was born and raised. Poverty meant her schooling was constrained. She traveled with her father, a circus trainer. learned math skills as a card trick entertainer. Her father knew a math [00:19:00] whiz was here. She had goshal, which means skill in Hindi.
[00:19:04] Shetal Shah: She had goshal to compute with no fear. He took her on road shows to reveal her gift. showed how women in math are perfectly fit. She attained worldly fame by reaching for the sky, multiplied long numbers in the blink of an eye. When questioned, she trusted her math ability. Computers could not keep her.
[00:19:30] Shetal Shah: Could not beat her capability. The human computer was her new title, but she refused it. The mind is vast and vital in the Guinness book of world records. She is named the fastest math calculation. She has claimed a role model to girls in a STEM path. She proves women too are gifted in math. So dream of experiments and formulas.
[00:19:57] Shetal Shah: True. With [00:20:00] math, there is nothing you cannot do. And then we've got some, glossary on every page and a hidden objects activity for each illustration. Yeah, she's pretty awesome.
[00:20:13] Shetal Shah: I still blows my mind that she can calculate to 13 digit. She can multiply two 13 digit numbers in the blink of an eye. Wow.
[00:20:24] Dori Durbin: That's impressive.
[00:20:25] Shetal Shah: Yeah, it is really impressive. They made a movie based on her life. No
[00:20:29] Dori Durbin: surprise. And I love how you incorporated so much fact into a rhythm that probably some of the kids will start to guess what the next, the next rhyming piece is.
[00:20:40] Dori Durbin: And it's still really empowering. To read and it's also just really brings her up as, like you said, she's a role model. She's amazing . Such an inspirational piece. Thank
[00:20:52] Shetal Shah: you. Thank you. I definitely had my teacher hat on when I was figuring out how to write these stories, I had my son at the [00:21:00] time, he whispered in my ear, mom, make sure these stories are interesting and fun to read.
[00:21:05] Shetal Shah: And I'm thinking as a teacher, if I'm trying to reach like elementary school age students, how do I write in a way that'll like really hold their attention. And I know the science of rhyme. I know how that is a great pedagogical strategy. And so it's let me give this a try.
[00:21:23] Shetal Shah: And it's
[00:21:24] Dori Durbin: worked out. Awesome. Have you had much feedback on your book?
[00:21:29] Shetal Shah: Yes. Yes, definitely. I've definitely gotten feedback from, book reviewers. Bloggers, moms, students, teachers, and it's all been really positive. I have to say my one of my favorite reviews oh, there's so many, but I was at a book event not too long ago.
[00:21:48] Shetal Shah: And I was signing books and I had a dad of two girls come up to my table and He was, so grateful and he's thank you so much for writing this book. My [00:22:00] girls really need this. And then he left and then he came back and he said, can I get three more for my nieces? And I could tell, like he was a little emotional and then he left and then he came back again.
[00:22:16] Shetal Shah: He said, I'm going to get two more for my other nieces. And then he said, we really needed this when we were kids.
[00:22:25] Shetal Shah: And I said, yeah, this is healing for all of us, and this is a way to really bridge any gaps, any differences, and to really realize we can all be inspired by these stories and they're so needed. And so I think that, I could even with his facial expressions
[00:22:41] Shetal Shah: I knew that there was a difference that was being made and the impact that was being made in that family's life. And so that meant a lot to me and that gave me the motivation to keep going.
[00:22:52] Dori Durbin: That's huge to see somebody coming back for five more books. Yeah. He saw such a strong purpose that he wanted to [00:23:00] go back and make more of an impact. Did, did your book pass your boys test? Oh, I couldn't get through any
[00:23:06] Shetal Shah: step of the process without getting
[00:23:08] Dori Durbin: their approval.
[00:23:10] Shetal Shah: They, and it was really important to me that they were part of the process. Yes, I had a professional editor and illustrator, but having them review the book, having them review and they had some really. Great feedback as well. And I think if anyone is thinking of writing a book and have children of their own, bring them into the process. There's so much that they will gain from the experience will be inspired by what you're doing.
[00:23:37] Shetal Shah: And they're also, if that's the audience you're going for,
[00:23:40] Dori Durbin: that's free feedback right there. Yes. And like you said, even though they were boys, you want boys to read this. So having their gender opinion is actually really huge.
[00:23:50] Shetal Shah: It is absolutely. And my kids will tell you, they've got the poems memorized.
[00:23:56] Shetal Shah: They have, they're not embarrassed to share the book with their friends. [00:24:00] They go to school, I've presented at their school and the sense of pride I know and support that they have for me. It, it means the world.
[00:24:08] Dori Durbin: So what are your next steps as an author?
[00:24:11] Shetal Shah: I've definitely have multiple projects in the works.
[00:24:14] Shetal Shah: I'm working on the next Shahi girls. I did have a sort of a creative flow over the summer and I did write another. Story. So that's just sitting. I'm sitting on it right now. I know authors will sometimes have lots of stories that they're sitting on for a while, but I definitely could plan on continuing to write and growing Shakti Girls.
[00:24:37] Shetal Shah: I didn't plan on Shakti Girls being its own LLC, but it is now. And so I'm thinking of what that could look like in terms of more educational content and media to inspire this next generation. And I also got a couple of partnerships in the works for this fall and winter as we head into [00:25:00] holiday season, which I'm excited about.
[00:25:02] Dori Durbin: So lots to look forward to from you. Yes. Yes. I'm excited. Now, where is the best place to watch for you and to find your book?
[00:25:11] Shetal Shah: I'm very active on Instagram. Folks can find me on my website and I respond to all my emails and DM, so I welcome everyone to reach out, send me a message.
[00:25:22] Shetal Shah: They can purchase a copy of the book directly from my website or from
[00:25:26] Dori Durbin: Amazon. Perfect. Perfect. I'm sure that you're going to have lots of people reaching out, wanting more information, and probably wanting to know what's coming out next and to be on that list. Yeah, so they should definitely sign
[00:25:38] Shetal Shah: up for my newsletter.
[00:25:39] Shetal Shah: They will be the first to find out of any new product releases. Oh, and I should also mention if there's any educators, I'm listening that I've got a free curriculum guide on my website.
[00:25:50] Dori Durbin: Very nice. That's always so great for educators to be able to put it right to you.
[00:25:55] Dori Durbin: So that's fabulous. Thank you for being here today. Thank you for having [00:26:00] me. This was so much fun. It was. Thank you.
