Designer Falguni Gokhale’s children’s books show them the need to dream

Falguni Gokhale is an alumna of the National Institute of Design, with more than twenty years of design experience. A specialist in visual communications - brand and identity design, packaging, user interface design for software and products (GUI), sales and publicity communication design, she’s a co-founder of the Pune-based design studio, Design Directions. Gokhale fulfilled her ambition of producing books for children by both illustrating and writing a series on the inspirational people who have made India. Published by Tota books, New Delhi, she intends to add to the list of eight books she has brought out so far. Excerpts from an interview: 

What motivated you to write as well as illustrate these children’s books? 

When I was 13 or 14 years old and if anyone asked me what do you want to do after class 12, I would say I wanted to be a children’s book illustrator. After graduating from the National Institute of Design (NID), I set up a design studio in Pune with my husband Satish Gokhale. We have been busy and working hard for 30-plus years for various corporate clients in the engineering, software, consumer goods and healthcare sectors, offering design services such as product design, brand identity, UI/UX, packaging and other design services. 

But somewhere in my heart I always nurtured an optimism that one day, I would create my own series of children’s books. I guess I finally put that thought out in the universe and it happened. The Books to Inspire series is published by Tota Books, New Delhi. 

Designer and author Falguni Gokhale | Photo Credit: SHIRISHGHATE

How have you chosen your subjects? From Tribhuvandas Patel to Kalpana Chawla? 

My inspiration is - People. We live in troubled times and we are our only hope. We could do with being inspired by each other and by the wonderful spirit that is within each one of us, even if sometimes it is hidden or side-tracked. 

It is important to show children through examples of other people, the need to dream, work towards it, overcoming various hurdles and distractions. Such examples can help develop social and emotional skills. Children can learn how these wonderful people influenced others and brought positive change in their lives and in the world. 

My series Books to Inspire introduces young readers to people in history, social work, music, art, science, sports and so on; people who have made a difference in their respective fields through their own unique character and nature. They help children and, hopefully, the parents understand how each of these inspirational people had their own unique nature and how they harnessed their strengths and passions to achieve their goals. How each of them began life as a child with a big dream or longing. 

How many books do you plan on illustrating and writing? 

So far, I have created eight books on inspiring men and women. I plan to have a mix of both known and lesser-known people, whose lives will inspire young minds - for example, not many know that Tribhuvandas Patel is the real founder of Amul. And how quietly, selflessly, gently he worked towards creating this institution. 

I have also tried to emphasise that unique strength of these great people, which saw them through their challenges: Focus, determination, free spiritedness, curiosity, courage and passion. 

My publisher and I have planned many more books based on scientists, teachers, other performing artists, industrialists, and mostly from the 19th century onwards. 

What is the feedback that you are getting from children to the books? 

The response to the books has been overwhelming, not only through online and retail sales, but also through orders from school libraries. We have gone in for reprints and for that I am so grateful and happy. I get very positive feedback from the parents as to how they love to read them to children between 3 and 5 years, and how easily they can be read by children of 5-6 years. 

I have kept the illustration style simple and joyful and the layout uncluttered so that children can look at an image for a long time. The characters, even after attaining adulthood, look like children, so that the young readers identify with them. 

I am working on the next lot of these books and looking forward to release them soon. 

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