A New Diwali Picture Book

Rasmi Sirdeshpande and Navya Raju’s fabulous new book One Little Lamp is available soon, in time for Diwali, and introduces the celebration at a family and community level.

Both author and illustrator have very kindly shared with us their experiences of both Diwali and of creating this picture book. Rashmi has also shared some other Diwali books she loves.

From Rashmi

I grew up as part of the South Asian diaspora in the UK. I love that term – diaspora. It has its origins in Ancient Greek and conveys this idea of scattering. Seeds scattered across the world. That’s what we are. And when you grow up outside of the country of your heritage, community is often such a hugely important aspect of life. And actually, it’s important for everyone no matter where you’re from. Community, to me, is a place where you feel like you belong. Where you’re part of something.

That’s the thing I loved most about Diwali celebrations across the UK. They bring the community together (just like other celebrations from Eid to Christmas). You don’t even have to be Hindu to enjoy a Diwali celebration. People gather in community centres, halls, libraries, streets, parks, and city spaces to share food and celebrate. (There are often fireworks too, of course, but I prefer firework-free celebrations!) Everyone is welcome. I wanted to capture that in this book.

I also wanted to capture the energy around it all. The anticipation. The preparations. It’s interesting because that’s how it feels as a diaspora kid. I remember my dad putting fairy lights all around and outside the house when we were little. I remember busy community gatherings. But my in-laws run a temple in South India and Diwali there is actually much more serene. It’s beautiful but it’s a private family affair focused around ancient rituals. So, I guess this story is about the Diwali I grew up with in the UK (with stories and rituals threaded through it). And Navya has added the most beautiful and authentic details in the art.

Everyone’s experience is different. This is just one story. But we hope young readers love it.

From Navya

Diwali has always been such a special festival to me, so I was naturally thrilled when I got the opportunity to illustrate this charming story. I began my process with loose character sketches of the family members, exploring their personalities before moving on to rough layouts.

One of the things I love most about the book is that we moved away from the more commonly depicted fireworks and crackers often associated with Diwali. Instead, I focused on capturing the warmth, light, and sense of wonder that the festival brings. This allowed me to play with glowing lanterns and atmospheric lighting throughout the story. A small detail that was especially meaningful to me was the moon. When illustrating it, I drew inspiration from Indian folk art, where the moon is often portrayed with tilak (Traditional design on the forehead). I love adding little visual moments

that people might notice on a second or third read, giving them something new to discover each time they return to the story.

Designing the interiors and food scenes was particularly fun! I loved adding small details such as decorative objects, patterned fabrics, and cushions to create a sense of warmth and familiarity. It was lovely working with Rebecca at Andersen Press, she has a wonderful eye for colour. We spent time refining the sketches, particularly around page composition and text placement, and once those foundations were in place, I was able to fully explore the colour palette and atmosphere of the book.

Many thanks to Rashmi and Navya for sharing this with us. Their new book is available soon and you can find out more about it and Rashmi’s other suggestions using the links below.