The Boy & the Bindi in Bloomington, MN

In this beautiful children’s picture book by Vivek Shraya, author of the acclaimed
God Loves Hair
, a five-year-old South Asian boy becomes fascinated with his mother’s bindi, the red dot commonly worn by Hindu women to indicate the point at which creation begins, and wishes to have one of his own. Rather than chastise her son, she agrees to it, and teaches him about its cultural significance, allowing the boy to discover the magic of the bindi, which in turn gives him permission to be more fully himself.
Beautifully illustrated by Rajni Perera,
The Boy & the Bindi
is a joyful celebration of gender and cultural difference.
Vivek Shraya
is a writer, musician, performer, and filmmaker. His body of work includes twelve albums, four short films, and four books which include
,
She of the Mountains
, and
even this page is white
. He has read and performed at shows, festivals, and post-secondary institutions internationally. He lives in Toronto.
Rajni Perera
is a Sri Lankan-born artist whose internationally showcased work floats between Western and immigrant culture. She lives in Toronto.