From Sports Medicine Physician to Children’s Book Author: Dr. Nish Shah Tackles Project Sharing Jainism During the Pandemic By Patti Parish-Kaminski
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hen the pandemic hit last year, many found a new normal – whether that was working from home, educating their children or devoting time to a new project. Despite a hectic profession, along with being a new dad, Nish Shah, MD, CAQSM, primary care sports medicine physician at Houston Methodist Sugar Land Orthopedics & Sports Medicine, determined that the pandemic was the perfect time to devote his efforts to a labor of love. “It grew out of necessity more than anything else,” shared Dr. Shah about becoming an author of a children’s book about Jainism. “There was no material out there aimed at toddlers about Jainism, which focuses on teaching our children to be as good a person as they can be. I used the time during the lockdown to spend some more time with my baby daughter, and I realized that there was a need for a children’s book, so I created my own!” Dr. Shah explained that there is an ancient Indian religion called Jainism, whose central tenet revolves around non-violence towards others. There are 24 teachers of Jainism who have lived through history propagating the teachings of Jainism.
The book is about the 24 of them. “Prior to my book, there wasn’t a single Jainism children’s book, so I wanted to create an informative book with captivating illustrations to allure the young reader.”
From Jainism for Children: The 24 Founders.
And so the process to pen Jainism for Children: The 24 Founders began. Dr. Shah’s goal was to give a little back-
Dr. Nish Shah with daughter Saiysha.
ground information about the 24 great spiritual leaders, or Tirthankars, of Jainism, using language and captivating illustrations that would appeal to toddlers. The spiritual leaders teach lessons such as benevolence, humility, grace, kindness, generosity, environmentalism and humanity. “I knew who my target market was,” explained Dr. Shah. “I knew I wanted it to appeal to my daughter. There were a few resources out there on Jainism for younger adults and teens, but there are not many resources for toddlers.” Being a father of a toddler, Dr. Shah had to juggle work and family time with his new project. “I would work all day, come home, spend time with my wife and daughter, and after they went to sleep, I stayed up an extra hour to work
An excerpt from Jainism for Children: The 24 Founders by Dr. Nish Shah.
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