Today we’d like to introduce you to Shachi Kaushik.
Hi shachi, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’m a children’s author, producer and storyteller, and my work lives across books, sound and screen. Everything I make comes back to one goal: stories that celebrate culture and help kids feel seen.
It started in a very unglamorous place, the children’s corner of the Round Rock Public Library. I volunteered to lead a Hindi-English bilingual storytime, expecting a handful of families. Instead, the room kept filling up. Watching kids light up when they heard a story in the language their grandparents spoke, and watching other kids get curious about it, showed me how much these stories were missing from the shelves.
That pushed me to go deeper. I studied Children’s Media at Centennial College in Toronto, then worked on production side of digital animated content . I also co-produced the audio documentary Living Without Borders, hosted the radio show Austin On Da Go, and started Happy Hindi Learners, a YouTube channel for playful Hindi learning.
My picture books grew out of all of this. Diwali in My New Home (illustrated by Aishwarya Tandon) follows Priya, who has just moved and worries Diwali won’t feel the same, until sharing it with her new neighbors makes it feel like home. Melodies of the Sitar brings the music I grew up with to young readers. Today I also write The Picture Book World, a monthly column in Austin South Asian that helps parents find books that spark conversations at home.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Like every creative person in the industry I’ve had my share of rejections and long waits and thinking is my idea good enough.
Something i’ve learned fromRick Ruben is The best art comes from creating something you genuinely love and want to experience, rather than trying to guess or please what an audience might want.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
What sets my books apart is that they’re written from the inside. Diwali in My New Home isn’t a holiday explainer. It’s about a little girl who misses home and finds that sharing a tradition is how a new place starts to feel like hers. The book also has a note on how Diwali is celebrated in North and South India and a glossary of Hindi words, so families and teachers can keep the conversation going.
Beyond books, I’ve produced audio documentaries and worked on animated content for global platforms. Across every project, my mission stays the same:
to craft stories that resonate, celebrate culture, and inspire audiences of all ages.
What matters most to you?
What matters most to me is the power of a good story, and using it with purpose. Stories shape how we see ourselves and each other. They carry truths that facts alone can’t, like what it feels like to leave home, to miss a festival, or to finally belong somewhere new. The best ones stay with us for life. They give us hope and help us imagine who we can become.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.storiesbyshachi.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/storiesbyshachi/
