It wasn't that I didn't want to pass down our rich Hindu traditions. With a full-time career in corporate America and juggling school pickups, soccer practice, and dinner prep, I simply couldn't find the time. My husband and I had moved from Mumbai to New Jersey 15 years ago, and now, with two American-born children, I felt our cultural connection slipping away with each passing year.

"Mommy, why don't we visit the temple more like Nani does?" my seven-year-old asked me one weekend. I explained to her that while everyone has 24 hours in a day, everyone's day looks different. I wanted my children to feel connected to their roots, but our hectic modern life made traditional religious practices nearly impossible to maintain.

Between 50-hour work weeks and my children's packed schedules, the occasional temple visits weren't enough. Frankly, I began to wonder what I was even accomplishing by forcing them to dress up in itchy Indian clothes, and shuffling along in a crowded room to pay respect in front of the Hindu murthis. The whole experience felt a bit superficial and left me feeling at a loss for not knowing whether all this was making a real difference in my children's upbringing.

An Unexpected Discovery

Everything changed when my friend Anita shared a video of her son reciting mantras while hugging what looked like a plush Krishna toy.

"It's now become a part of our never-ending bedtime routine," she told me. "Kabir loves pressing Baby Krishna's belly to hear the mantras, and the best part is that she's learning them without even realizing it. I love it because she comes home from school singing all these nursery rhymes and songs. But now I can balance that with something more meaningful."

The best of both worlds, I thought.

I was skeptical at first – could a toy actually be educational? But watching her son confidently recite mantras while cuddling the toy made me reconsider.

The Science of Cultural Connection

What I didn't realize was how formative these early years are for cultural identity. Research shows that children develop their sense of cultural belonging between ages of 3-10, and without regular exposure to cultural rituals and practices, this connection can weaken permanently.

Traditional methods required dedicated time commitments: temple visits, language classes, and Sunday schools. But Modi Toys had created something interesting – an interactive learning system combining tactile comfort with authentic cultural education. Each plush deity sings five respective Sanskrit mantras sung by children in India. The corresponding books tell stories from Hindu theology in a reimagined way through child-friendly rhyming, making storytime both fun and educational.

What makes this approach unique is how it seamlessly integrates into my family's dynamic. We don't live in a nuclear family with grandparents, nor can we squeeze in weekly trips to the temple. I just focus on incorporating our culture through play in our everyday moments.

A Simple Concept That Changed Everything

After researching their products, I decided to try Modi Toys' entire collection:

1. Interactive Plush Deities – My children immediately connected with Saraswati Devi and Shiv Shankar. The soft, huggable toys quickly became their little besties, with the mantra buttons getting pressed dozens of times a day.

2. Illustrated Books – The beautifully illustrated books paired perfectly with the toys we bought. My 4-year-old son loved completing the end of each sentence since the rhyming verses make it easy to follow along and memorize. I never imagined reading the story of how Durga defeated Mahisasur would be met with such fascination.

3. Daily Practice Integration – Instead of setting aside "cultural time," we incorporated the toys and books into our existing routines: bedtime stories, car rides, and even special celebrations like Vasant Panchami.

Within weeks, there was a noticeable difference. My seven-year-old daughter began asking questions about Hinduism. "Why do we celebrate Navratri for nine days, but Ganesh Chaturthi for 10 days? How come Saraswati Devi isn't married to anyone?" My five-year-old daughter even proudly brought her Laxmi Devi to class for show and tell. Most importantly, they were developing a genuine connection to their heritage that felt natural, not forced.

Real Results From Real Families

I knew that I wasn't alone in feeling guilty and frustrated in not being able to raise culturally curious kids. Luckily, I'm also not alone in finding a solution to help address this struggle. Thousands of Indian diaspora and multicultural families have brought home the magic of Modi Toys: