Student Presenter(s): Ambika Siddabathula
Faculty Mentor: Amanda Golden
School/College: Arts and Sciences, Old Westbury

My name is Ambika Siddabathula and I am a senior undergraduate from the New York Institute of Technology. I have worked diligently, over the last 2 years, to create the beautiful journey illustrated in "Santhari's Magical Bindi". The story is about a young South Asian girl (Santhari) who goes to school with a bindi on her forehead. Her classmates, not knowing what it is, make fun of her. This makes Santhari feel isolated and different from the rest of her peers. When she goes home, Santhari's mother tells her the story of the powerful bindi and how the 8 devis/ queens (adi, dhana, dhanya, gaja, santhana, veera, jaya, and vidya) used the magic of the bindi in order to help their villages in different ways. Santhari, more inspired than ever, uses this knowledge to educate her friends and find a new profound appreciation for her hindu heritage. This book is essential for the literature market as there are no other books written about the importance of the bindi targeted towards children. This book also promotes diversity, inclusion, and appreciation of the hindu culture empowering young females to take pride in their heritage.