The Director of Technology, Operations, and Research at World Notes takes time out to speak about their new release, Baku The Travel Bug.  This interesting series exposes children to various cultures around the globe and in its debut episode, “Making Friends around the World,” children will delight in learning about several aspects of Indian culture including mithai, saris, and bindis.  The central character is a puppet that travels with Auntie around the globe and keeps a magical scrapbook.  Children can learn valuable things from each country they visit through songs, dance and hands-on activities.  

Semira Rahemtulla, a recent alumna of the Harvard Graduate School of Education who helped develop the series, knew exactly how she wanted to introduce children to India.

“As a child, I always loved watching my mother put on her sari. I felt like children everywhere could share that experience and use it as a way of learning about my own culture.” Notes Ms. Rahemtulla. “I met the founder of World Notes, an international businessman named Peter Arndt. He had decided to focus the company on creating educational videos for young children that would help them develop a world view from a young age, and he was seeking out experts in education.”

Produced and directed by David Moore, Baku The Travel Bug was released in December and available for purchase on their website.  Currently, they are looking to work on their next series and destination and encourage people to contact them about potential ideas. 

Semira Adds, “As a first-generation South Asian, Muslim American, I have always been interested in the exchange between cultures and have made it a personal mission to introduce others to my South Asian heritage. The Baku the Travel Bug series is a one-of-a-kind chance to share this with young children.  I’m particularly passionate about this venture because it is targeted at young children. Research has shown that international exposure can have profound benefits on children as young as three. Kids at this age are starting to understand how people relate to one another and to recognize the differences in the people around them. It’s critical to teach them from a young age how to celebrate these differences rather than mark them as a reason for distrust or prejudice.  We at World Notes are hoping that any success we have will encourage others to develop other products, services, and ideas that foster dialog and awareness of the wealth of cultures and ideas that this world offers.”

She talks about the most exciting thing for her about this travel series is how well kids have responded to the program. They not only find the show entertaining, but they soak up the new ideas very quickly according to Semira.  Her favorite story is about a young girl in London who, after watching the program, tried to impress her mom by wrapping her bath towel around her like a sari!

Parents, teachers, and caregivers can learn more on their website at www.bakutravels.com or contact Semira directly by email at semira@world-notes.com or by phone (617) 233-0148. 

   Columnist Diana Rohini La Vigne has been a journalist for 10+years with a focus on the South Asian Market.  Her work has been featured in Couture Asia, India New England, Rivaaj Magazine, Lokvani and South Asian Insider.  She can be reached by email at Lavigne@post.harvard.edu.

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