Designing Nitya Prārthanā: A Book Built for Daily Chanting
- kiran kulkarni
- 5 days ago
- 2 min read
Designing Nitya Prārthanā and Nitya Dhyāna is an exercise in restraint—because these books aren’t meant to be “read” the way most books are. They’re meant to be used: held in the hand, returned to daily, and relied upon as a steady textual aid for learning and practicing Vedic chanting. Tacit’s design response starts from that lived reality of practice, shaping the books as quiet companions for students and teachers within the sacred Hindu chanting tradition.
The project emerges from a thoughtful collaboration: Shantala Sriramaiah, in collaboration with Indica, conceptualized two volumes to support learners of Vedic chanting—Nitya Prārthanā, a collection of popular daily-prayer chants organized around the rhythms of daily life, and Nitya Dhyāna, a compilation of Vedic mantras and sūktams serving practitioners of yoga, ayurveda, and jyotiṣa. That difference in purpose influences the editorial structure: one book aligns with everyday cadence; the other becomes a more focused resource for mantra practice and contemplative recitation.
At the heart of Tacit’s approach is usability. The design emphasizes a simple layout and text sizing optimized for chanting, prioritizing clarity, breath, and ease of navigation over decorative complexity. In chanting contexts, typography isn’t aesthetic garnish—it’s functional architecture. Line lengths, spacing, hierarchy, and legibility have real consequences: they support memory, rhythm, and accuracy. By keeping the pages reader-friendly and calm, the design helps the practitioner stay with the sound, not wrestle with the page.
The visual layer reinforces the spiritual intent without overwhelming the text. Tacit notes that the books are enhanced with artwork by Vedic iconography expert Drdha Vrata, where the accompaniments reflect a convergence of artistic vision and spiritual purpose. This is a sensitive balance: the imagery is not there to “illustrate” in a conventional sense, but to create an atmosphere of reverence—an aesthetic that supports the practice while letting the mantras remain central.
Placed in the broader context of Veda Studies, the design intent becomes even clearer. Veda Studies positions itself as following the tradition’s strict rigor as taught by South Indian pundits, while making these teachings accessible online to committed seekers around the world, with step-by-step learning paths and multiple resources. (vedastudies.com) In that ecosystem, Nitya Prārthanā and Nitya Dhyāna function like tactile anchors—objects that bring the discipline of recitation into everyday life, and bridge learning across formats (teacher-led practice, self-study resources, and physical reference).
Ultimately, the success of Nitya Prārthanā / Nitya Dhyāna lies in how the design respects what the books are truly for. They are not performance pieces; they are practice tools. By optimizing for chanting, maintaining editorial simplicity, and pairing the text with iconography that aligns with tradition, the design quietly does its real job: it gets out of the way—so the student can return, day after day, to sound, meaning, and rhythm.
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