By Somrita Ghosh

New Delhi, Jul 14 (IANS): Who said colouring books are only for children? This season, publishing houses like Penguin and Aleph are breaking this myth and have come up with colouring books for adults, bringing some vibrancy and brightness into their monotonous routine.

"We live in a very fast-paced world and almost everyone experiences high levels of stress. The simple act of colouring takes adults back to the relatively simple and carefree time of childhood where there is not a care in the world," Sujaya Batra, the author of "The Mystical World", told IANS in an email interview.

It's an adult colouring book with illustrations-flowers, birds, animals and other images-based on verses from Kahlil Gibran's "The Prophet".

Batra had earlier done illustrations from the "The Prophet" for a calendar.

Her designs were noticed by a friend, who insisted she send them to Aleph.

"The publishers loved the idea. When they asked me to do the book I didn't hesitate as the works of Gibran are very dear to my heart-especially 'The Prophet'," Batra said.

The best part about colouring books is that they are not restricted to any particular age group.

" 'The Prophet' is a book that provides valuable advice on a wide range of subjects. The philosophy is simple to understand, and written with an eloquence that is spellbinding. What I learnt from it all those years ago and what I continue to learn from it today shows that it is a book that can offer as much to a teenager as it does to an adult.

"The people buying colouring books today range from teenagers to the elderly. While young adults colour as a way of dealing with stress, therapists are recommending colouring to the elderly as a way of steadying their hands and improving their concentration. Colouring is being prescribed by therapists to people of all ages to alleviate stress," Batra explained.

Similarly, Devdutt Pattanaik has come up with colouring books for adults based on Hindu mythological characters like Sita and Jaya from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. The book unfolds the epic sagas through Pattanaik's inimitable illustrations.

"Adult colouring books are a global trend; we have just started publishing these in India, and colouring books based on Pattanaik's drawings was one of the first projects we wanted to do," Udayan Mitra, Associate Publisher, Penguin Random House India, told IANS.

"Adult coluring books are supposed to be stress-busters, help us focus better and give a free rein to our creativity," Mitra added.

"Adult colouring books bring the joy and creative activity back to us as adults. They also help us relax and be more creative," he said.