Three decades of magic: The storytelling legacy of Karadi Tales at 30

For three decades, Karadi Tales has shaped the way Indian children experience stories through books, music, folklore, and audiobooks rooted in Indian culture. Founded in Chennai in the 1990s, the publishing house became a pioneer in creating distinctly Indian storytelling for young readers while blending literature, theatre, and music in innovative ways. (youtube: karadi tales)

It Was Founded to Create Indian Stories for Indian Children: Karadi Tales was started in 1996 by Shobha Viswanath, C.P. Viswanath, and Narayan Parasuram, who wanted children’s books that reflected Indian culture instead of only Western nursery rhymes and stories. (official website of karadi tales)

The “Karadi” Bear Became Its Storytelling Mascot: The founders wanted a wise, trustworthy, "grandfather like" animal to serve as their narrator, and adopted the name "Karadi," which means bear in Tamil, Malayalam, and Kannada. (youtube: karaditales)

Karadi Began as an Audiobook Revolution: The company became one of India’s earliest pioneers of children’s audiobooks, combining storytelling with music, sound effects, and voice acting long before audiobooks became mainstream. (unsplash)

Its Stories Celebrated Indian Languages and Traditions: From Panchatantra tales and mythology to Indian rhymes about monsoons, mangoes, and cricket, Karadi Tales focused on culturally rooted storytelling that children in India could relate to easily. (wikimedia commons)

Legendary Voices Helped Build the Brand: Actors and artists including Naseeruddin Shah, Girish Karnad, Usha Uthup, and Gulzar lent their voices to Karadi audiobooks, helping them become beloved across generations. (wikimedia commons)

Karadi Tales Became Globally Recognised: Over the years, Karadi books have been translated into several international languages and received major recognition, including the London Book Fair International Excellence Award for Audiobook Publisher of the Year. (unsplash)