In this Parenthoot Spotlight, Neha sits down with Shobha Viswanath, co-founder of Karadi Tales — one of India's most beloved children's publishing houses, now 30 years old. Shobha traces the journey from a gap she spotted as a returning mother (no Indian audiobooks for children) to an institution that has shaped millions of childhoods. The conversation spans the founding of Karadi Tales with husband Viswanath and brother-in-law Narayan, getting Naseeruddin Shah to narrate the very first two stories, the pivot from audiobooks to picture books, and the birth of Karadi Path — a pan-India English language learning program now in thousands of schools. Plus: why Shobha wrote Indian nursery rhymes to replace Jack and Jill, and the accidental discovery that Karadi Tales is an anagram of "read as I talk."

Why You Should Listen

• Whether you grew up with Karadi Tales or are raising a child on them, this is the story behind the stories
• Shobha shares sharp, unsentimental wisdom on raising readers and building a child's aesthetic — without pressure or prescription
• There's an honest conversation about the economics of independent children's publishing and the real threat of AI-generated content
• You'll hear how a family of musicians — alongside Naseeruddin Shah, Gulzar, Girish Karnad, Usha Uthup, and Rahul Dravid — built a 30-year institution from a fax machine and two Panchatantra retellings

Notable Quotes

• "Roz roz you won't feed your child dal chawal, no? You expose them to so many kinds of cuisines, similar with books, similar with art."
• "Always test your story with a teenage kid or an older kid or with an enemy, not even with a friend."
• "What are we doing in an agricultural country like ours, singing rain, rain, go away?"

Resources & References

• Karadi Tales: www.karaditales.com
• Karadipath (English language learning program, pan-India): www.karadipath.com
• The Blue Jackal and The Foolish Lion: Karadi Tales' very first audiobooks, narrated by Naseeruddin Shah
• Run Ravi Run: one of Karadi's recent picture books
• Karadi Rhymes on YouTube: search "Karadi Tales rhymes" or "Karadi Tales mango song" to find Shobha's India-contextual nursery rhymes sung by Usha Uthup
• Shobha's online picture book writing workshop (limited to 20 participants): follow Karadi Tales on Instagram for upcoming dates

About the Guest

Shobha Viswanath is the co-founder of Karadi Tales, established in Chennai in 1996 alongside her husband Viswanath and brother-in-law Narayan — all classically trained Carnatic musicians. A journalist and writer by background, Shobha has spent three decades commissioning, writing, and publishing children's audiobooks and picture books rooted in Indian stories, languages, art, and music traditions. She is also the co-founder of Karadi Path, a structured English language learning methodology now active in government, tribal, and CSR-supported schools across India. She believes children should be trusted with stories — and left free to find their own way into them

• Follow Shobha on Instagram
• Connect with Shobha on LinkedIn

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