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 (https://www.youtube.com/@karaditales) — search "Karadi Tales rhymes" or "Karaditales 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 (https://www.instagram.com/karaditales) 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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Aparna Sinha — bestselling author, founder and CEO of Fabulinus, and mother to 10-year-old Zayan — joins Neha for one of the most honest conversations Parenthoot has had. Zayan is on the borderline of the autism spectrum, and Aparna doesn't soften what that means: the early confusion, the wrong therapists, the months of no sleep, the isolation, and the darkest thoughts she says every neurodivergent parent knows but nobody names. She talks about why she and husband Vishal made the painful decision to live apart solely to protect Zayan's routine, what it means to be entirely your own village, and the small victories — a complete sentence spoken to a stranger, a Hindi word understood out of context — that feel seismic when you've spent years working toward them. A conversation about love that doesn't flinch.

Why You Should Listen

If you are parenting a neurodivergent child, you will feel seen in ways that are rare. If you are not, you will come away with a deeper, kinder understanding of what these families carry — often entirely alone. Aparna challenges the "it takes a village" narrative, dismantles therapy myths that cause real harm, and offers hard-won wisdom on trusting your child before you trust any expert.

Notable Quotes

• "I am the village. There is no village. Don't let anybody fool you."
• "When it is good, it is great. When it is bad, it is awful."
• "Without saying a single word, he has changed me into a better person."
• "Trust your child. Whatever your child is telling you is correct."
• "We were broken, but we were not hopeless. We are never hopeless."

Practical Takeaways

• The autism spectrum is not linear — it is a complex spiral. A borderline diagnosis is often invisible to the outside world, and that invisibility is its own burden.
• "Can't" and "won't" are not the same. Learning to read that difference is one of the most critical skills a neurodivergent parent can develop — and one of the hardest to explain to everyone else.
• Not every therapy is right for every child. Ask hard questions before you begin. If your child is consistently distressed, pull them out. Good therapy does not look like a child in tears.
• Routine is not rigidity — it is the foundation on which neurodivergent children build safety and progress.
• Your own mental and physical wellbeing is not a luxury. Acceptance, journaling, walking, and allowing yourself to feel overwhelmed are all part of sustaining the long game.
• Educate yourself beyond WhatsApp forwards. Read books, read journals, understand your child's brain before handing them to any expert.

About the Guest

Aparna Sinha is a bestselling author and the founder and CEO of Fabulinus. She lives in Gurgaon with her 10-year-old son Zayan, who is on the borderline of the autism spectrum. From a family of extraordinary achievers — her mother equalled Sarojini Naidu's record as youngest graduate and postgraduate; her father was a National Award-winning academic and Dean of the Faculty of Law, University of Allahabad — Aparna has channelled her personal journey into advocacy, writing, and building spaces where neurodivergent families feel less alone.

Connect with her on LinkedIn

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Richa became a mother in one of the hardest possible circumstances: peak COVID, while grieving her own mother who had passed away just weeks after she conceived. With no female figure to guide her, no nurse, and a husband who couldn't cook, she built her parenting instincts from a place most people would never expect — a decade of rescuing and rehabilitating senior dogs. Founder of Bowsome Senior Dogs India Foundation and a veterinary hospital in Ahmedabad, Richa joins Neha for a conversation that is honest, funny, and genuinely unexpected. They talk about a difficult pregnancy marked by gestational diabetes and obstetric cholestasis; a postpartum month where she cooked her own meals on Day 5 post-caesarean and cried in the kitchen; the Instagram village that raised her when no one else could; raising a five-year-old boy without gender policing; a bedtime ritual that quietly builds emotional intelligence; and the three things she'd tell every first-time parent.

Why You Should Listen

If you didn't fall in love with your baby the moment they arrived, this episode is for you. If you've parented without a mother, without a rulebook, or without a village that looked like anyone else's — this is for you. If you're raising a boy and thinking seriously about who he becomes, Richa's approach to emotion, identity, and gender norms is specific and grounding. And if you believe a village matters more than any parenting book, you'll love how Richa built hers — from childless friends who trained themselves on bottle prep and drove over at 9:30pm, and strangers on the internet who answered questions at midnight.

Notable Quotes

• "It's a very slow process of falling in love. With your own, somebody you made, you nurtured everything yourself."
• "My anger has gone to five percent. The only thing that makes me angry now is him not eating properly." "I want him to remember me the way I remember my mother."
• "Making tough choices is also an art. You learn it with time."

Resources & References

• Bowsome Senior Dogs India Foundation: Richa's rescue and rehabilitation work with senior dogs. Find them on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bowsomeseniordogsindia
• Waldorf Education: the school philosophy Ivaan attends, emphasizing play-based, developmentally attuned learning.
• Postpartum Support International: for mothers navigating postpartum depression and the fourth trimester: postpartum.net
• Babywearing International: community and resources for new parents: babywearinginternational.org
• ASHA (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association): for parents concerned about late speech development in toddlers: asha.org

About the Guest

Richa Singh is the founder of Bowsome Senior Dogs India Foundation, an organization dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation, and adoption of senior dogs who are most often overlooked. She also runs a veterinary hospital in Ahmedabad. A graduate of CEPT University, Richa lives in Mumbai with her husband, architect Piyas Choudhuri, their five-year-old son Ivaan, and many, many dogs. Find her work on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/richasinghchoudhuri/

Themes & Tags

Postpartum depression | Parenting without a village | Grief during pregnancy | Parenting without a mother | Raising boys | Feminist parenting | Gender norms at home | Active fatherhood | Boy moms | Parenting in India | Working mothers | Values-based parenting | Intentional parenting | Bedtime rituals | Emotional intelligence in children | Late speech in toddlers | Toddler development | Waldorf education | Alternative schooling | COVID pregnancy | Building community | Food and memory | Dog rescue and motherhood | Senior dog adoption | Mental load

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