Karadi Tales

This article is about a book series and a company of the same name

Karadi Tales are a series of popular audio books for children in India. The company produces original Indian multimedia content with focus on audio & video CDs/VCDs & DVDs in retail, internet and broadcast markets.

Concept
Karadi (which is the word in Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, etc. meaning bear) is a bear who is also a story teller bear who tells stories that he has experienced in his lifetime. Initially the role or the voice of Karadi was acclaimed Indian actor Naseeruddin Shah.

According to Karadi Tales, Karadi is ''a bachelor bear of indeterminate age. Lives in the forests of India and loves to tell stories. Has a huge repertoire of tales, fables and myths from India and from all over the world. Not a trained musician, but can sing very well. A pure vegetarian, he loves honey. Good friends of Meera the monkey and Dhondu the donkey. Much loved by all forest animals and by children everywhere.''

Stories
The popular stories are from Indian Classics such as the Panchatantra and the Jataka and also from the grand epics of India, the Ramayana and the Mahabharat. Although the stories have strong Indian roots, they speak of morals and ideals that are universal.

Karadi Tales Mythology
Karadi brings to life a world of gods and demons, kings and queens, a universe of times past. Stories from Indian mythology are woven together and sung by Award winner and celebrated film and theatre personality Padmabhushan Girish Karnad, who plays the role of Karadi, the bear and sootradhar. The script, lyrics and direction is by Shobha Viswanath. Padmashri Thota Tharani adapts his unique style to communicate art to children, which exposes children to illustrations that are not childish, yet are appealing to the child. Like the art, the music steers away from the childish nursery rhyme format and incorporates Indian aesthetics. The acclaimed group, '3 Brothers & A Violin' have created the songs and background scores that enhance the storytelling experience.

Under the Banyan
The Under the Banyan series features folktales from different parts of India. With illustrations and music representative of the region, these stories form a complete cultural experience of different parts of India. The initial four folktales in this series from Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Bihar were narrated by Usha Uthup. The mantle of sootradhar and storyteller has now been taken over by Nandita Das.

Chitra Picture Books
Chitra publishes original picture books from India and English-Hindi bilingual editions of popular foreign titles including The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Mixed Up Chameleon, The Grouchy Ladybug and The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle.

Dreaming Fingers
Handcrafted tactile picture books that combine bright colours with an array of tactile sensations. These books are accompanied by Braille letters for the visually impaired and children with special needs. This imprint is produced in association with Lemniscaat (Rotterdam, Netherlands).

Charkha Audio books
Charkha is Karadi Tales' audio book imprint for Young Adults & Adults.

Television
In October 2009, Karadi Tales premiered on Television with their first animated series on the Disney Channel (India). This is a series of 26 episodes (two seasons) directed by Soumitra Ranade. Animated characters and backgrounds are uniquely stylised along the lines of the Indian mask-making tradition, which gives the series a distinct look and feel that is sophisticated and very Indian.

Celebrities association
Vidya Balan launched a Karadi Tales book in Mumbai titled Little Vinayak, the first in the Will You Read With Me series of audio books Even Oscar winning lyricist Gulzar was present at the occasion.

Rahul Dravid, Sanjay Dutt, Jaaved Jaaferi and Soha Ali Khan have also narrated stories for the Will You Read With Me series of audio books.

About The Company
Karadi Tales Company Pvt., Ltd. publishes and sells child audio books in India and abroad. The company offers folktales, stories, rhymes, and folklore and mythology books. It also provides forays in CD ROMs and DVDs, as well as in audiocassettes. In addition, the company sells its products online. It serves children, young adults, adults, and families. The company was incorporated in 1996 and is based in Chennai, India. As of April 23, 2008, Karadi Tales Company Pvt. Ltd. operates as a subsidiary of ACK Media Pvt, Ltd.

Video stories
The following are a few video stories from youtube.
 * The Foolish Lion.
 * The Blue Jackal.
 * The Foolist Crow.

Official Address
The company is incorporated as a Private company and is headquarters at Chennai, India.The address is as follows. 3A Dev Regency, 11, First Main Road, Gandhinagar, Adyar, Chennai - 600 020 Krishna's Conquests