Magic of myths

AFTER NASEERUDDIN Shah and Saeed Jaffery, it is now the turn of Girish Karnad, author and actor, to lend his voice to Karadi, the bear, of the Karadi Tales fame. This time round, Karadi tells the story of Lord Krishna, his birth on a stormy night and his antics-filled happy childhood, in the first of the Mythology series, brought out by Skymusic, the makers of Karadi Tales audio books.

"In these days of excessive television, westernisation and stressful education, Karadi has come to symbolise the antithesis of these trends," says Viswanath, the producer, "Karadi Tales are for creating space in the child's mind for the Indian culture and to provide meaningful entertainment alternatives for children and families, bringing fun into the development of early learning skills."

Girish Karnad's voice radiates warmth and triggers the interest in children. The story comes through very well, bringing alive the colour, splendour and intrigue of the myths. A musically rich soundtrack paints a pretty picture of the period of the story. Illustrations by Chetan Sharma and Anagha Deshpande and the gloss of the page make reading fun and listening a pleasurable experience. The music is by the Three Brothers and a Violin.

Why mythology? Viswanath says there is a lot of fun in the communication of values in myths. The stories are exciting from a child's perspective. Although mythology is often associated with religion, it is not limited by it. Mythology seems to be a natural progression for Karadi, who began by narrating fables, folk tales and the Panchatantra and the Jataka Tales.

If the two volumes ,"The Birth of Krishna" and "Krishna's Conquests" fire your imagination, wait till "Young Hanuman" and "Hanuman, the Mighty" hit the scene!

V. R. DEVIKA

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Features
Previous : Chronicle of courage
Next     : A Christmas tree with a difference