Reading Habit
Bringing behaviour change through real and unsung heroes stories with the help of speaking books (Smartbooks) at schools and at the community level.
Imagination
To develop and enhance children’s thinking and imagination power by introducing them to the world of stories.
Exposure
Exposure to real life superheroes as role models look up to and encourage kind human beings and also improve their literacy skills.
Kahaaniwala is about bringing behavioural change in the reading habits in underprivileged children by providing free real unsung heroes journey as storybooks (Physical/Speaking book), to build and enhance children critical thinking skills and imagination power along with reading habits.
Our Story
The idea took its roots in 2018 when my then three-year-old daughter began asking me for bedtime stories almost every night. I would usually cook up stories for her. This encouraged her to make her own stories, to do drawings based on what she understood, to describe pictures in picture books. These stories also encouraged her to develop thinking skills, imagination power and good habits without any guidance.
I realized that while growing up in my village in the state of Uttarakhand, my exposure to bedtime stories was limited to the supposedly real ghost stories part of the town imagination and few stories of my grandparents’ tribulations. This was my only exposure to the real world in addition to the school books prescribed by the government board. Consequently, I felt that when I moved to metropolitans for further education and work, my cultural capital was limited. Maybe whatever I learnt and gathered knowledge in my childhood was the best but when I moved to the city I faced a great deal of struggle due to language difficulty, lack of knowledge about pop culture such as the references people made and so on. So I wish I could have city exposure through stories in my childhood, in addition to what I knew. Unfortunately, today also I find those same things lacking in today’s youth when I go to rural areas for research.
Kahaaniwala will tirelessly work to expand children’s knowledge bank and literacy skills by building a consistent solid reading habit. To do this, we will provide children with access to speaking and normal books that will introduce them to the magical world of stories based on real life unsung heroes. We will introduce them to the dynamic worlds of stalwarts like APJ Abdul Kalam, Kalpana Chawla, Baba Amte, Jitan Ram Manjhi, Arunachalam Muruganantham, Journey of Ratan Tata, Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Jyotiba Phule, Savitribai Phule, Sant Kabir Das, Arunima Sinha, Budhia Singh (world's youngest marathon runner) and many many more.
If you have any real unsung heroes story, please email to us at kahaani@kahaaniwala.org
Our Approach
Kahaaniwala is more than just a Kahaani. With giving free storybooks and conducting regular storytelling sessions in schools and communities through volunteers and school teachers and organizing talks with the book authors, to build children’s critical thinking skills, literacy skills and imagination power along with reading habit.
Our Module
- Real unsung heroes free stories as speaking books.
- Storytelling sessions at school and in communities.
- Educating parents and siblings about the importance of reading habits.
- Training volunteers in each community who will be called Didi and Bhaiya - disseminators of knowledge through stories.
- Introducing them to stories through other mediums like roleplay, films, Puppet shows, audios, screening etc.
- Group reading exercises and inter state/District story sharing.
- Making children story Club in Village
- Creating characters workshop for their own stories
- Organizing talks and workshops with the book authors.
Our Vision
Kahaaniwala’s aims are to build reading habits and enhance their critical thinking skills and imagination power through exposure to different kinds of real unsung heroes stories.
Kahaaniwala's work won’t stop at distributing free stories books, which is the first necessary step but not sufficient to bring effective behaviour change in reading habit.
Our Mission (Short-term)
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GIFT A BOOK
Your contribution will make a huge difference in the lives of many children. We look forward to your valuable contribution.
Used/New Storybooks
When it is a gift let's make it a perfect gift. Please ensure the storybook is complete and in good condition so that the children use the most of it.
Customized Storybooks
Collection of real unsung heroes stories specially designed and illustrated to improve language and provoke children's interest in storybook
Speaking Book
Smart speaking stories book, It’s a new way of learning, a kind of an interactive book with simple and user friendly features. It's a combination of a speak-o-pen and book.
JOIN OUR TRIBE
Volunteer
“Volunteers don’t necessarily have time, but they have heart. As Volunteer, you will learn not just more about the needs of others, you will also learn more about your own needs and you will discover that in helping other, you help yourself most of all.
A Volunteer can be anybody. There is no age limit to begin a volunteer, no preferred categories, no salary specification, no special degree or work experience. All that is required is a dedication to the cause, sincerity about the work that one in doing and commitment to a regular and sustained efforts with the organisation.”
- MAHATAMA GANDHI