Story Kosh
Story Kosh
A treasury of stories for you to tell.
For ages two to ninety nine.
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I have told stories rooted in the tales of Bharat for over thirteen years. And I have struggled.
I found these ancient tales written in English that bores a child to bits. Big words like vanquish and conquest and penance that no child uses today.
So I decided to retell our much-loved stories. Simple words that even a two-year-old can follow. Sounds. Voices. Mischief that makes even adults giggle. Tell one tonight, and you will feel the difference on the very first page.
One thing you will not find here is audio. A story played on a device arrives without you. Your warmth and your voice are the whole point.
Most stories end with a moral. Ours spark a conversation. Tell the story. Ask a gentle question and listen. Retell the stories your child loves. Over many tellings, your child will build a quiet habit. To feel, ask why, and wonder what next.
₹ 999 a year.
New tales added every month.
Ganesha is Hungry
Ganesha is Hungry
A tale from the Puranas · ages 2+
Kubera throws a grand party to show the world how rich he is, but he has to deal with Ganesha's appetite first. Kubera has everything money can buy. Why is he still not happy?
The Squirrel who Helped
The Squirrel who Helped
A tale from the Ramayana · ages 2+
Rama's mighty army is building a bridge of giant rocks across the sea. A little squirrel wants to help too. The big ones laugh at her tiny grains of sand. Can something so small matter?
Badbad Cannot Stop
Badbad Cannot Stop
A Panchatantra tale · ages 2+
Badbad the tortoise talks all day long, until his friends offer him a magical way to fly. One rule applies. Stay silent. But the people below laugh and point. Can Badbad hold his words in?
Munnu and Kachru
Munnu and Kachru
A Panchatantra tale · ages 2+
Munnu the monkey and Kachru the crocodile become best friends over juicy mangoes, until one day Kachru shares a dangerous secret in the middle of the river. Can Munnu save himself?
Bheeru and the Damroo
Bheeru and the Damroo
A Panchatantra tale · ages 2+
Bheeru the jackal is scared of everything. Then a big booming DHAM DHAM DHAMAAK sends him running for his life. What can you do when you are scared of something you cannot see?
Bheema and the Monkey
Bheema and the Monkey
A tale from the Mahabharata · ages 2+
An old monkey's tail blocks the path of Bheema, the strongest man in the world. The mighty Bheema cannot move it an inch. Who is this old monkey?
Krishna and the Monster
Krishna and the Monster
A much-loved folk tale · ages 2+
Balarama keeps watch in a dark forest when a roaring monster appears. The more scared he gets, the bigger it grows. Why does the very same monster shrink when Krishna meets it?
Krishna and Sudama
Krishna and Sudama
A tale from the Puranas · ages 5+
Krishna, the prince, and Sudama, a poor man's son, were best friends as boys. Years later, Sudama is too ashamed to ask his old friend for help. Will Krishna understand what Sudama cannot say?
Shabari and the Ber
Shabari and the Ber
A tale from the Ramayana · ages 5+
Old Shabari has waited many years for Rama. When he arrives at last, she first tastes each ber so she can offer him the sweetest. Lakshman is angry. Will Rama eat the half-eaten ber?
Bhasmasura and Mohini
Bhasmasura and Mohini
A tale from the Puranas · ages 5+
Shiva grants an asura the power to turn anything to ash. When Shiva himself is in danger, a beautiful dancer steps in to help. How do you stop someone powerful without a fight?
Draupadi's Akshaya Patra
Draupadi's Akshaya Patra
A tale from the Mahabharata · ages 5+
Draupadi's magic pot feeds every guest who comes, until the day her own meal is over and a hundred hungry sages arrive at her door. How can one grain of rice feed them all?
Shurpanakha
Shurpanakha
A tale from the Ramayana · ages 8+
Shurpanakha meets Rama in the forest and asks him to marry her. He says no, and Lakshman leaves her wounded and furious. How can one laugh and a few whispered words set off a whole war?
How to use these stories
How to use these stories
Delight first, always. Use sounds, actions and voices. Let your child pat Ganesha's tummy and shout "Yum! Yum!"
These stories are written for you as much as for your child. A story you enjoy telling is a story your child loves hearing, so let yourself have fun with it.
Read the story from the page the first time. After that, tell it your way. Some parents keep reading from the page, some look down only now and then, some tell it fully from memory. All three work. Whenever you read, look up often. Your eyes on your child matter more than the words.
Inside each story you will see a few lines in bold orange. These are tiny pauses to wonder aloud. The words are only a suggestion. Say the lines your own way. Softly, like a musing. Your child may or may not answer. Either is fine. Carry on with the story.
Skip the moral. Do not explain what the story means. After each story you will find a menu of questions. Each card goes a little deeper, from feelings, to why something happened, to our own life. Pick the question your child might enjoy. Ask, then listen. No answer is wrong. The aim is an honest conversation.
Some nights, ask nothing at all. Just tell the tale and turn off the light. Readiness matters, and the story alone is always enough.
The first twenty-five
Story Kosh is new. I am looking for twenty-five Founding Parents to grow it with me. Here is what that means. I will ask you which stories your child asks for again. I will ask you what your child said after. I will ask you what fell flat. And I will listen, because the library that exists a year from now should be shaped by the children listening to it.
Ready to go deeper?
Ready to go deeper?
These stories are only the beginning. They build your child's capacity to think and feel, and to know their own inner voice.
The deeper changes grow somewhere a story cannot reach, in the relationship you share with your child. Story Samvad teaches you how.
Still wondering about something? Read Questions Parents Ask
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