The seeds of Stories Without Pictures were sown over 20 years ago in Nidhi’s mind while volunteering her time at a school for visually impaired children.
She taught them math, and read them newspapers and stories. A child once said to her, “main kabse nazar lagaye baitha tha aur aapki raah dekh raha tha.” Translating the colloquial Hindi expression into English, it reads, “I had my eyes set upon the door for so long, looking forward to meeting you.” That a visually impaired child could use these very visual expressions so normally, changed Nidhi’s perception of what “seeing” meant.
Everyone’s imagination of an expression, an event, or a person is different, and each one is just as beautiful. Children have uninhibited creativity and if you tell them stories with vivid descriptions, then they can “see” intricate characters and scenes in any way they want. We don’t always need perceptible imagery to accompany children’s stories.
Nidhi and Namit have been telling their daughter, Nandita, stories since she was 2-months old. They have seen how her eyes would go wide and how she would smile and laugh at the sounds. Five years of reading to Nandita and telling her simple, original stories led them to believe that other children would like this kind of storytelling too.
Enter Gautam — a doting uncle who has created an artistic universe with his niece. A user-experience and sound designer, his heart always lay with creating immersive experiences for children. When Nidhi’s and Gautam’s paths crossed, the seeds of Stories Without Pictures began to sprout.
Yet, it is Nandita who adds life to this project. Like children everywhere, she jumps, plays, and sings with carefree abandon. She also lends her voice to some characters where only a child’s voice can help create magic in another’s mind.
This is an attempt to bring fun stories to children everywhere. Simple characters, everyday settings, and immersive sounds.