The bookmaker and her dream: Tulika’s founder on building a publishing house rooted in a love for children

Radhika Menon tin ne'er hide the infinitesimal she held the archetypal Tulika publication successful 1996. “It was a large feeling,” she recalls, adding: “It was virtually blistery disconnected the property due to the fact that we were astatine the printing property successful Kilpauk.” In its erstwhile avatar, Tulika was a prepress services portion successful Delhi, doing enactment for different publishers and organisations. “Somewhere successful our mind, we knew that we would 1 time people our ain books,” she says.

Their archetypal bureau was adjacent the Music College atop a screen-printing portion and with a tiny squad of three, Radhika started the publishing location that would spell connected to bring retired children’s books successful 9 languages. For Radhika, who has had acquisition successful teaching successful Chennai and Delhi, getting into publishing “was a earthy coming unneurotic of my interests and experiences”.

Their archetypal book, Line and Circle was a bilingual, a format that was not accepted successful the Indian marketplace backmost then, particularly schools. “They were not utilized to having different connection successful the aforesaid book,” she recalls. But to her and her team, it was a earthy mode to present children to reading. While they struggled to merchantability it successful India, they sold rights for implicit 20 languages successful the archetypal year.

“But we ne'er lacked confidence; we were convinced that these books were needed,” she says. After a batch of conflict — during which they brought retired theme-based diaries to support themselves afloat — Radhika recalls the marketplace opening up from 2010. They person truthful acold published astir 450 titles successful English; with implicit 3,000 inclusive of 8 different languages, moving with 176 authors, 150 illustrators and 120 translators.

Tulika brought successful immoderate refreshing changes to children’s books. It focussed connected an Indian mounting with relatable characters. Its women besides dressed successful saris and salwars and sported kondais; determination are respective dhoti and lungi-clad men successful their pages, with characters shown arsenic dark-skinned, mundane radical 1 would brushwood successful our streets. This was imaginable due to the fact that of their illustrators. “The reasoning of a batch of young illustrators contiguous is precise rooted,” notes Radhika.

Among their fashionable titles are the Gajapati Kulapati books by Ashok Rajagopalan. “Ashok archetypal wrote it arsenic a amusive happening for a story-telling session; I said let’s marque a publication retired of it,” recalls Radhika. Today, it is the archetypal publication for galore children, and she is amazed astatine however acold the ‘gentle elephant’ has come. “We erstwhile heard from a Korean kid that Gajapati Kulapati was his favourite book,” she says: “We had ne'er anticipated it oregon planned for a series. It was the children’s responses that inspired Ashok and that led america from 1 publication to the next! The bid took connected a momentum of its own.”

Over these years, Radhika has worked with immoderate exceptional minds, this includes their most-loved authors specified arsenic Sandhya Rao, writer and illustrator Manjula Padmanabhan, illustrators Proiti Roy and Sandhya Prabhat. Radhika feels publishing “is nary longer astir conceptualising, editing, designing books but astir events and promotions,” adding that it is not conscionable astir the printed publication successful bookstores and libraries but astir online presence. “And determination the possibilities and opportunities are endless and perpetually evolving,” she says.

Now that she has spent 30 years arsenic a publisher, she excessively has evolved. Her work, she says has made her “patient, reflective and much conscious of the work we transportation erstwhile creating for young minds.” She is perpetually looking for ideas: from conversations, films, books, articles, and podcasts. “But translating those ideas into an imaginative, afloat realised children’s publication is simply a daunting challenge,” she says.

Radhika adds: “Over caller years, determination is anxiousness astir the satellite children are increasing up in. As a publisher, grandmother, teacher, I spot children’s books arsenic offering hope: by creating a consciousness and sensibility that gives them tools and skills to woody with the satellite successful a subliminal way. A bully children’s publication is simply a harmless space. A root of comfort, affectional support.”