This is age ‘app’ropriate
Meet the developer of this free app that narrates stories for children under eight
By : namita gupta
Update: 2015-10-14 00:55 GMT
Going by how youngsters are taking to technology in a big way, Prakash Dantuluri decided to develop an app for children below eight. He shares insights into his journey from being a techie to a pioneering entrepreneur, quitting a professional corporate career to devising a free to use app. It was the need of the hour to create something that Indians can relate to and with Bulbulapps, he has already garnered over a million views on YouTube and over a quarter million cumulative downloads on the app store.
“I did my engineering from Vishweswaraya Institute of Technology in Bengaluru and started my career as a software engineer and became an enterprise architect. I worked in the USA for five years and returned to India to become an entrepreneur and have been doing both technology and creative ventures. I’m a filmmaker by hobby. Kids love to touch, swipe, click sounds and touch-screen technology is increasingly piquing their curiosity,” states Prakash on how it began.
Talking about his dream, he states, “I was fond of reading books and listening to stories, that has deep cultural roots. My favourite bird was Bulbul; I had a constant urge to find something new and felt it was a perfect name for our apps library. We focus on known folk and fairy tales, and later will get native characters and regional content for India. Our stories are created by artists from all over the world. There are no ads or gimmicks. The app is educative and fun to use; the illustrations are interactive. As the app has stories from different storytellers, it brings in a wide range of stories, be it the ever-classic Grimm Brothers, prince tales, folklore or animal fables.”
About his accomplishments, he states, “We have reached number one spot in 14 countries so far. We will release the app in six other languages and also include rhymes, learning, activities, and Indian mythology.” When he gets time to pursue his other passions, he says, “I love to read, doodle and travel. I like the commonalities that I observe especially the basic emotions, customs, behaviors and stories of people.”