Tales for the smart' tyke

How many parents would have secretly wished for a magical solution that would help them get their kids off from their mobile and tablets, atleast for a while? Everytime Satvik Shahapur and Sunil Passaye would see tykes fritting around on their gadgets and games, they would be concerned about how they could spend that time in a constructive manner. And that’s how Story31, the website was born.

The genesis of the 20-page personalised story books these Bengaluru boys create for kids helps not only inculcate reading habits in your little ones, but also assists them in imagining stories, while opening up their minds on adventure and feeling special.

The duo worked together in different firms, but always wanted to start something on their own. When they saw how most kids of their friends and families were hooked onto their screens, they came up with this idea. Explaining about their custom-made story book My Name is on story31.in Satvik states, “It is customised everytime for every kid and is essentially a story built around that kid who goes on an adventure to re-discover their name. No two books are the same. We’re using technology to redefine the art of storytelling to create the dwindling interest kids have in books these days with a bit of personal and fun element to their lives. Everyone wants to feel special and in this fast-paced life, printed personalised books can bring an instant smile, as books have a huge influence on children.”

When they’re not designing books, Satvik likes to go on long bike rides. “I love mean machines and am part of a group of bike riders. We recently went to Rajasthan on our bikes. Sunil has also started joining me now on our fun adventure bike rides. It’s our way to think, plan and also unwind as start-ups come with many challenges,” he says.

Next up on their sleeve is an interactive version of this story on a mobile app soon which will also have a lot of learning. Sunil who has a tech background returned to Bengaluru after a stint at Disney in the US, says these are not just mere digital books, but bring about personal and fun element to your life. “During the journey the child meets various animals and other characters based on the letters of their name and in the end, after a hard but exciting journey, learn the full spelling of their name. The idea is to wean them away from senseless games and learn while they read and play. There will be more stories designed towards personalisation and progressively enhancing reading abilities of children,” he adds.