BANGALORE
Though there is a small market for audio books for kids, this is the first time someone from India has launched a firm that provides audio books for adults.
Are you one of those who love to read books but fail to find enough time to do so? What if you could listen to books on your way to work or while you are stuck in traffic?
Jai Zende and Jayashree Mantri Easwaran, who asked the question themselves, thought about coming up with a solution. That is how BooksTalk was born. The two-year-old firm sells audio books in different languages. Though there is a small market for audio books for kids, this is the first time someone from India has launched a firm that provides audio books for adults.
“My partner and I were working with Fidelity when one day we realised that how as adults we were reading much lesser than we used to as 12 hours of work and various domestic chores leave us with little time. We constantly read mails and other important stuff when we are in office. Hence, the reading part of the brain is quite tired by the time we find time for ourselves. So, we decided to provide audio books. I know a lot of Marathi writers who read out their own books and the experience is equally enjoyable,” said Zende.
BooksTalk’s business model is based on this premise: as children we enjoyed listening to bedtime stories and folktales narrated by our grandparents and parents. Hence, if we could enjoy listening to stories then, we would surely enjoy it now. With Indian book publishing industry at an all-time high, the firm decided to bring the flavour of Indian authors to its audience.
As of now, Zende and Easwaran have converted 30 titles, including books from English, Kannada and Bengali. These include Subroto Bagchi’s Go Kiss the World, Devdutt Pattanaik’s Jaya: An illustrated retelling of the Mahabharata and 7 Secrets of Shiva, Sudha Murthy’s Wise and Otherwise and Manada Mathu, Chandrashekhara Kambara’s Singaravva Mattu Aramane and Sunil Gangopadhyay’s stories featuring Kakababu.
“I wanted to bring in regional authors as well. There are so many of us who do not know how to read or write our mother tongue. So we often miss out reading some quality stuff.” Besides, according to Zende, only one in five Indians manage to read a book in a year. “Hence, we thought of bringing the joy of good writing from the confines of a book to the audible form.”
The books are read out by theatre artistes and actors. In some cases, the author himself is the narrator, like Subroto Bagchi. Soumya Prabhakar, who regularly buys these audio books, feels that audio books are as interesting as their paperback counterparts. “For a brief period I had lost touch with books. Now I use my driving time for reading,” Soumya said.
All set for vote counting in Jharkhand tomorrow; NDA, JMM-led alliances confident of winning
Watch: Australia star inquires Rishabh Pant about his next IPL team, gets 2-word reply
Shah Rukh Khan’s house Mannat was first offered to his industry rival…, but he refused because...
The Visionary Who Promises a Blue Sky for India: Holger Thorsten Schubart’s G20 Climate Speech
The Surge of High-End Living: Luxury Residential Market to Outpace Other Segments
FeFCon 2024 to be Held in Bangalore: A Premier Event on Fever Management
London Airport evacuates passengers over security threat, thousands stranded
The World’s First Innovative Iron Supplement to Combat Iron Deficiency and Anaemia
Meet grandmother who became fashion icon after trying on her granddaughter’s clothes
IND vs AUS: Rishabh Pant joins Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma in elite WTC list, becomes 3rd Indian to...
'All scripted drama...': Puneet Superstar allegedly assaulted by influencers in viral video, watch
Actress Ana de Armas caught kissing Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel’s son in viral photos
Oreshnik's Shadow: Will Russia's hypersonic missile force west to back down?
‘You’re So Beautiful’: World’s tallest woman meets world’s shortest woman over tea, pics go viral
Delhi-NCR Air Pollution: Consequences of GRAP-4 are drastic, may have adverse effects, says SC
Delhi-NCR Air Pollution: Schools likely to stay closed till..., check city-wise update
Maharashtra: 3 killed, 9 hospitalised after gas leak at fertiliser plant in Sangli
THIS farm is selling a cup of coffee for Rs 28000, but there's a twist, it is...
Chhattisgarh: 10 Maoists killed after encounter with security personnel in Sukma
Mukesh Ambani's SUPERHIT plan for Jio users, offers unlimited 5G access for 1 year for just Rs...
IND vs AUS 1st Test: KL Rahul's dismissal sparks DRS controversy in Perth Test
Dense fog, heavy rain predicted in these states till November 25; check here
Oreshnik Hypersonic Missile: Which nations are within its range?
Bihar teacher, principal reach school in drunken state; know what happened next
'I have faced a lot of...': Arjun Kapoor REVEALS his biggest fear amid break up with Malaika Arora
How millions of Indians may get affected due to US indictment of Gautam Adani in bribery case
Amid divorce rumours with Aishwarya Rai, Abhishek Bachchan says 'missing someone is okay but...'
After Bibles, watches and sneakers, Donald Trump is now selling autographed guitars, price is...
Delhi pollution: Air quality improves to ‘very poor’ category, AQI at...
Vladimir Putin's BIG threat, warns he could strike UK with new ballistic missile if...
Shillong Teer Results TODAY November 22, 2024 Live Updates: Check winning numbers here
Somebody misbehaved with Alia Bhatt on Highway sets then Imtiaz Ali had to...
Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal reveals twist behind Rs 200000 job fee, closes application window
Days after Ratan Tata's demise, Tata Group's Rs 131000 crore company inks pact with ADB for...
WATCH: Woman makes Biryani with Parle-G biscuits, viral video fumes internet
Only train in India in which passengers can travel for FREE; check route, timings and more
'Justice for biryani': Parle-G biryani takes internet by storm, video goes viral
DNA TV Show: Why Gautam Adani charged with bribery and fraud in US
IND vs AUS: Records Virat Kohli can break during Border-Gavaskar Trophy
Diljit Dosanjh fans get angry over Ananya Panday's birthday post for her grandmother, here's why