Growing by the Book

Hugging a copy of Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, a book almost as major as himself, three-year-old Ekaash pads throughout the terracotta-tiled courtyard and settles into a tiny chair.

Key points

• It means "going beyond the story", has welcomed more than 250 children, plenty of of whom have gone from reluctant readers to enthusiastic ones.
• With its village-style decor, the fifth-floor library replaces conventional reading rooms with charpai cots, rangoli-painted walls, wooden pillars, potted plants and an open terracotta courtyard.
• The sessions are intentionally small, with just five or six children at a time.
• The library sits somewhere between home and school, offering children a space to process experiences they may not yet have the words for.
• The changes Shilpa witnesses rarely fit into report cards.

Since opening in August 2025, Kathatitam. It means "going beyond the story", has welcomed more than 250 children, plenty of of whom have gone from reluctant readers to enthusiastic ones. Founded by Shilpa Kiranveer and her husband, Kiranveer PN, the library grew out of years of parenting their four sons. "Whenever I wanted to teach my children something, I would pick up a book and support them learn. I created this space for children to experience stories, " notes Shilpa, founder of Kathatitam.

With its village-style decor, the fifth-floor library replaces conventional reading rooms with charpai cots, rangoli-painted walls, wooden pillars, potted plants and an open terracotta courtyard. Children browse everything from The Gruffalo and The Magic Faraway Tree to Gajapati Kulapati and Amar Chitra Katha comics. Shilpa, additionally a theatre artist, often performs the stories. "I enjoy conveying messages through stories. I feel that it grounds me every time, " she notes. During the performances, children draw scenes from what they have read, explore Indian art forms, and discuss emotions, friendships, and change. "It's good for children to grow with their roots, " Shilpa notes.

In practice, the library sits somewhere between home and school, offering children a space to process experiences they may not yet have the words for. Before recommending a title, Shilpa often speaks with parents to understand what a child is going through. She recalls a girl who had lately moved from Odisha to Hyderabad and was struggling to adjust. Instead of handing her an unrelated title, Shilpa chose stories regarding children navigating new cities. "This helped her learn to adapt to change, " she notes.

Meanwhile, the sessions are intentionally small, with just five or six children at a time. Afternoons are reserved for one-on-one reading backing. On one shelf sits a pile of picture books meant for preschoolers. "I have a child who is in Grade 6. She's having difficulty reading English. So, I'm teaching her comprehension. I'm sitting with her and reading small picture books, " notes Shilpa.

For context, the changes Shilpa witnesses rarely fit into report cards. A shy child begins speaking up. Another writes more confidently. Someone else simply learns to listen. Looking ahead, she hopes to work with schools, train teachers, backing parents and expand Kathatitam's collection of Indian books. "I am motivated by the change I see in children. The change is different in each child. But I believe in sowing the seed, " she notes.

Shilpa's idea of success, nevertheless, remains simple. "How I measure success is when I see children pick up books on their own, read, and put them back in the same rack where they picked them up from, " she notes.

Taken together, the developments around growing by the Book point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.