There was once a mother with an innately curious child who loved stories. The child devoured all stories that came his way, but there was a catch. He especially loved stories set in India. He wanted to hear stories about children just like him who lived in houses just like his and went to schools like his. He wanted to hear about the lives of cheerful chaat makers, stern security guards, friendly flower sellers, and feisty fish vendors. He wanted to hear of scorching summers and musty monsoons. He wanted stories with ancient temples and mysterious forests, majestic elephants and mischievous monkeys, stray cows and cats with minds of their own.

The mother searched high and low for stories. But there were never quite enough. So finally, she started to weave her own tales to entertain her son and teach him about the unique and timeless civilisation he was born into. She wrote stories about Venkat the eight-year-old boy who longs for mangoes during the lockdown. She wrote about Venkat’s little sister, Pragya, who plays pranks on her brother but loves him very much. She wrote about children who set off into forests to discover lost temples and have magical adventures. She wrote about cows who steal pani puris and kittens that get lost in storms. There are even dogs that run libraries at teashops!

The stories grew into a blog which the mother and son named after their favourite plant - a purple bean. Yes, Purple beans are real. They’re beautiful, unique and Indian. And now, The Purple Bean is growing, as beans do, from a blog to a world of Indic stories. The story of The Purple Bean will continue to change. Because that’s the power of stories. They change themselves with each retelling, and they change every one they touch. The Purple Bean is not for just one child anymore. It’s for all the children who wish to hear stories about Venkat, Pragya, and the Chaaty Cow. And it will keep growing as children ask for more…

The Purple Bean is a Children’s Media start-up focused on Indian content. Each piece is written by a mother for her child as a reflection of the world around him. I created this blog to share my work in the hopes other children enjoy it too. Because a world without purple beans would be a really boring world.