Crow Chronicles 1

1996. With Line and Circle, it was lift-off for Tulika's multilingual publishing programme for children. Save three months right at the start when we nested in one room on top of a rickety flight of stairs, home for the next thirteen years was 13 Prithvi Avenue in Abhiramapuram, Chennai.

Dreaming up the first books: Lakshmi, Sandhya and Radhika (L to R)

Twenty years on, the Tulika crow is busier than ever. People have come, and mostly stayed. Interns have summered, wintered too. More tables and chairs and newer computers have found space. And books, books, books…

Techno magic: Design intern Anisha and comp-wiz Siva

Conducting book launches, reading trails and workshops... making, checking, packing and stacking books...  it was hands-on for everyone with everything. The crow wore many hats, adding many feathers to them along the way!

(Clockwise) Talking books: Radhika and Deeya
Climbing high: Lakshmi, Sandhya and Radhika in the stockroom
The quiet anchor: Radhika

The crow's new perch

In 2010, we packed up our nest and migrated to a quiet bylane close-by: 24/1 Ganapathy Colony Third Street, Teynampet. A comfortable new home, with a tree-filled backyard, a bright signboard in front, and a cosy bookstore for browsers – age no bar.

(Clockwise) Money-bird Thilak
Storytime with Niveditha
Books in the pipeline: Megha and Siva
All done shopping!
Drop everything and read!