Bimba Pratibimba: Giving Stories a New Voice in Kannada

In the world of children’s literature, stories have the power to open the doors to imagination, empathy, and curiosity, moulding young minds silently.

But in Kannada, good quality contemporary books for children remain far and few in between. Where such books do exist, gaps persist across age groups, genres, and formats, compounded by the fact that the community of writers and translators for Kannada children’s literature is still small.

To address this, the Tata Trusts’ Parag Initiative envisioned a unique initiative, one that would nurture skilled translators and expand access to high-quality books for young readers in Kannada. And so, in partnership with Bahuroopi who has carved a niche for itself in high-quality Kannada children’s literature publishing, the Tata Trusts organised Bimba Pratibimba - an experiential workshop.

A Workshop with a Purpose

“Bimba Pratibimba offered an immersive journey for an emerging and aspiring cohort of translators who were keen to bring alive stories and children’s literature from English to Kannada,” shared Amrita Patwardhan, Head Education, Tata Trusts. Over seven weeks, including a three-day residential workshop and a six-week guided mentorship: participants received hands-on experience in translating across genres, formats, and themes for young audiences. An extended mentorship period allowed the cohort to create and develop publishable manuscripts.

A core team of experts — Thejaswi Shivanand (Library Educator), GN Mohan (Journalist, Translator, and Publisher), and Prof M. Abdul Rehman Pasha (Academic and Linguist) — worked closely with the Parag team to design the curriculum, shortlist books, and develop translation guidelines.

Every story deserves to be read in a child’s mother tongue. From a longlist of acclaimed Parag Honour List and supported titles, the team curated a final set of books for translation. A call for applications brought in 94 entries, each submitting translation samples. After rigorous review, 16 participants were selected, representing diverse age-groups and professions from writers and educators to radio programmers, tech professionals, theatre actors and so on. The team also encouraged participation from people who speak different dialects, thus being able to bring in the richness of the language — from across the state. The final count of the participant for the seven-week Bimba Pratibimba workshop stood at 14.

Three Days That Lit a Spark

Held from January 26–28, 2024 at the Fireflies Intercultural Centre in Bengaluru, the workshop began with a talk on the Constitution of India by Prof Pasha and the unveiling of Yellarigaagi Ambedkar (Ambedkar for Everyone), illustrated by Gujjar and published by Bahuroopi.

Across the sessions, participants explored the theory and practice of children’s literature translation, delved into discussions with noted authors and translators such as Chatura Rao and Nagesh Hegde, and experimented with a variety of translation approaches — each exercise helping them refine their craft and discovering new ways to bring stories to life in Kannada, coupled by constructive feedback from the mentors.

Mehboob Mathad, a participant, described, “In the history of translating children's literature in Karnataka, this three-day learning workshop stands as a 'compass', setting high standards for all future experiential translation workshops.”

After the residential workshop, each participant worked under mentor guidance to complete a manuscript. Fourteen manuscripts were submitted, of which rights were secured for 11 books to move into publication.

A Celebration Beyond a Launch

On July 6, 2025, at the Karnataka Chitrakala Parishat, Bengaluru, the 11 translated titles — along with two additional translations and an illustrated Ambedkar anthology — were officially launched. Originally published in English by Kalpavriksh, Pickle Yolk, Eklavya, Talking Cub, and Puffin, these works now found new life in Kannada.

"We see this as the beginning of a larger journey — one where children can access a world of stories, beautifully told in their own language," says Sreeja VN, Co-founder, Bahuroopi.

It was a day-long celebration of children’s literature, featuring panel discussions, interactive sessions, and reflections from the translators themselves. Dignitaries, writers, illustrators, educators, and literature lovers came together, reaffirming the importance of creating rich, inclusive reading experiences for Kannada-speaking children.

Bimba Pratibimba proved that translation is not just about converting words from one language to another — it’s about carrying across the soul of a story, making it resonate in a new cultural space, and ensuring that children everywhere can find themselves in the pages they read.

This emotion was beautifully captured by one of the participant, "This workshop gave me the courage to experiment with language, retain the heart of a story, and still make it my own." 

About Bahuroopi: A publishing firm, with 100 titles including books for children, and various imprints, Bahuroopi has carved a niche for itself as a symbol of quality Kannada book publishing. The firm has received multiple awards for book production and cover design on several platforms. Their authors and publications have also been honoured with various Karnataka Sahitya Academy Awards across categories.

Written by Dhanishta Tiwari and Vivek BG of the Communications team of the Tata Trusts and Parag, respectively.