iWorld
VOOT Kids partners with Karadi Tales to bring to life popular Indian Classics
MUMBAI: Do you remember the memories you made and the world you created when your grandma narrated those classic tales to you? Now imagine your kids enjoying the same traditional stories narrated in the magical voices of your favorite celebrities. VOOT Kids, the all-new entertainment and fun-learning app for kids from the house of Viacom18, is bringing to life this vast selection, partnering with the iconic Karadi Tales. The recently launched VOOT Kids is all set to delight kids with these classics narrated in the enthralling voices of legends like Naseeruddin Shah, Gulzar, Usha Uthup, sporting stalwarts like Rahul Dravid and phenomenal actors like Vidya Balan, Javed Jaffery, R Madhavan, amongst others, through a diverse collection of audio stories, set in riveting soundscapes. The Karadi Tales collection on VOOT Kids that is live now will also include e-books and videos.
Introducing kids to various aspects of the Indian folklore, fables and culture, Karadi Tales with its bedtime stories, timeless tales of world’s greatest warriors and much more will provide an immersive story telling experience on VOOT Kids. With hundreds of stories and book narrations by the diverse repertoire of well-known celebrities, VOOT Kids is sure to enrich every child’s entertainment and learning experience.
“VOOT Kids endeavors to provide children with an immersive and holistic edutainment experience. With a wide array of content from Video, Audio stories, E-books, learning segments and more, the platform is set to become a key part of every child’s daily entertainment and fun learning journey. Audio stories is a magical segment, which will definitely fire up their imagination and allow every child to visualize a story in their own unique way," VOOT Kids business head Saugato Bhowmik commented on the partnership.
“Partnering with marquee content partners like Karadi tales, that bring to life culturally rich and relevant stories with morals and learnings, is sure to add significant value to every child’s entertainment need and cognitive skills,” he further added.
"The storytelling tradition in our country spans over 3000 years. This experience of storytelling involves not just the written word but visual imagery, vibrant narration, exciting sound and music textures. Karadi Tales has been involved in taking the joy of Indian folklore and storytelling for over 2 decades now. Karadi Tales audiobooks feature master storytellers from the Indian theatre and film world. The music and songs are based on the Indian classical music traditions and the visual imagery, on the phenomenal art traditions from across the Indian milieu.
Karadi Tales is thrilled to celebrate the sights and sounds of India with VOOT Kids, to take the joy of storytelling to children across our country," Karadi Tales creative director Narayan Parasuram added.
eNews
Piyush Thakur steps down as Inshorts’ chief revenue officer
Former vice president and cro says exit marks a new chapter after close to a decade of building revenue and partnerships at Inshorts Group.
NOIDA: Piyush Thakur has stepped away from Inshorts Group after nearly 10 years with the company, marking the end of a long tenure that culminated in his role as chief revenue officer.
In a farewell note, Thakur said he was “turning a new page” after almost a decade at Inshorts, calling it one of the hardest professional decisions he has made. He added that his exit was not driven by uncertainty about the future, but by reflection on a long association with the company.
Thakur joined Inshorts in October 2016 as vice president and spent around seven years in the role before being elevated to chief revenue officer in April 2024, a position he held until April 2026.
He said his tenure was defined by “thousands of mornings, late nights, product debates and breakthrough moments”, as the company evolved into a large-scale digital news platform used by millions.
In his note, Thakur emphasised that Inshorts’ growth was a collective effort across teams, adding that engineers, designers, sales teams and customer support staff all contributed to building the platform. He said the company’s success was not the result of individuals but of “everyone who stayed, passed through, and left their mark”.
Before Inshorts, Thakur worked across several digital media and business development roles. At ESPN, he served as senior regional manager from October 2015 to October 2016, focusing on growth initiatives, strategic opportunities and video distribution.
At Times Internet, he worked for nearly three years, including as head of business development from April 2015 to September 2015 and chief manager from January 2013 to March 2015. His responsibilities included monetisation of mobile platforms, managing media and developer partnerships, and driving revenue across digital properties such as The Times of India and The Economic Times.
Earlier, he worked at Brandmovers as head of business development from June 2012 to June 2013, handling digital, mobile and social media marketing solutions, client development and strategic consulting. During this period, he also worked on advertising revenue, brand strategy and CRM-based solutions.
At Inshorts, Thakur’s role focused on revenue strategy, mobile and media partnerships, and growth initiatives across platforms. His profile highlights experience in mobile product management, digital business models, partner ecosystems and revenue expansion in high-growth environments.
