Author: Priyanka Gupta Kankane (IIM Lucknow, BITS Goa, Microsoft)
Exposing Young Children to Indian Mythology and Spiritual Stories, and Their Impact
“The earliest memories I have of watching content from my childhood are of watching Ramayan, Mahabharat, or Krishna on television while sitting with my grandparents, neighbours, and friends.”
Does this sound relatable?
The entire generation of the 1980s and 1990s—Gen Y, Millennials, and even parts of Gen Z—can still remember the music of these serials, their characters, the advertisement breaks on Doordarshan, and the excitement of waiting for the next episode on a calm Sunday morning.
Over the past couple of decades, however, not only has media and content changed, but our exposure to these stories has gradually reduced. This reflection is not about religion or the worship of God. Rather, it is about stories—stories that shape generations, inspire us, and encourage deeper reflection on our own lives while imparting lessons about ethics, values, and dharma, regardless of the religion they originate from. These were stories not designed for ratings or consumerism, but rooted in philosophy, reflection, and humanity.
Recently, I gifted a collection of stories from Amar Chitra Katha to a friend’s child. A few days later, the parent told me that the child had become completely absorbed in the stories, asking to hear them repeatedly and even attempting to role-play the characters at home. In a world filled with fast-paced digital entertainment like Cocomelon, this moment felt deeply meaningful for the parents. Their child was engaging with role models and stories that they themselves had grown up with—stories that were both relatable and inspiring.
But why does storytelling matter so much in an age dominated by media and modern forms of content consumption?
Stories serve as a bridge between generations, societies, and cultures. They nurture imagination in ways that few activities can match, and they provide children with opportunities to understand expression and communication through artistic traditions such as lok kathas, Panchatantra, Akbar–Birbal, Tenali Raman, and many others across different regions and languages.
While many of these stories are now available through television serials and cartoons, one might ask: why focus on the written format? The answer is simple. Reading helps cultivate a love for books. It offers a screen-free experience with fewer distractions—just focused time, often spent with a parent or grandparent reading aloud to a young child.
Another important aspect of storytelling is the development of listening, processing, imagining, and eventually applying lessons in real life. For example, values such as honesty, truthfulness, kindness, and healthy habits can often be conveyed more effectively through stories of wisdom than through direct instruction. At a time when children’s attention spans are increasingly challenged by screens, redirecting their attention to meaningful stories can be both beneficial and enriching.
Stories also introduce children to native history and cultural traditions while being rooted in deep values and virtues. This exposure becomes especially important as many families today no longer live in joint family systems where such narratives would naturally emerge through conversations with grandparents. Stories can help recreate that connection to cultural roots and provide children with a sense of belonging—something the modern world often struggles to cultivate.
Another perspective frequently shared by young urban parents is the challenge of raising children who are modern and confident while also remaining grounded in their cultural heritage. Mythological and spiritual stories often include a moral or learning element—shiksha or seekh—that encourages children to reflect on right and wrong and to internalise positive behaviours and habits.
With these thoughts, let us open up a conversation:
Which storybooks would you recommend to parents—across different age groups and languages—based on your personal experiences and reviews?
If you would like to contribute to our newsletter, or join us as parent researcher or educator, please leave us a message, or write to priyanka.pointguard@gmail.com
Follow Priyanka Agrawal on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/comm/mynetwork/discovery-see-all?usecase=PEOPLE_FOLLOWS&followMember=pagrawal1
Subscribe to Point Guard’s newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7418911870050488320
Leave feedback in comments section.
Excellent approach to develop mental faculty. To give impetus to this effort we also need to provide glorious, joyful, colourful atmosphere accompanied with good friends n family members as we know “Healthy Mind Lives in Healthy Body”.😂🤣😇🥳