In this first volume of Indian rhymes for Indian kids Usha Uthup celebrates the essence of an Indian childhood. With songs about mangoes, bhelpuri, festivals and flowers, this unique album is surprisingly as much fun for an adult as it is for a child! Illustrations : Lalitha Thyagarajan ISBN: 81-86838-95-3 [Top] Book+Cassette Rs 99/- $5.99 Book+CD Rs 125/ $6.99

Usha Uthup enthralls the young and the old again with more rhymes to celebrate the Indian childhood. Trains, rains, kites and colours leap and dance to music and draws you into the mood along with Usha! Illustrations : Dileep Joshi ISBN: 81-86838-98-8 [Top] Book+Cassette Rs 99/- $5.99 Book+CD Rs 125/ $6.99

For a long time, we, at the Karadi Tales Company toyed with the idea of bringing out a compilation of Nursery Rhymes. Given that music was our mainstay and song remains the easy route to learning, it was an attractive concept. But the thought of yet another 'version' of Jacks and Jills, Humpty Dumptys and Little Miss Muffets horrified us. For five decades now, and over three generations, irrelevant colonial rhymes have established themselves firmly on Indian soil and we did not want to further cement their presence.

It was an accident that provided the impetus to the project of creating rhymes that have relevance to children in India. A couple of years ago, on a hot Chennai afternoon ( is there another kind?), while waiting on the premises of a school, one of our team members heard a chorus of children's voices resounding from the window of a kindergarten class

"Rain Rain go away.
Come again another day.
Little Johnny wants to play.
Rain Rain go away."

Perhaps it was the heat, the parched throat and the dust that billowed off the dry ground that brought to light the complete absurdity of the rhyme. Year after year, as water continues to become a scarcer commodity, our little ones unthinkingly recite by rote, 'Rain, Rain, go Away...' Something was wrong.

The journey from an abstract idea to a tangible product is sometimes a long one. Especially when one sets out to get everything right. First, we found that simple as it sounded, writing nursery rhymes was no easy task. Many heads and pens came together, many topics were discussed, many revisions were drafted, many egos were bruised and bandaged and finally out of god-knows-how-many, twenty rhymes made it to the final list.

To keep the music simple yet engage the child's interest without lulling her was the next challenge. Setting them to simple Indian ragas, with few notes that made up the scale was exciting as well as daunting. But as the rhymes unfurled to the music and began to dance to the tunes they were set to, we watched in excitement as children responded enthusiastically, and adults hummed the melodies long after they had heard them.

Usha Uthup became our first and natural choice as singer. Her unique and inimitable style, her booming, resonating voice, her jubilant personality and her sheer energy completed the journey.

Released as two volumes, containing ten rhymes each, Karadi Rhymes brings for the first time ever, Indian rhymes for children of India. Accompanied by a bright and beautifully illustrated book, we hope that Humpty Dumpty stays on the ground and never gets put back again.

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