What is more comforting than ending a long day of work by slipping into your favourite worn-out creased pyjamas, cocooning in your soft bed with curtains drawn, and consuming content online?
The dopamine rush that comes from consuming a variety of content — news stories, makeup tutorials, travel vlogs, or TED talks — is unmatched.
However, something seems strange in this never-ending scroll. Sure, you’re entertained, but at what cost? That momentary happiness fades away, leaving a fog of exhaustion and overstimulation in its wake. Many of us are aware of this cycle, but we rarely give it much thought.
Tune out the noise
To break this pattern, brothers-turned-co-founders Santosh Kumar and Sathish Krishnamurthi took a step back and thought about what responsible digital consumption would entail. “We had a thought wherein, at the end of each individual’s consumption session, they should feel happy about the content consumed and the time spent. That was the start of the journey to provide mindful entertainment, because entertainment can be mindful,” shares Santosh.
This realisation dawned in 2022, and since then, the duo has been changing the course of content consumption, starting at the root of the problem — social media. “Within social media, how can we be a little different and how can we show what we mean by mindfulness was the first step...” This is what they thought.
In a short span, the creators concluded that by generating more videos — though with a different agenda — for the end consumers “to come out of doom scrolling and consuming added content is hard,” points out Santosh.
As a result, the ‘tale ‘O’ meter’ application was coded and launched on Tamil New Year’s day last year. This is a platform where meaningful, intentionally involved content is generated in Tamil every day that does not include algorithms or addictive loops, where you leave your screen feeling satisfied rather than exhausted.
Pause and pay attention
Last month, the app expanded with a section only for kids, rooted in the same values of curiosity, awareness, and presence, using music and engaging storytelling. “The idea is to offer mindful entertainment — not limited to meditation but including thoughtful, purpose-driven content that leaves the listener feeling good — an alternative to doom scrolling,” shares Sathish.
This ad-free, algorithm-free audio platform has over 6,000 pieces of content that a five-year-old and above can listen to. Of the thousands of learning materials, around 200 are available for free. Subscribed users, in addition to the new audios, can access previous episodes and more features.
Redefining consumption
The application primarily targets people living in the metro and those outside of India, appealing to their sensibilities. In the next phase, they plan to take the application to other cities and other language content. “We pride ourselves on being a family and clean entertainment platform”, adds the founder.
Once downloaded, the users listen to a two-minute audio, explaining the purpose of the app. “The audio is on how it is meant to slow you down. It sets you up for what to expect. This is expected to improve your focus. Because when you say mindful content, it should help you be aware, present, and curious. So all the content that we are building is based on this,” explains Santosh.
The platform emphasises “delightful discovery” instead of content recommendations. It aims to become a “happy habit” by embedding itself into users’ routines. “Getting into the habit and embedding our app into someone’s routine is the hardest part. But what we see as a positive thing is that once you get it, then it is more of a lifelong interaction. Once embedded into the routine, the values, it adds are a lot,” concludes Sathish.
Users can access all options at `100/month in India and $2 abroad (Middle East, Europe, US, Australia, and Singapore.)
What to stream?
The app has multiple content streams, each curated with a specific purpose:
For Adults
Oru Cup Oxygen: A daily podcast with life, news, and people stories
Tuli: Sleep stories
Ey le lo: Fictional stories designed to move the listener
Chinspiration: Small, thoughtful inspirations
Rasachify: User-submitted stories turned into narratives
CSK: Fans share memories of their favourite CSK matches
Adukalam: Games, quizzes, and fun film-based formats
La La Land: Fascinating real Indian legal cases
Curiopedi: Non-fictional entertainment
For Kids
Five weekday-themed streams:
Buddy Battle: Quizzes and challenges with a parent or sibling
Zakura: Fantasy set up to teach about Earth, and geography
EQ is greater than IQ: Stories that help build emotional intelligence
Kids News: News stream for the kids, by the kids