KOZHIKODE: What began as a playful classroom experiment has now grown into a storybook lighting up young minds across the country. Sridhar Guda, a professor at the Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode (IIMK), never imagined he would one day be called a children’s author. But with ‘Stories of Chanda Mama: Legend of the Moon’, he has reimagined science in a way few professors dare — by turning the moon into a living, laughing, storytelling character.
Instead of relying on formulas or complicated terminology, professor Guda chose a different path. “Children always remember stories more than textbooks,” he said, leaning back with a smile.
“If the moon itself becomes a character who speaks, sings, and plays, they will never forget what they learn.”
The book is not a dry manual of facts. It’s a comic-style tale where celestial mysteries come alive in adventures and characters. The spark that turned this quirky experiment into a national initiative came when NCERT’s Pranita Gopal spotted its potential. She invited Guda to contribute to ‘Bharat on the Moon’, an educational campaign inspired by India’s lunar missions.
“When professor Pranita approached me, I instantly felt this was something bigger than just a fun project,” recalled Guda.
“It was about telling ancient stories and anecdotes in a way that simplifies astronomy for children below 10. That was both a challenge and an opportunity.”
To bring the idea alive, Guda joined hands with colleagues Saparya Suresh and Surya Prakash Pati. The trio, who had collaborated earlier on academic projects, quickly found themselves immersed in a different kind of brainstorming — blending mythology, folklore, and science into an engaging children’s narrative.
“All three of us grew up listening to stories about the moon, the sun, and the animals. That inspiration was already in us. But the NCERT mandate to write for children, and make it fun, pushed us to give those stories a new cartoon-like shape,” Guda said.
Their chosen approach was simple yet impactful: one story, one phenomenon.
Instead of overwhelming young readers with technical details, they used tales to spark curiosity about natural events. “Science books already exist to explain phenomena. We wanted to do something different and show the same through stories,” he explained.
The response has been heartwarming. Children of friends and colleagues have already flipped through the colourful pages, giggling at the moon’s antics while unknowingly absorbing lessons in astronomy. “Seeing children happy while reading the book is the biggest reward,” Guda said.
The initiative has also won high praise at IIM Kozhikode, with the director of the institute, Debashis Chatterjee, described it as a pioneering blend of creativity and education.
“At IIM Kozhikode, we believe true nation-building begins with nurturing the curiosity of young minds. When science is communicated through folklore and imagination, it not only excites young learners but connects them to their heritage. This confluence of knowledge and creativity will ignite inquiry and prepare our children to dream fearlessly for India’s future.”