Chittam: Expanding the Reach of Rich Indian Culture through Interactive Games

The world of edutainment welcomed its latest entrant-Chittam-an innovative, revolutionary brand of children's games. Launched on January 27, 2023, by Mr. Rangaraj Pandey, eminent journalist and Founder-CEO of Chanakyaa TV, during a highly-engaging panel discussion titled "The need for cultural rootedness in children", featuring Mr. Pandey as the keynote speaker and attended by esteemed panelists including Shri. D.K.Hari and Smt. Hema Hari-Founders of Bharath Gyan, and Smt. Lalitha Chandrasekaran, Educationist, Managing Director & Trustee-Ramana Vidyalaya.

Chittam Founder & CEO, Charanya Kumar

Chittam, meaning the 'psyche' or the 'mind' in Sanskrit language, has been established with a mission to help create a wider and deeper awareness about the cultural values and bonds across generations, with the aid of holistic games that not only help develop essential motor and sensory skills in toddlers and youngsters, but also impart values and cultural rootedness.

(L to R) Charanya Kumar - Founder & CEO, Chittam Lalitha Chandrasekharan - Managing Director, Ramana Vidyalaya (Chennai) Rangaraj Pandey - Founder & CEO, Chanakya D.K. Hari and Hema Hari, Founders of Bharat Gyan

Sharing the ideation behind the company's origin, company's Founder and CEO, Charanya Kumar shared, "A significant majority of parents we spoke to agreed that enabling cultural education and rootedness in their children is not just a nice-to-have, but a must-have." She further added, "At Chittam we are creating board games, card games, books, and digital content that will make Indic wisdom relatable and fun. We want to bring families and generations together in a meaningful way."

Chittam an one-of-a-kind children's gaming and entertainment company brand portfolio covers highly-interactive and educational board games, card games, puppetry kits, activity books, and much more, that are centered around themes including the Indian culture, various regional languages, traditions, philosophies, and spirituality. The products will present these concepts to children in ways that are meaningful, relatable, and at the same time highly engaging and fun.

Helmed by Charanya Kumar, the company's founder and CEO, Chittam boasts of a young and dynamic team constituting researchers, game designers and content creators who are based in various locations across India and around the globe, united by the vision of taking India's ancient wisdom to the next generation. In addition, the company has eminent Vedic scholars, historians, researchers, authors, and business leaders on its advisory board, including Dr. Rishi Bhatnagar (President - Aeris Communications), Vishakha Hari (Vedic Scholar and renowned Harikatha proponent), and Anuradha Goyal (author and columnist).

Chittam launched with 5 uniquely designed games, spanning across different Indian themes and topics, meticulously hand-crafted by local artisans and made using eco-friendly materials. The first set of games will soon be made available at all major retail outlets and on popular e-commerce platforms.

Chittam Products Launched

• Sarathi is an interactive activity book that transports children - and their parents and grandparents - to the world of Lord Krishna. It contains crosswords, riddles, art challenges, stories, and a lot more. Apart from the content, what makes the book unique is the distinctive, eye-catching illustrations. This will attract children and adults alike.

• Bommalattam is a unique puppetry kit to learn about the history of Indian puppetry and narrate stories of the valorous heroes of the Mahabharata. The kit consists of a mini puppet theater and hand-crafted puppets of the Pandavas and Draupadi. The kit has stories like the Yaksha Prashna (one of the five gems of the Mahabharata) rephrased to make it easy for children to understand the concept of Dharma. A beautiful gift for creative children.

• Bharata Vilas is an interesting twist on the traditional rummy card game, that introduces children to the various foods, monuments, weaves, and dance forms of all Indian states. As part of the gameplay, children (and adults) will gain a deeper appreciation of the culture of their fellow Indians. This game addresses one of Chittam's other key focus areas - that of Indian cultural diversity, and the need to appreciate this diversity while also being aware of the common threads stitching these diverse elements together.

• Suprabatham is an introspective activity kit that introduces children to 60 successful Indian personalities - from across fields - who are rooted in our culture. The gameplay is simple - every morning, at home or in classrooms, children pick up a card, read an anecdote from the personality's life, and reflect on the questions asked. Suprabatham enables parents and teachers to instill a positive morning ritual and create a space for quiet introspection. What is also interesting is that the personalities selected are very diverse, and range from the Padma Shri awardee folk dancer Manjamma Jogati to Bharat Ratna Sachin Tendulkar; from the brave King Suheldev to the selfless Moolamati.

• Neivedya is an activity kit that introduces toddlers to the various food offerings associated with our Gods, and the legends, folklore, and rituals associated with them. The kit includes a book of delightfully quirky poems, a coloring book, jigsaw puzzles and a throwing activity.

Where to buy the games
Chittam's games will soon be available at all major retail outlets and on popular e-commerce platforms. More details can be found at www.chittam.in. For more information, one can write to namaste@chittam.in.

About Chittam
Founded in January 2023, Chennai-based Chittam is a manufacturer of innovative, uniquely crafted Edutainment games with products covering board games, card games, activity books, and much more. The company's mission is to take Indian culture to today's children in exciting, innovative, and meaningful ways. It designs and manufactures board games and card games that draw from the deep well of Indian culture, philosophy and spirituality, to leave children-and their parents-with a more direct appreciation of multiple aspects of the country's diverse and rich lived culture.