The PARI series, published under the Karadi Tales chapter book imprint, Minmini Reads, is done in collaboration with People’s Archive of Rural India: an ambitious, acclaimed living archive of reporting about rural India, founded and led by veteran journalist P. Sainath.
The PARI series uses real stories of rural India, disenfranchised people and communities,and the unique challenges they overcome every day, be it in infrastructure, health care, or job security. They are stories of triumph – of children who participate cheerfully in civic issues, athletes who power past their disabilities, citizens who demand their right to be heard – and an attempt to give these voices a platform, as well as address the serious dearth of children’s books that are set in non-urban locations.

The Big Splash

Friends don’t say mean things about you behind your back. Friends let you play cricket with them even when they don’t need an extra fielder.

A falling-out with her friends drives thirteen-year-old Dhivya to seek solace in the waters of the village tank. That day, she receives some advice and is sucked into the world of competitive swimming, far away from her home near the cotton fields in Siruganpur. Soon, she makes friends with another swimmer – Ambika. Will Dhivya be able to hold on to this friendship?

Nivedha Ganesh spins fiction from facts with verve and imagination in a story that’s humorous, relatable, and inspiring all at once.