About DharmaDots

Most children grow up knowing the names.
Not the reasons.

A retelling of the Ramayan written at your child's exact reading level, with one moment inside the story written just for them.

"A five-year-old understands Ram did the hard thing because it was right. A fifteen-year-old understands why that cost him."

Where it started

Kiaan was six years old and already asking
questions we didn't have good books for.

We built DharmaDots because the version we wanted for our nephew, Kiaan, didn't exist.

Like many of us, Kiaan was at an age where he was hungry for big stories. He had finished the typical bestsellers and was ready for more - but everything we found felt like a compromise. The picture books stripped away the moral depth to keep things simple. The adult versions were impenetrable.

We realised that these ancient epics - the Ramayan and the Mahabharat - are not just history. They are the moral foundation of a civilisation. They shouldn't be simplified. They should be calibrated.

So we spent months rewriting the Ramayan from the ground up - eleven versions, one for every age from 5 to 15. We kept the ethical complexity intact but matched the vocabulary to the child's reading stage. Then we added the final piece: a scene written specifically for them, turning them from a reader into a participant in the world of the story.

The craft

Three principles we build
every book around.

१

The moral weight stays intact

We write for children, not down to them. The story's ethical stakes (duty, exile, sacrifice, what it costs to do the right thing) are present in every version, at every reading age. A five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old can both understand Ram. They just need different words.

२

Personalisation that earns its place

Your child's scene is written to feel like it belongs in the world of the story, not inserted on top of it. They are a companion in one original moment, not a replacement for anyone. The canonical plot, every character, every arc: untouched. We add a window into the story, not a rewrite of it.

३

Access is not optional

These are stories that shaped the moral imagination of hundreds of millions of people. They should not be a luxury item. Twenty percent of every order goes to Pratham, because the children who need stories most are often the ones furthest from them.

The access pillar
58M+
children reached by Pratham
across India since 1995
20%
of every DharmaDots order
goes directly to Pratham

Pratham is India's largest education NGO. Since 1995 they have reached over 58 million children with a model so effective that in six to eight weeks, close to 80% of children who couldn't read become readers. It is one of the most cost-effective educational interventions documented anywhere in the world.

Twenty percent of every DharmaDots order goes to them. Not as a marketing decision. As a structural one, built in from the start.

The children who would benefit most from knowing these stories are often the ones furthest from them. That gap is not acceptable to us. This is our attempt to narrow it.

Create their version
of the story.

Pick their reading level, tell us about them, and see a personalised passage generated before you order. It takes about four minutes.

Build their book