Reliving ChikuPiku's 6 Years Journey: From Stories to Smiles!

Six years ago, ChikuPiku started as a small dream to bring back Marathi stories, poems, and songs into children's lives. Today, it has become a part of thousands of families, nurturing young minds and keeping the love for Marathi alive. As we celebrate ChikuPiku’s 6th birthday, we take a moment to reflect on our journey, our milestones, and the incredible support from parents, children, and contributors who have made this possible.

ChikuPiku’s Journey in Numbers

  • 60 different issues published so far
  • More than 2,25,000 copies printed and distributed
  • Over 22,000 families reached
  • More than 2 lakh followers on Instagram
  • Over 25,000 subscribers on YouTube
  • 75 parenting podcast episodes on YouTube
  • 700+ audio stories recorded

These milestones would not have been possible without the love and support of our readers.

How it Started

ChikuPiku was founded in 2019 by Govind Kabade and Amruta Kawankar when their child, Mukta, was a toddler. Like most parents, they would sing songs and tell stories to her while feeding or putting her to sleep. But when they looked for Marathi books for small children, they realized there weren’t many options available apart from a few selected ones. 

Both of them had an interest in storytelling and some experience in publishing. This led to a simple yet powerful thought— why not create a Marathi magazine for kids? They strongly believed that learning in one's mother tongue plays a crucial role in a child’s development. When children learn in Marathi, they grasp concepts faster, develop stronger logical thinking, and build a solid foundation for learning other languages. More importantly, they stay connected to their cultural and intellectual heritage.

That’s how ChikuPiku was born, with a simple mission to make learning fun and engaging for children through stories, poems, and activities in their mother tongue.

ChikuPiku’s Impact on Children & Families

Over the years, we have received countless heartwarming messages from parents. Many children eagerly wait for their ChikuPiku magazine every month. Some of the most touching feedback includes:

  • “My child’s command over Marathi has improved tremendously.”
  • “Because of ChikuPiku, my child has developed an interest in books and reduced screen time.”
  • “Now my child understands, speaks, and even writes Marathi fluently.”
  • “My child loves ChikuPiku so much that they want it as their birthday theme!”

For us, this is the biggest achievement – knowing that ChikuPiku is making a real difference in children’s lives.

Our proud achievements

We are grateful for the appreciation and recognition received over the years. Some of the awards ChikuPiku has won include:

  • First Prize in Chandashree Diwali Ank Competition (Bal Vibhag) for two consecutive years 
  • DG+ ET BrandEquity Best Brand Awareness Award (Kids & Parenting Category)
  • Foxglove Award for Best Use of Social Media in Brand Activation

A Special Thank You to Our Contributors

Many talented writers, illustrators, and storytellers have contributed to making ChikuPiku special. We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to:

  • Padma Shri Arvind Gupta
  • Dr. Shruti Panse
  • Shobha Bhagwat
  • Rajiv Tambe
  • Faruk Kazi
  • Abha Bhagwat
  • Dr. Vidula Mhaiskar
  • Ketaki Ghate

Their creativity, dedication, and love for children's literature have made ChikuPiku what it is today.

Thank You for Being a Part of the ChikuPiku Family!

As we celebrate six wonderful years, we want to thank every parent, child, writer, artist, and well-wisher who has supported us on this journey. ChikuPiku is not just a magazine; it is a family that believes in the power of storytelling, learning, and cultural pride.

We promise to continue bringing meaningful and engaging content for your little ones. Here’s to many more years of stories, smiles, and magic! ❤️🎉

Are you part of our ChikuPiku family? If yes, we would love to hear your feedback. Please share it here!