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I am Chulbuli

Author(s):
Manasi Mehan, Saturday Art Class

When we began creating Chulbuli, we imagined a playful character who might help parents engage more deeply with their childrenโ€™s learning. What emerged surprised usโ€”a character whose gentle stories quietly reshaped relationships within homes.

This capstone is just the beginning. Iโ€™m now working on a deeper animation project that will explore the many worlds Chulbuli can unlockโ€”where empathy meets imagination, and storytelling sparks lasting behavior change. My hope is that through Chulbuliโ€™s curious eyes, families will continue finding joy, connection, and a shared purpose in learning together.

In homes and Anganwadis across Indiaโ€™s low-income communities, parents and children gather around modest smartphones, watching a curious character named Chulbuli. Sheโ€™s playful, yesโ€”but more importantly, sheโ€™s quietly transformative.

Through Chulbuliโ€™s gentle adventures, a father learns to cook breakfast while helping his daughter recite rhymes. A grandmother hesitantly records a voice note, proudly sharing her grandchildโ€™s first attempts at counting. Mothers smile, leaning closer, suddenly seeing themselves not just as caregivers, but as educators too.

This isnโ€™t entertainment disguised as educationโ€”itโ€™s intentional storytelling crafted from hundreds of quiet conversations with families. Mansiโ€™s proposed 15-minute film, โ€œStorytelling for Change,โ€ will take viewers behind the scenes, revealing how Rocket Learningโ€™s behavior-change team carefully developed Chulbuliโ€™s character, combining animation, behavioral insights, and genuine empathy.

For Mansi, this film marks the beginning of a longer journey at Rocket Learningโ€”exploring how thoughtful, imaginative storytelling can gently reshape old habits, foster deeper family connections, and change the way parents and children learn, together.

 

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