And that is how one father's frustration taught a generation to read their mother's tongue—one free page at a time.

Night after night, he worked. 'আ' (আ – aa) became a mother's 'আঁচল' (pallu of a saree) fluttering in a gentle breeze. 'ই' (ই – i) was a wriggly 'ইলিশ' (Hilsa fish), silver and shiny. 'উ' (উ – u) was a round 'উলু' (owl) with spectacles.

Within a week, the download count crossed ten thousand. Teachers from rural schools in Murshidabad left comments: "Thank you. Our students have no colour books. We printed this on our old black-and-white printer, and the children coloured the pictures themselves."

Frustrated, Arjun closed his laptop. That night, after Anjana fell asleep, he opened his drawing tablet. If I can't download it, he thought, I'll make it.