Aarthi Chandrasekaran, a mother of twins, has to keep her babies entertained while making breakfast amidst her many morning tasks! Luckily, the twins love the colorful clutch ball she bought from Shumee, a sustainable toy business. “My twins love the colours,” she says, adding that the ball’s unusual form makes it easy to handle. “It’s their favorite toy.”
Aarthi is one of many mothers who may relax and take a break during a busy day. A mother-founded sustainable and safe toy firm makes this possible. In 2016, Meeta Sharma Gupta founded Shumee to assist kids work on their cognitive and motor abilities while playing.
“None of this was planned,” Meeta tells The Better India of her trip from Harvard University campus to Delhi, where she launched the brand.
After earning a BTech from IIT Delhi, Meeta pursued her PhD at Harvard. Despite having a successful job, the 45-year-old moved to Delhi in 2012 to be closer to family.
Meeta searched for toys for her children but felt helpless as a young mother. She wanted sustainable toys that would improve her younger child’s cognitive skills, like the ones her older child played with in the US.
Push walkers are pediatrician-approved and assist children improve gross motor skills.
“The toys here were plastic or had small parts that were unsafe for kids. I started bringing toys back from IBM travels to the US.
Meeta realized she should make her own toys if she couldn’t find them in India.
An exciting proposition, she says. “Even though I didn’t have technical training to design toys, I wanted to create a brand that made high-quality, affordable toys.”
Shumee was born like way.
A woman created the brand to give youngsters creative outlets with toys that promote cognitive and motor skills.
Toys promote holistic growth
Meeta says Shumee has various bestsellers for different ages.
We use neem wood and cotton to make baby rattles. They’re teethers. Pediatricians recommend using push walkers for toddlers to build motor skills. Little drums make it fun for kids.”
One of the most intriguing toys is the 5-in-1 activity triangle. The triangle-shaped toy features abacus-colored beads for color recognition and counting, alphabets for uppercase and lowercase association, a clock on one side for time recognition, gears for fine motor development, and a blackboard for scribbling.
Kids can also choose from many puzzles and board games based on traditional stories with a twist.
You may recall the Jataka fable of the thirsty crow. We recreated it as a game using wooden crows and homemade water beads. This is a unique game where we aimed to match play aspects artistically.”
Safety and plant wood—neem, mango, and birch—are Shumee’s main materials for toys. Birch ply makes rocking horses harder and more heirloom-worthy.
“Due to their quality, people often think these toys are imported,” adds Meeta, who is pleased because it meets her standards. The colors are non-toxic and the materials are American, European, and Indian-certified, she says. We also have an in-house lab to test toys for choking dangers and tensile strength.
Over 8,000 mothers in the US, UK, UAE, Singapore, and India order Shumee toys each month. They work with around 100 Indian toymakers in clusters.
Meeta believes it’s been difficult to promote skill-building through toys. “Making skill-building toys at competitive prices is difficult. But the road has been great.”
Meeta has built a sustainable toy company and a safe network of mothers over the years. Blogs, articles, and seminars assist women learn how to play with their kids in non-screen activities and make it fun.
From an idea to a multi-crore brand, Shumee has developed exponentially. While adding toys and activities to the community, Meeta emphasizes, “Play is a child’s superpower.” Wonders can happen with the right toys.”
Conclusion:-
Meeta Sharma Gupta founded Shumee in Delhi in 2016 to help kids develop cognitive and motor abilities while playing. Meeta created the brand after seeing no toys in India that developed these skills. Her goal was to provide high-quality, affordable toys for her children like ones her oldest child had grown up with in the US.
Shumee sells neem wood rattles, push walkers, and a 5-in-1 activity triangle for various ages. Neem, mango, and birch are common plant woods for safe toys. Birch ply makes rocking horses durable enough to last generations.
Over 100 artisans make Shumee’s toys in clusters across India to American, European, and Indian standards. Over 8,000 orders a month and 100 artisans work for the firm. Meeta struggles to make skill-building toys at competitive pricing.
Meeta has worked to develop a sustainable toy brand and a community of women who can play with their kids without screens. Shumee emphasizes that “play is a child’s superpower” and that the correct toys can do wonders as she grows.
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