More Than Child's Play

The search for eco-friendly and non-toxic toys for her own children resulted in Meeta Sharma Gupta’s transformation from computer scientist to toy designer.

- Meeta Sharma Gupta

How did your toy story begin?MS: I graduated from IIT Delhi with a B.Tech. My time at IIT was magical; it was the first time I was venturing into the world on my own, living in the hostel, living on the edge! Since I was always very inclined towards pursuing research and solving problems, I decided to pursue a Master’s in Computer Science & Electrical Engineering from the University of Southern California. And then I went on to obtain a PhD from Harvard University. I began working on advanced computing research at IBM TJ Watson labs, and was very happy to be in the vicinity of Nobel Laureates and eminent researchers; it helped me learn how to go deep into a problem and develop an attitude of perseverance.

My heart however, was always in India, and it was only a matter of time before I decided to move back. In the US, my older son used to play with natural and open ended toys – completely non-electronic but great fun and high quality! When we moved back to India, I looked for similar toys for my younger one but didn’t find many, and the ones I found were either low quality or very expensive. I wondered if this was something I could create in India. I realized that there was increased awareness among parents, increased focus on better childhoods for their children, and a greater expectation regarding the quality and philosophy of toys. With disposable incomes growing, the fragmented market seemed ready for disruption.