“I did my schooling at D.A.V. Girls School, followed by engineering in Computer Science. I even got placed at TCS, but somewhere deep down, I knew the corporate desk job wasn’t for me. Around the same time, I met my husband. We were family friends and eventually got married quite young.

He saw something in me that I hadn’t fully realised. He encouraged me to explore working with children, and that led me to discover Montessori education. I was fascinated by the child-led learning approach, where instead of placing options in front of a child, you observe, understand their curiosity, and then create a learning path around that. I first trained in Montessori education for ages six to twelve, and later, I also pursued my diploma in Montessori 0 to 3 years through the Association Montessori Internationale.

Things shifted again when I became a mother in 2016. With my Montessori foundation, I became deeply conscious of the early development phase in children. I learned that almost 80 percent of brain development happens before the age of three. Every toy, every texture, every shape a child engages with at that age plays a role in shaping their foundation.

We started looking for purposeful, safe toys made from natural materials, something that was readily available abroad but not in India. That gap led us to create our own wooden toys using a local carpenter. What began as a DIY effort for our daughter became the seed of Ariro Toys.

We wanted a name rooted in our own culture. Inspired by lullabies we sang to our daughter, the word “Aariro” kept coming up. It felt right, native, memorable, and meaningful. Today, people find it charming even without knowing what it means, which makes it all the more special.

Starting Ariro was not easy. We were not just building a brand but introducing a whole new category. We realised that we needed to educate parents about Montessori. Many had heard of it but didn’t know how it translated to everyday decisions, especially in choosing toys.

We faced resistance abroad too. At an international toy fair in Shanghai, vendors offered us rejected toys from Western markets because we were from India. That was a moment of clarity. We knew Indian artisans had exceptional skill, far beyond what we saw elsewhere. They just needed the right design direction and support.

So we built from here. We travelled across India, partnered with artisans, shared our designs with them, and began crafting toys that are developmentally appropriate, safe, and rooted in Montessori principles.

Chennai has been everything to us. Both my husband Vasanth and I are proud Chennaiites. Our parents made lives here after migrating from Sri Lanka and Burma, and today we feel deeply connected to the city that shaped us. We truly believe Chennai is the best city in India. It is where our roots lie and where Ariro was born.

If I had to recommend one product to new parents, it would be our baby floor gym. It is designed with high-contrast elements, especially black and white, for newborns who are still developing visual focus. Unlike commercial play gyms overloaded with colors and cartoon animals, this one is grounded in reality, gentle, and thoughtfully made. Another product I strongly recommend is our traditional push wagon, a safe alternative to commercial baby walkers, which have been banned in several countries due to developmental risks.

Looking ahead, our vision is bold. We are working towards building a thousand crore brand from Chennai. Not just to scale, but to ensure that children across India grow up with safe, intentional, and beautifully crafted toys that support their growth in the most meaningful way.

Because when a child plays right, everything else begins right. And Ariro is here to make sure of that.”