Zarine Ninan on Aara Play’s Mission to Make Indigenous Indian Toys Educational

An Exclusive Interview with Zarine Ninan — Co-Founder of Aara Play, a new-age Indian toy brand

Zarine Ninan, Co-Founder of Aara Play, discusses her vision for transforming the Indian toy landscape. Frustrated by generic options, she launched the new-age brand to create engaging, culturally rooted, and high-quality educational toys that support holistic childhood development.

How did your retail background at Shoppers Stop prepare you for co-founding Aara Play, and what drove the shift to creative toy entrepreneurship?

Zarine Ninan: My journey into toy entrepreneurship was deeply shaped by two identities coming together, being a retailer by profession and a mother to a young child.

While working in large-format retail, it became increasingly evident that Indian toys with Indian stories were largely absent from mainstream shelves. Parents were choosing from imported options, not because they wanted to, but because there were very few compelling alternatives.

At Aara Play, we set out to change that. We wanted to create high-quality, thoughtfully designed toys that break stereotypes, encourage meaningful play, and stay relevant over time.

A doll, in particular, felt powerful, it isn’t just a play object, it connects emotionally, helps shape empathy, confidence, and identity, and allows children to feel proud of who they are.

My retail experience helped me view this not just as a creative idea, but as a complete ecosystem, design, pricing, materials, sourcing, manufacturing, inventory, branding, and retail scalability.

I strongly believe that everything you’ve done in life prepares you to build something meaningful. That belief holds true for me and for the entire Aara Play team.

Early in Aara Play, how did you establish professional trust with manufacturers, investors, and parents who were skeptical of a new eco-toy brand?

Zarine Ninan: Trust is built through intent, transparency, and collaboration. From day one, we adopted a community-led approach, involving designers, students, educators, and professionals right from the concept stage. This philosophy came to life through the Design Doll Challenge 2026, a national platform inviting creative voices from across India to contribute designs and stories.

For investors, credibility came from relationships built over time. Our first round of funding came from a strategic partner we had previously worked with through ZAC Business Consultants, where trust had already been established through execution and results.

For parents, the reassurance lay in our values- safety, sustainability, storytelling, and long-term value, not just novelty and hype. We are building toys parents are proud to gift and children want to grow up with.

What role did networking through ZAC Business Consultants play in gaining credibility for your creative vision?

Zarine Ninan: ZAC Business Consultants played a foundational role in shaping Aara Play. Over the last five years, we’ve worked closely with hundreds of startups across sectors, which gave us invaluable exposure to what works, what fails, and why.

Our design team, technology partners, funding relationships, and even our social media collaborators have emerged from this ecosystem. More importantly, the experience sharpened our ability to think strategically while staying agile.

Aara Play is a culmination of professional learnings, entrepreneurial insights, and lived experiences and without that network, it wouldn’t have taken the shape it has today.

Launching the Design Doll Challenge 2026 with ₹2.25 lakh in prizes, how has this initiative strengthened your creative credentials nationwide?

Zarine Ninan: We strongly believe that great design, when supported by a meaningful story, can be transformative. India is filled with extraordinary creative talent, and the Design Doll Challenge 2026 was conceived as a way to unlock that potential at scale.

Through this initiative, we’ve connected with leading design institutions such as NID, IDC, NIFT, and SNDT, along with grassroots organizations like Educate Girls and Akanksha, ensuring that voices from diverse socio-cultural backgrounds are represented.

The response has been incredibly encouraging, reaffirming our belief that India is ready to co-create its own global design icons. With submissions open until 31 January 2026, the momentum continues to build.

What challenges arose from balancing heart-led creativity with business realities, and how did you project expertise to stakeholders?

Zarine Ninan: Creativity without structure cannot scale, and business without soul cannot inspire. From the beginning, we were clear that Aara Play is not a niche passion project, we are building a strong, accessible, and scalable brand.

While our toys sit at a premium, they are competitively priced and designed to deliver long-term value. Unlike one-time-use toys, our dolls are meant to be keepsakes, objects children form lasting emotional bonds with.

Wearing my retailer hat helped immensely here. It allowed us to balance creative expression with commercial discipline, ensuring sustainability, profitability, and impact move forward together.

As a woman leader in the toy industry, how did you cultivate authority in a traditionally male-dominated supply chain?

Zarine Ninan: True leadership is rooted in clarity, confidence, and competence, not gender. When suppliers and partners see a clear vision, strong execution, commitment to scale, and mutual profitability, gender becomes irrelevant.

Consistency and conviction have been key in earning respect across the supply chain.

Looking ahead, how will Aara Play expand to sustain the confidence you’ve built in your professional journey?

Zarine Ninan: Our vision is bold and clear- to take Aara Play global within the next three years. We want the world to see that India is a serious, design-forward player in the global doll and toy category.

By continuing to build through community, sustainability, and storytelling, we aim to create a brand that not only succeeds commercially but also represents India’s creative confidence on the world stage.

Aara Play champions indigenous and sustainable play, moving beyond simple entertainment. Zarine shares how her brand is successfully resonating with modern parents by blending Indian sensibilities with global standards of early learning and meaningful play experiences.

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