ABOUT PEHLI

Pehli began with a realisation.

A moment of seeing clearly what was quietly slipping away — and deciding to do something about it.

OUR STORY

I didn't build this from a business plan.

I built it from a moment. Watching my niece and nephew grow up, I started to notice something. They were growing up in the same family I did - loving, connected, deeply Indian. But so much of what had shaped me was just not part of their world. The daily traditional dinners. The community gatherings we had to attend.The small everyday rituals our parents did. The sense of being surrounded by something bigger than your immediate household.

But this didn't happen because anyone had stopped caring. But life had evolved and moved on, and the things that once happened naturally had quietly become optional.

That's where Pehli began.

My name is Sarita Thakrar. I grew up in London, in a British-Indian home where we weren’t taught about culture, it was just a part of our everyday life. I left a corporate career in search of something I couldn’t articulate at the time, and that feeling took me to India. I lived there over 18 months and my life there reminded me of the grounding, direction and identity Indian culture has given me.
Back in London, I remember watching my niece play and realised there’s a part of their upbringing that will be fundamentally different to ours, that may not allow them to realise their whole identity.

One conversation with my dad later, and the idea of Pehli was born.

Pehli means 'first' in Hindi, Gujarati and Punjabi. First steps, first words, first connection to their identity. That is where Pehli begins.

WHY IT MATTERS

The language isn't fading because families stopped caring.

It's fading because the everyday moments that used to carry it look different now.

We grew up hearing our language at home — at the dinner table, at our grandparents' house, in the background of ordinary life. Our children are growing up in homes where English is the default, grandparents are less often under the same roof, and our mother tongue has quietly become the language of visits.

This has not been an intentional shift, it's simply what has quietly changed.
And language, once it stops being heard daily, fades faster than we realise.

There is a window. The early years — 2 to 6 — when children absorb language most naturally. Most families are right inside it without realising. Sheru is designed to make the most of it, in a way that fits into real life.

WHAT WE MAKE

For Kids: Our flagship Sheru the Tiger. For Parents: Mumma & Papa Journals

  • Sheru the Tiger

    A screen-free language learning device for children aged 2–6.

    Available in Gujarati, Hindi & Punjabi.

    230 words. 115 flashcards. No screens, just play.

    Learn more about Sheru

  • Mumma & Papa Journals

    Guided keepsake journals for parents to fill in — their memories, stories, and the parts of their life, captured in their own handwriting. 200+ prompts. Hardbound. Kept for generations.

    Explore the journals

MADE IN INDIA

Not a supply chain decision. A values one.

Sheru is manufactured in India. For a brand built around Indian culture and heritage, this felt important. We moved manufacturing from our original factory specifically to align with what Pehli stands for — it was not the easy route with new moulds, longer timelines, more complexity. But Sheru being made by Indian hands, on Indian soil, is something we are genuinely proud of. It matters to us. We think it will matter to you too.

1,500+ families | Made in India | Supporting Making Mum Proud Charity

Loved by families like yours

Chosen by parents who want their language to stay part of everyday life

  • “He actually plays with Sheru instead of my phone.”

    I especially love the screen free!! I’ve been really struggling to get him off my phone, but now he just picks up Sheru on his own.

    Sania R.

  • “We finally got our child learning Gujarati at home.”

    We always wanted our kids to learn Gujarati but Shyam refused to go to Gujarati school and we don’t speak it much at home. We really needed something like this.

    Mehul S.

  • “My kids actually repeat after it.”

    I was worried about the accent, but the pronunciation is clear. My kids actually repeat after him!

    Riya K.

So they always know where home is

Pehli is where it starts.

Pre-order Sheru (20% off)