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Chandigarh’s Dr Shweta Gupta runs Little Llama to promote eco-friendly material toys which have made celebrities – together with Sonam Kapoor, Soha Ali Khan, and Neha Dhupia, – her followers!
Again in medical school, the prescriptions written by Dr Shweta Gupta would depart anybody shocked – from her sufferers to her seniors.
“As soon as, my senior medical doctors from totally different departments referred to as me. I used to be so nervous. I puzzled if I had dedicated any mistake within the work. Later, I discovered that they wished to verify my handwriting,” she tells The Higher India.
“Whereas seniors complimented me for clear and interesting handwriting, sufferers doubted my diploma,” laughs Shweta, who has all the time been complimented for her handwriting since childhood.
Practically a decade later, this creativity inspired her to grow to be an entrepreneur.
Immediately, she handcrafts material toys which have made celebrities together with Sonam Kapoor, Soha Ali Khan, and Neha Dhupia, her followers!
In 2022, the Chandigarh-resident launched her startup Little Llama that has to this point catered to at the very least 300 orders and have made it to kids’s toy collections throughout the nation.
Her niece was her inspiration
In 2012, Dr Shweta accomplished her MBBS and went to work with the Gurugram-based Medanta hospital as a diabetologist.
Earlier than her marriage in 2018, an incident pushed her to pursue her long-lost childhood ardour when she was in the hunt for distinctive dolls for her niece.
“I wished to present her good high quality dolls. All that was accessible within the Indian markets had been the identical previous barbie dolls that I actually grew up taking part in with. Additionally they have a plastic physique and artificial hair fibre. These should not good for the well being of the infants,” says the 35-year-old.
“I discovered some distinctive handcrafted dolls within the European markets however importing them was an costly affair. The doll, together with the delivery costs, would have value me Rs 10,000. This didn’t seem to be an excellent thought,” she provides.
As an alternative of shopping for the dolls from overseas, Dr Shweta sat right down to craft a one-of-its-kind doll on her personal. “I purchased wool and a biodegradable but costly linen material to make the doll. I sketched a design and it took me about twenty days to finish the doll. It is rather intrinsic work that requires detailing facial options,” she says.
Dr Shweta says that her niece, Gauravi, beloved her distinctive doll. “My niece nonetheless has it,” she smiles. “In addition to her, everybody beloved the doll. It was totally different from what they see out there. As we had been getting a terrific response and a great demand for the dolls, my husband inspired me to make extra such dolls,” she provides.
This gave her an thought to begin a model of her personal and shortly she launched, Little Llama.
Making eco-friendly ‘jungle’ animals
At the moment, Dr Shweta handcrafts toys for kids within the age-group of 0-12 years conserving their well being and sustainability centric to the model. “As an alternative of utilizing plastic and chemical paints, I’ve designed these toys utilizing vibrant wool. Their limbs, eyes, hair…all the things is made out of wool. I gown them with linen material. And I crochet flowers to make the dolls look visually interesting. It’s innocent for infants who normally attempt to put something they get of their mouth,” she provides.
However studying to handcrafting these toys, Dr Shweta says, was harder than even getting her drugs diploma. “I watched a number of movies to discover ways to make such dolls. Even manufacturing them may be cumbersome – from designing them on paper to really making them with totally different options, clothes, distinctive color combos. Generally, I felt doing MBBS was a lot simpler,” she laughs.
Priced between Rs 700 and Rs 4,000, Dr Shweta sells handcrafted dolls and ‘Jungle Animals’, birthday buntings, and extra. Prior to now one yr of commercialisation, she has been capable of clock a income of Rs 15 lakhs together with her startup.
One among her common prospects, Amanbir Kaur, has been shopping for the toys for her new mother mates. “These toys make an ideal present as they’re eco-friendly, sustainable and the best way they’re designed is lovely. I like their assortment of Jungle Animals, which look cute and never scary. The infants appeared to be loving the toys. I maintain going again to Little Llama to customize presents for me,” she tells The Higher India.
Dr Shweta’s toys have additionally been endorsed over Instagram by a number of celebrities together with Aparshakti Khurana, Gauhar Khan, and Nakuul Mehta.
Whereas Dr Shweta has earned immense recognition and appreciation for her work, the transition from being a physician to an entrepreneur was not welcomed by lots of her family.
“In fact, being a physician may be very prestigious. And folks had their considerations. They’d inform my mother and father that I might have carried out higher. In fact, there are days once I don’t get orders and I additionally doubt myself. However the very subsequent day I’m up with new power and grateful for my present job that evolves me as a inventive particular person. The compliments increase me once more,” she provides.
Edited by Padmashree Pande. All photographs: Dr Shweta Gupta.
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