About Pehli
Pehli is a modern cultural toy brand created to help children experience Indian culture in a way that feels natural, playful and relevant to modern life. As families become more global, culture is no longer something children absorb automatically through their environment. Stories, traditions and mother tongues that once lived in our homes are quietly disappearing.
Pehli exists to change that.
Originally launched as Moonlight Mantras, we rebranded to Pehli as our vision expanded beyond a single product. Pehli means “first” because a child’s world is shaped by their first experiences, their first teachers and the first environment they grow up in. We want culture to be part of that foundation.
We have gone through a big change in the business that was a lengthy and challenging process but we are really proud to announce we have finally moved all our manufacturing from China to India because we care deeply about supporting our country, its craftsmanship and the Make in India movement. If we are building products that celebrate Indian culture, they should be made at home.
Our flagship toy, Sheru the Tiger, teaches children their mother tongue through sound and play. And this is only the beginning. Pehli is building a home for cultural toys that help children stay rooted while growing up in a modern world.
To celebrate our rebrand, we have launched a one-off product for parents: guided journals that help mums and dads write their life stories. Culture does not start with children, it starts with the generations before them. Honouring their memories and life story felt like the right way to set the foundation for this new chapter.
Pehli is where modern families reconnect with the culture that shaped them.
Founder of Pehli
I’m Sarita, the founder of Pehli.
My lifelong connection with India has shaped who I am and what I’ve dedicated my career to building. I grew up in London in a cultural Indian home, surrounded by traditions, stories and values that became the foundation of my identity.
I want the children of today and my future children to feel the same sense of pride, belonging and direction that my cultural upbringing gave me. I’ve seen how powerful it is when a child grows up rooted in something bigger than themselves. And I want to help families keep that alive, especially as the world becomes more global and fast moving.
Pehli brings together everything I care about: the rise of India, the beauty of our culture and the belief that children learn through experiences and play. Sheru the Tiger was created to make learning a mother tongue joyful.
The guided journals were created to preserve the wisdom of the generations before us. And many more cultural toys are on the way. For me, Pehli is more than a business. It is a way of protecting what shaped me, and sharing it with the next generation in a modern, relevant and playful way.