Echo Han, Chief Curator Festival of Play & Co-founder at Star Papaya

Echo is an entrepreneur and experiential learning designer with 20 years of experience in educational institutions and edtech across Asia and the UK. Originally from Taiwan, she began her career in India as a youth opinion leader for AIESEC. Echo then worked in education technology startups in China and the UK. Her most recent position was in Singapore with Hyper Island, where she served as a learning designer and business director.

Passionate about the power of play, Echo believes it is a vital tool for learning for both adults and children. When she's not at work creating engaging products and experiences, she loves playing with her two children, Star and her little brother. Echo’s dedication to blending fun and education is evident in all she does, making learning a joyful journey for everyone involved.

Deepti Chadda, Chief Curator Festival of Play & Co-founder at Star Papaya

Deepti is an entrepreneur with over 15 years of experience across venture capital, technology and retail businesses in Asia and Europe. She is the Founder of Big Blue Trunk, a Singapore based business that’s become the first choice for D.I.Y driven styling and interiors. She is also the Co-founder of Star Papaya, an organisation that helps families nurture imagination and independent play through its play products and services.

Deepti has represented India on a climate change expedition to the Antarctic with Sir Robert Swan OBE, and youth opinion in over 35 countries with AIESEC. She holds an MBA from INSEAD and a Master’s certificate in Sustainable Development from Blekinge Institute of Technology.

Deepti enjoys all kinds of creative pursuits, has authored “Ouch” a children’s book inspired by a bedtime story she used to tell her daughter, and she loves staying fit. She is an AIESEC alum, INSEAD alum, Xoogler and proud mum to two little girls (one of whom is Papaya, from ‘Star Papaya’!)

Akhila Das Blah, Author & Co-founder at Indigrow

Akhila is an Author, Educator and Co-founder at Indigrow, an organisation whose purpose is to diversify every child's playroom with multicultural books, games, songs and stories to raise a more culturally aware, kind and empathetic generation of tomorrow. An educational consultant with over 15 years of experience in teaching, curriculum development, teacher training and designing creative learning experiences in the field of early childhood, she's also been a parenting columnist for one of India's leading newspapers.

Nandini Nayar, Children’s Author

Nandini Nayar is the award-winning author of over 75 books for children of all ages and over 300 short stories. What Shall I Make? was named an outstanding book by the United States Board on Books for Young Readers. Pranav’s Picture, What Shall I Make?, Guddu’s Photo and The House of Fourteen Cats feature in the list of books recommended by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). What Shall I Make? and What Did You See? feature in 101 Indian Children Books We Love (Zubaan). Her books have been on the Parag Honour list - Mini’s Questions in 2021 and Sometimes Mama, Sometimes Papa in 2022. Her book Are there Bun Shops in the Jungles of India and Other Secret Stories from History won the Binod Kanoria Award for 2024.

Bharti Singh, Children’s Author

Bharti Singh is an ex-marketing professional with over ten years of experience working behind the scenes in radio, television and movies. She's now a full-time writer and the author of three books including The Paper Plane Flew, No is a Good Word and The Christmas Tree Mystery. She's also a Waldorf educator, an amateur gardener, a wannabe skateboarder and many different things on different days.

Vydika Rao, Founder at Oon Studio

Vydika is a design-driven visual storyteller with over 17 years of experience in brand design and creative direction. A former Art Director at The Republic in Mumbai, she honed her skills managing various design projects and learning the importance of work-life balance. Vydika has contributed to major brands like Olive Bistro, Monkey Bar, and Jean Claude Biguine, and worked on the set design of Telugu film Nene Raju Nene Mantri. She also created title animations and posters for the OTT show Minus One with Writeous Studios and was featured on National Geographic’s Art in Motion. Known for her keen eye for design, she excels at transforming concepts into visually compelling works, ensuring every detail is meticulously crafted. She now runs Oon Studio, a brand design studio based in Hyderabad.

Manya Cherabuddi, Nature Artist and Coach

Manya Cherabuddi is a nature lover, educator, and artist. She creates experiences for people to connect with nature, awakening the curiosity and wonder we all had as children. She has introduced 5000+ people to natural colours through 100+ workshops and classes. She also works with institutes and schools as a consultant and educator to integrate nature-based learning into curriculums through her Nature Play methodology. She has conducted sessions on natural dyes for institutes such as NIFT, JD Institute of Fashion Technology, and companies such as Google, Ralph Lauren, and Atlassian. Her brand, Treehouse, is a hub for nature-inspired learning and creation.

Arti Sonthalia, Children’s Author

Arti Sonthalia is a children’s author. She completed her writing credentials from Oxford University (London) and studied young adult fiction from London School of Journalism. She has also done a workshop with Robert Mckee on story writing and a workshop with Faber Academy. Sonthalia started her journey with “Chicken Soup For the Soul” books, and continued to the children’s genre. Her debut children’s book, Big Bully And M-me was nominated for the Crystal Kite Asia award. Her other books, Hungry to Read, has touched many hearts and has inspired even reluctant readers to start reading. Her book, Best Friends Forever has won the FICCI year of the book award in January 2020. Her book Hungry To Play had been shortlisted for the Neev book awards 2020. Her book Read Write Race, released in July 2022 and has won the FICCI year of the book award 2023. Her book Simi Stands Tall has been appreciated and loved by all. Sonthalia’s latest book Mehar’s World of Colours has just been released in 2024 and has been nominated for the PVLF award.

Swathi Kandru, Therapeutic Play Therapist

Swathi Kandru is a trainee therapeutic play practitioner (Play Therapy UK) with over 10 years of experience working with children in various academic and educational settings. Education - Swati received an M.Sc. in Reading, Language and Cognition from the University of York, UK and was the recipient of a Leverhulme grant to investigate working memory, executive control and bilingualism in children. She co-authored two scientific papers on this subject in peer-reviewed journals.

Experience - Swathi Kandru is a trainee therapeutic play practitioner (Play Therapy UK) with over 10 years of experience working with children in various academic and educational settings. She uses her current clinical training in creative arts play therapy and child development to help children to make sense of difficult life experiences, or complex psychological issues through play. Therapeutic play helps a child to gain insight and understanding of their experiences, increasing emotional resilience and developing coping strategies while decreasing problematic behaviours and internalized conflicts.

Akshita Patel Chadda, Founder & Lead Artist at Artsy Nest

Akshita Patel Chadda is the Founder and Lead Artist at Artsy Nest. With over 5 years of experience in furniture restoration and decorative painting, she specialises in transforming ordinary furniture into extraordinary art pieces. Known for her engaging teaching style and passion for fostering creativity, she has conducted workshops for all age groups, inspiring countless individuals to explore their artistic potential.

Dr. Trishla Golechha, Co-founder Slide N Seek

Dr. Trishla Golechha, a doctor by profession and a passionate mother, founded Slide N Seek after observing how much her daughter enjoyed playzones. Inspired by her child’s joy and the developmental benefits of play, Trishla envisioned a space where children could explore, learn, and grow in a safe, engaging environment. Her dedication to creating a vibrant play experience reflects her love for nurturing young minds, combining her medical background with her passion for holistic child development. Slide N Seek is her tribute to joyful childhood moments. Trishla’s entrepreneurial journey reflects her dedication to nurturing not just her own child but an entire generation of young learners. By creating a space where play meets purpose, she empowers children to grow with confidence, imagination, and joy. Her goal is to provide families with a place that combines fun and learning, ensuring every child leaves with lasting memories and new skills.

Samhita Kasuganti, Co-founder at Slide N Seek

Samhita Kasuganti is a passionate entrepreneur and the owner of Slide n Seek Playhouse, a vibrant indoor kids' play area in Hyderabad. With a deep love for children and a vision to create a safe, fun, and engaging space for families, Samhita transformed her passion into a thriving business. In addition to running Slide n Seek, she works as a product manager at a tech company, where she channels her creativity and strategic thinking to deliver innovative solutions. Balancing her professional career with her entrepreneurial journey, Samhita is driven by her commitment to creating meaningful experiences for kids while ensuring Slide n Seek is a space where joy, learning, and play come together seamlessly.

Zenobia Rustomfram, Counselor and Trainer

Zenobia, comes with a rich experience in counselling spanning 41 years. She is a counselor at ISB (Indian School of Business), Nasr and a joint director at Greenfields Centre for outdoor and development programs. She is also a director to the Council for International Programs where she is a coach and mentor to Indian and international counselors. Her articles have been published in Times of India, Hindu, Deccan Chronicle, Mentor Magazine and Teacher Plus. A post graduate from Tata Institute of Social Sciences and a Fulbright Scholar, she specializes in Training and Facilitation, Life Skills, Teacher Training, Counselling Adolescents, Parents and Teachers, Marital Counselling, Career Counselling, Counselling for Chemical Dependency. Zenobia, in her spare time pursues writing and is passionate about reading, music, dance and hiking.

Shreedevi Sunil, Founder & Chief Storyteller Talking Turtles

Meet Shreedevi Sunil, the vibrant mind behind Talking Turtles Storytellers. As the Founder and Chief Storyteller, she brings narratives to life with a contagious energy that even her puppets can't resist. Shreedevi's puppetry and storytelling carries the audience to her world of stories. With more than a decade of work on folktales, she trusts these stories from our oral tradition are essential to the wellness of our community.

Chitra Raghunathan, Co-founder Anthea Montessori

Chitra Raghunathan is an expert in early childhood education, holding a diploma from the American Montessori Society via the Princeton Center for Teacher Education. She served as a lead teacher at Raritan Valley Montessori School in Bridgewater, USA, before founding Anthea Montessori School in Hyderabad. She is also trained to teach 6 to 12 year old children and holds a diploma from AMI Netherlands. Before transitioning to education, Chitra worked at renowned institutions like Harvard Medical School, specializing in Molecular and Cellular Biology.

Sonam

Sonam is originally from Hyderabad. After completing her undergrad at BITS Pilani, Sonam moved to the US to pursue her PhD in Behavioral Sciences. She then worked in California as a UX Researcher at Meta and Google. After spending 13 years in the US, Sonam moved back to Hyderabad in 2024 to start her own company - Flavour Lab - on a mission to teach children how to cook delicious, nutritious and sustainable food, through games, activities and hands-on cooking classes.

Vaishali

Vaishali is an experienced educator, trained Montessorian, TedX speaker, coach and published author. She works with schools, organizations, caregivers and educators to create a better future for our children. She also reads aloud to children to facilitate safe spaces for discussions on diversity, inclusivity and emotional regulation.

She runs and online community of over 90,000 caregivers and conducts workshops on conscious parenting. She lives in Chennai with her husband and when she isn't homeschooling her 2 daughters, she dreams of setting up a beachfront book cafe.

Teenaz

Teenaz Reporter is an AMI Primary Trainer at the 3-6-age level. She holds a Bachelors Degree in Commerce from the Osmania University, Hyderabad and an AMI Primary Diploma, from the Montessori Training and Research Trust in Hyderabad. She has over 20 years of experience in the Montessori Pedagogy.

She has worked as a teacher in India and the United States. Teenaz is currently the Director of Training for the AMI Primary Diploma Course run under the auspices of the Montessori Training and Research Trust. She is also currently on the faculty of the AMI courses in Shenzhen and Chongqing, China. She is passionate about the role of Education in creating Peaceful humanities and in advocating for the rights of children.