DO you remember the toys you played with, as a child?

Toys made our childhoods colourful and happy.

Now stop for a moment and think - if you had never had any toys as a child, would it have been the same?

When Shweta Chari, a young professional, stopped  to think of those, who can't afford toys, she  decided she will help them.

Her resolve helped her start a novel venture to find the lost childhood of less fortunate kids - a toy bank that gifts toys!

Shweta established her Toy Bank in 2004.

 "It may sound clichéd, but I always had a strong urge to work for the underprivileged children. So when I experienced a total burn-out during my final year of Electronic engineering, I took a break to pursue my passion", says twenty-four years old Shweta.  

Born and brought up in Andheri, a western suburb of Mumbai, Shewta is the  only child of her parents.

She says, "My parents always took extra efforts to instill the belief in 'the power of NOW'." 

Her mother Lata Chari, a professor of literature, found pleasure in working for the physically impaired women.

"She was a guiding force for me," says Shewta.

Her mother was a strong inspiration for Shweta. Sheta says she was not allured by any of the lucrative jobs offers.

"Instead, I utilised a few hours every day to collect used toys from friends, neighbours and relatives."