Editor’s Note: Feminism in India in collaboration with Godrej Salon-I have launched a campaign ‘#SalonSector – Women At Work In Salons’ to bring to light the stories of women in the beauty and wellness industry. Read more about the campaign here.This article traces the story of 18 year old Krupa Tadvi from Dev Nagar. The piece is written based on interviews with Krupa.
Krupa Tadvi belongs to a lower middle class joint family from Dev Nagar, where she has lived for 18 years. There are four members in her family comprising her parents, sister and brother. Her father works as a laborer and her mother is a homemaker. Her brother is working as well and her sister has completed her studies. Krupa has completed schooling till the 10th standard.
One of the Salon-i trainees Hema Rajput lived near Krupa. She told Krupa about the UDAAN classes and came with her to the UDAAN Vasna Centre for inquiry. There, she had meeting with the Centre Coordinator who provided Hema with comprehensive information about the course. After some discussions, Krupa decided to join the classes. A discussion with her family resulted in them refusing to give permission and fees to start the classes. This upset her immensely, but she did not stop trying to convince them.
Talking about the life she led prior to her training, Krupa mentioned, “Before training, I was at home only helping my mother in household chores. As my financial condition was not good, I had to drop out of my school after 10th std. One day my friend shared with me pamphlet of Saath’s beauty parlour course. Looking at it I got really interesting so I went to visit the center. After visiting the center and meeting the trainer, I finally decided to join the course.”
After many efforts, her family consented to give permission to join beauty parlour classes, but refused to pay the fees. Her friends helped her pay the fees, allowing her to finally start classes. In class, she proved herself to be very talented and indicated good learning skils. She communicated well with others and learnt fast. She carefully followed instructions and practiced what she learnt.
Upon seeing krupa’s efforts, the faculty also put in additional efforts to help fulfill her dreams of becoming a good beautician. After successfully completing the course, she was able to join a beauty parlour. The centre arranged an interview and she got selected. Krupa is now working as a beautician at the Galaxy Beauty Parlour. She is at last happy and is supporting herself financially.
Talking about the various challenges she had to overcome to begin classes, Krupa says, “I had to convince my family for my job after initial hesitation they agreed but now the second challenge was the distance; my job was very far from my home so commuting was very difficult. Even the salary I was paid was very low but I joined the job only for getting good experience so I somehow managed in that low salary.
Life after training and getting a job completely turned her life around. “My family’s financial condition was not good so to earn more money I decided to start providing home services along with my job. With the initial earnings, I bought new parlour material. Sometimes I have to work late at my job but my mother is very supportive she take cares of all the household chores and do not overburden me with household work. After completion of the training, I really was very keen to join the job but my father was not ready for that. I told my mother about it and she finally convinced my father and eventually, I got permission to do job. I financially support my father also I do manage my own expenses. Along with that I do help my brother and sister in their education.”
Krupa has proved herself to be a good role model for other students.
Also Read: For Now, The Beauty Parlour Is Just A Refuge | #SalonSector
Featured Image used for representational purpose only. Credit: Onyx Bangalore
