Everyday is Women's Day for this gutsy beautician

Rajeshwari’s story is full of tribulations and of a battle well won. A victim of domestic violence, she rebelled and made it on her own only for the love of her children.

Today she exudes confidence and is able to give her children a stable and secure life.

As a beautician and fashion designer, she never accorded much importance to external beauty and always believed that inner beauty scores over all other aspects.
She laments that her husband did not appreciate her goodness and resorted to harassing her because he had a sadistic approach.

“My beauty made me a victim. My husband became a sadist and he was jealous. He would harass and torture me till a day, I rebelled and walked out. I did not have a college degree but chose to become a single parent of two children. I was able to sustain myself as I had the moral support of my parents and siblings. I figured out my interest, got formal training as a beautician from Shramika Vidya Peetha of the JSS Mahavidyapeetha, secured a diploma in fashion designing from CPC Government Polytechnic, worked for some private firms and started my own initiative. I was inspired by my dream to secure a good future for my children,” she says.

“I also dabbled in politics during the last Assembly polls. I represented a regional party but realised that I was not able to spend quality time with my children and thus quit politics. The main difference between men and women is that while men dream only about their aspirations, women dream about the future of their children, husband, siblings and also children of their siblings. Not just March 8, every day is Women’s Day. The celebration is only symbolic,” Rajeshwari says.

“When I reflect upon the path I traversed, I feel proud as there are many women like me who have some skills and the aptitude for certain skills but are hesitant to explore their potential. I thus started training unemployed women. I now run a beauty parlour and also a boutique. Depending on their aptitude, I train women as beauticians, or for tailoring, embroidery and dress designing courses. I also conduct classes in Unnatha Shikshana Trust for Anantha Narayana and in several colleges across the city. I want women to tap their potential. When women are exposed to several skills and options, they figure out which one suits them best. Even if a college degree does not help them earn a livelihood, a skill and creativity can help them a lot,” she says.

“Compared to men, women are better in multi-tasking. Even though a woman is busy in her vocation, she does not neglect her family. Family is the real source of inspiration for a woman. Beauticians are sadly not attributed much respect
in the society but that is a misplaced belief. Women should respect their vocation to earn respect in the society,” she says.