YT's Story
When I was 18, I fell in love with a man much older than me, and soon afterward, we got married. Because I had always been creative, he suggested I put my creativity to work, so I not only decided to take a beautician course, but started pursuing a tailoring diploma, too. Though I had done poorly at conventional schools, I did fairly well in these courses. My teachers continually praised me and said I was destined to shine in this field.
Before long, I was a mother of two kids and set all that aside because I was busy raising them. Then my husband had an accident. After a few weeks of treatment, he passed away — and because much of our savings had been exhausted by his treatment, I was not left with much money. I had no prior work experience, nor did I have any source of income, but I had two young kids to raise. As devastated as I was by losing the love of my life, I realized I had to buck up, at least for the sake of my children.
So, at 25, I opened up my own beauty parlor. My mother took responsibility for the kids while I worked long hours — and even though it was my first job ever, I found myself becoming quite famous. Perhaps because of my warmth, creativity, and expertise, I had clients from all walks of life, and I was making more money than I ever dreamed of. I was so successful, in fact, that it was getting difficult for me to manage alone, and I knew it was time to expand.
My husband had always told me that no matter what the situation, you should never let your mind become idle: you should do something, learn something new — and in the process, try to help as many people as you can. You never know how difficult a situation somebody is in, and a small bit of help from you can change their life for good.
With this in mind, I decided to give free beautician training to widows with financial difficulties, to disabled women who would otherwise find it difficult to find jobs, and to young girls who needed money to fund their education. I also teach embroidery and tailoring. Normally, these kinds of courses are very expensive, but I offered them for free because I wanted to help these women empower themselves. I have gone on to employ many of them in my parlors, and many who have learned from me have gone on to open their own boutiques in different parts of the world. When they express their gratitude, I can't express how content I feel.
I wish my husband were here to see me today, empowered and living by his words of motivation. Sometimes, I wonder if he came into my life and left early to help me tap into my hidden potential. Maybe he wanted me to help other women settle in their lives. Maybe he wanted me to experience the joy of sharing, caring, and volunteering. Maybe he wanted me to taste success. Maybe, just maybe, he wanted all these things for me. Who knows? In any case, I am sure he would be the happiest man alive.
Artist Notes
“The colour choices in this illustration are very symbolic. For example, green symbolizes a nurturing spirit, red suggests passion and orange indicates creativity. There are two working women featured in the image, one is shown doing another woman’s hair, while the other is embroidering an orange saree. Together, these working figures represent the beauty and tailor elements of this story. The cat at the top of the image has a background of the sun, which symbolises light entering during the darkest phase of life, as cats are generally nocturnal animals. This illustration also has some elements from folk art and tribal design.”
Published Jan 1, 2020
Updated Jul 31, 2023
Published in Issue IV: Activism