Blessed are those who have a job they love because they don’t have to work for a day in their life. Suwarna Dilip Gugle is one such fortunate person who discovered her passion very early in life and pursed it relentlessly. Today it has taken her places.
She was in London recently for a short beauty course to upgrade her professional skills. She is into beauty business. Her job is to make her subjects happy by transforming their appearances by giving them a complete make-up makeover.
Beauty is not just skin deep, says Suwarna. “Looking presentable is very important. The first impression has to be good and that comes through your looks. Inner beauty should be there but looks too are important. It adds to your confidence.”
Suwarna specialises in handling skin and hair problems using electromedical apparatus, skin tightening, enhancing, anti-wrinkle and skin lifting treatments. She is also an expert in mesotherapy, derma pen skin needling treatments and advance chemical peels. She also has expertise in haircuts without shortening the length and hair styling, besides spa therapy, reflexology, Thai massage, acupuncture, pedicure, nail treatment, cosmetics and skin products advice, among others.
Suwarna has been into beauty business since 1986, running her own parlour in Pune (Rajasthan Beauty Parlour And Institute). Since last year she has also been working with the Maharashtra Government's beauty therapy academy (Yashaswi Academy for Skills) imparting beauty skill training to underprivileged girls under the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana. One of the big dreams of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is to make India a skilled country and Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana is Indian Government's flagship scheme to impart skills training to people. Suwarna is in-charge of the academy responsible right from setting up the course, teaching the students, training the faculties, etc. Besides imparting the required training and skills to these girls from rural background, this mother-of-two moulds their personality and develops their self-confidence so that they are able to stand on their own feet. Last year she trained some 230-odd girls from this academy. Suwarna's remuneration depends on the output of the girls.
Suwarna studied BA psychology, but her aptitude lay in beauty therapy and cosmetics. Along with her academic studies, she used to train herself in beauty skills. And when the time came to choose a career, she listened to her inner voice and opted for something she loved doing.
But running a beauty parlour in India in 1986 was not that easy. She faced lot of opposition from the 'conservative' society. The concept of women working was not very popular in mid-eighties, let alone running a beauty parlour – a profession often looked down upon by many even today. “Although the beauty business is a thriving industry today, it hasn't got its due, in terms of respect. Many look down their nose at it. This needs to change. There is a need to change the attitude of people towards it,” says the Pune-resident beautician.
Suwarna could sail through because she got immense support from her parents and her husband. “While my mother encouraged me to get into beauty business, my father used to tell me – 'Don't be ashamed of doing any work. Work is worship. Work diligently'. He had served in the British Army, and such values of 'working with dignity' he learned from his stint in the British Army. And he passed on those values to us,” says the professionally trained beauty therapist.
However, the seeds of beauty business were first sown by her mother. “My mom gifted me a book on beauty skills and asked me to read and learn from it. I invested my time and energy into it and picked up the nuances of the trade. Today, I should say, that book has changed my life for ever. As Guru Dakshina (the tradition of repaying back to your teacher or guide), I could today reciprocate by penning two popular books on beauty skills and become her pride and joy,” says the beautician.
She is also the author of two books – ‘Basic Beautician Course’, and ‘Basic and Advance Haircutting’. They are written in a lucid language in English, Hindi and Marathi and are very popular in the Indian beauty industry. The fact that Maharashtra Government is using her books (as syllabus) for ITI courses is a testimony to their popularity. Many are running beauty parlours in India after reading her books. Suwarna often gets calls from women from far off places in India seeking advice on beauty skills.
Luckily for Suwarna, her husband is a cosmetics manufacturer. So she didn't have to struggle much to convince him. Suwarna says, “My husband understood what beauty business is all about and gave me immense support right from the word go. He knew cosmetics and beauty salon went hand in hand.”
She has also played a pivotal role in designing a six-month beauty skill course for Symbiosis University’s Community College, Pune.
Talking about taking up beauty therapy as a career, Suwarna says today there are many who want to choose that as a subject. “It’s a good career option. Like other subjects, beauty also has its own science. It has to be learnt scientifically. There is a lot of money in this business. Women can work from home also. Another advantage is – you are self-employed. The only thing is – the beautician should be up-to-date with the latest trends, upgrade her skills and deliver quality work. Unless and until one upgrades, one cannot survive in this business for long. Most importantly, a beautician should know the contraindications – i.e. she should know when a particular beauty product or therapy should not be used because it may otherwise harm the customer,” says Suwarna.
Enjoying every moment of her life, Suwarna thinks the key to her success lies in her decision to pursue her passion. “My journey is still a learning one." After having recently obtained a degree in the UK for the VTCT Level 3 Assessor examination, she is excited about taking forward PM Modi’s Make in India initiative by manufacturing cosmetics for foreign businesses, along with her husband.
What is her favourite mantra? If you love what you do, your chances of success are pretty high and money will follow.
And if you can bring a smile on others’ face like what Suwarna does, it only adds to your beauty.
