Beauty,not just skin deep

Though an accomplished Bharatnatyam dancer and artist, I was not ‘allowed’ to venture out of home after I got married nor was I able to keep in touch with my parents. Since I was financially dependent on my then abusive and unfaithful husband, my options were limited. I suffered in his hands daily with hope that some day destiny will shine on me.. In India of the 1990s, this was an accepted norm.

And one day in 2005, I found myself on the streets without my children, with just 2000 rupees in my pocket and whole life ahead. There was no choice but pick myself up and start afresh. I came down to Mumbai, lived with friends who were kind enough to open their homes to me. After a few odd jobs and some learnings later, I finally found myself managing celebrities at UTV. Two years after being thrown out, I had saved enough money to file for divorce in 2007 and let go of the toxicity and negativity in my life and breathe in some fresh air.

I met my now husband Hemant during this time, who was himself getting out of a long relationship. We found that we shared common values, goals and struggles.Our  friendship blossomed into love. He respected me for what I was and i wholeheartedly accepted Hemant.. His fondness for my children and their bonding with him sorted my worries. We were married  in a private ceremony in presence of near and dear ones. Hemant stood rock solid behind my children’s dreams.. Deep has mastered cinematography from Prague in 2017.Twinkle will be graduating in Psychology next year from Jail Hind College  Mumbai.

So now with a relaxed mind I turned my energies towards building a career.

In 2015, I enrolled for an Aromatherapy course and there has been no turning back since. My aunt taught me soap-making and I applied my aromatherapy experience to create a chemical free, 100% natural range of soaps in May 2018. My soaps range uses pure & natural ingredients taking care of skin types etc.

In the beginning, I used friends and family to test my soaps, the feedback was very encouraging. I learnt advanced soap making and started retailing under my brand ‘Eunoia’ in 2018. Today, I can boast of a list of satisfied and regular clients from across India and abroad (US, UK, Belgium, Vietnam, Singapore, Philippines and Thailand).

‘Eunoia Handcrafted Bath Luxury’ now offers natural soaps, face-packs, herbal hair oils, scrubs, bath salts, shampoos and even shower gels. We  plan soon to launch natural & herbal lotions, acne creams, sunscreen etc.

Client feedback has been most encouraging and has given me the confidence to push my boundaries every day. In a short span of 10 months of starting this venture I have come this far with unstinted support of my husband & children. I am thankful to all my friends & family members who stood by me through this journey.

 After many trips Goa kept calling and since we bought a home a year back.we mostly stay in Goa occasionally visiting friends and relatives in Mumbai. Samira Sayed  stocks my “Eunoia” range in her SAUM BOUTIQUE. A special bow to fellow womenfolk, who like me have had to rewrite rules and continued their fight with heads held high!