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Queens of their own space...
The young women in the city are full of ideas and energy
The young women in the city are full of ideas and energy. They are skilling themselves, working to gain experience and then setting up their new ventures, being their own boss and in turn empowering others.
We spoke to some youngsters from Lucknow who have carved a niche for themselves and are inspiring all. They share their success mantra and how they climbed the ladder of success at such a young age.
‘When women support each other, magic happens!’
Youngster Astha Suri, founder and creative head of Naso, studied fashion styling and photography in Italy, researched contemporary art form extensively. A trained Bharatnatyam dancer and an interior designer, she amalgamated everything to take the family perfumery business to new vertical taking Indian perfumes a notch up to match international standards and appeal. She believes when women support each other, magic happens!
“It all started when I decided come up with a thought of green perfume. I introduced the idea of sustainable perfume using India raw ingredients and bring it on global pallet. We used ingredients that usually are not the best-selling natural material but are amalgamated in such a way with Italian oil and flora that strike a stark blend and also have healing properties as well. The idea was to infuse herbs and essential oils that had healing power and make them into a perfume format so that it can be a part of day-to-day usage. I launched my brand in January 2020 but the lockdown happened so the challenge was to sell a produce which works on smell. But, we were able to crack it and today 90% of our customers are repeated ones.”
‘You are only limited by your own imagination, think big!’
After working for two years, credit analyst Radhika Bajaj Halwasiya decided to work for herself and launched her home kitchen start-up in 2015. After her marriage in 2017, she started her cloud kitchen that specialised in Awadhi food which grew into a restaurant Home Sweet Home.
“I am a self-taught chef and my hobby has translated into profession. People have loved the food that I cooked. Now, since the restaurant is doing so well and home-deliveries are growing I have standardised the food and trained my chefs into it. After marriage, the challenge became bigger. On Women’s Day, I will like to say, you are only limited by your own imagination. Think big! We did not do crazy investment but did everything very aesthetically and gave our best which initially attracted people and with service, quality and taste made them regular customers and with word-of-mouth brought new ones. Moreover, we offer healthy food with home grown and locally sourced raw material and ingredients.
‘Understand the importance of being yourself’
Restaurateur Sonam Ahuja Arora believes in work hard play hard. She studied at Loreto Convent, Avadh Degree College and then did public and marketing management at Amity Lucknow.
“My father is my only mentor and inspiration in life. He is a restaurateur and I started to help him when I completed my studies. When I started working then there were not many girls involved from my family in our business but seeing me others hot motivated. Today, I solely run The Saffron Banquet and have to sweat out to keep the place a notch up in a fast-growing city like Lucknow. The most challenging part about running a restaurant is the management of the staff — from waiters to cashier and sweepers. To maintain discipline and to keeping them cheerful is actually an art I have learnt over the years. This International Women’s Day, I don’t want to rank or rate myself. I am just happy and content with what I do and want others to understand the importance being yourself.”
‘Be ready to face challenges’
Make-up professional Meghna Malhotra, a CMS and IT college alumnus, pursued her MBA from Lucknow University. She feels a career as a make-up artist is about uphill struggle at the same time it’s full of dreams and colours.
“I always wanted to get into the world of fashion and consider myself lucky to have got a chance to live it. I was fortunate to get a chance to polish my craft under make-up artistes from Dubai and Russia. I believe that youth in creative businesses are shaping the future of our country. Being a freelance makeup artist, you are the boss of your life. My work is all about skills and potential. It was never easy to establish my business in a city where such professions were not even considered as work till a few years ago. Those who want to take up this as a profession should be ready to face challenges but at the end of the day it’s worthwhile.”
‘It’s never easy for women to prove her mettle’
Mansi Bajaj, owner of PR Hyundai, lives by the mantra — perseverance conquers all. She did her B Com (Hons) from Lucknow, worked with a business new channel in Mumbai for three years before settling in Lucknow and got involved in business.
“My focus has always been to be the best and my inspiration has been my husband Harshit. It was not easy to make a place in the automobile industry which is considered a male dominant bastion but I guess if you have the right approach and your focus is only on your work then no one and nothing can stop you. Rewards and recognitions come naturally to you. I have been silently working and focusing on my objective in life. I feel, it’s never easy for women to prove her mettle irrespective of their place of living. One has to have her head on shoulders and give up fear of losing. I have learnt a lot from failures and use it as my strength. On this International Women’s Day, I would like to ask all the girls to just follow their dreams and utilise their God gifted powers to fly high.
