As a woman, you have to give tests and retests in life again and again. Despite all the steps that we are taking ahead in life, the shackles of patriarchy are still reigning strong. It still remains the responsibility of the woman to sideline personal choices and develop a mindset that embraces the greater good. This begins with the career based sacrifices a woman needs to make to accommodate a family and later, kids. Some women take charge of life despite making these changes and choose to make the best of both worlds.
Meet Vidhi Duggal, a Shero I met up with and got chatting about how transiting her journey has been over the years.
A seasoned professional makeup artist, Vidhi faced a setback when she had to give up her profession that saw shutting down of her mom’s salon too. The reason – she had to bring up her second daughter and the workload was being a bane in this context.
Women today have gone on to be educated, to work and have careers but the greatest thing here is despite all, a woman needs to rejig her life to attain a fine balance.
While most people with a chauvinistic colouring believe that it’s really easy, I find it extremely brave to keep modifying your dreams, despite having had success with a few, and kick-starting life on fresh notes.
Life Took A Turn For Her Too
Vidhi says, “The turning point of my life was when after the birth of my second daughter, I had to give up my profession. My mother’s salon, where I was working as a makeup artist and a hairstylist, had to shut down too. After that, I have been a stay at home mother of two and took up writing.
If there is something in me which can inspire others, it is my learning in life - that when there is rain, look for a rainbow and when life throws lemons at you, make a lemonade. I have learnt to stay happy and make the most out of any given circumstances in life. You have to face and accept the challenges of life even when you have to go against your wishes.
Losing something to gain another is a gamble of life but once THAT gamble pays off, there’s no loss in determination. That's the nutshell of my life. I am like a Phoenix, who burns itself down only to re-emerge from its ashes.”
Over time, her efforts have paid off and she’s become satisfied with what her second phase in life gave her - highs such as being featured in magazines and to be part of a brigade that helps other women on leading apps. She believes it is extremely inspiring to see her story being an inspiration to other women around. The funda that has helped Vidhi sail through life is that courage doesn’t always mean you will be roaring. It just means that you have the guts to keep trying, even if that’s on another day. The most sheroic bit she has done for herself is to have grown with time and to have taken a second chance without qualms.
Her Beginnings That Frame Her Journey
Vidhi grew up seeing her mom work in the salon and since a young age, she’s been around cosmetics and colours. Naturally, she took to dressing people up, make-up tricks and hairstyling from a young age. As she writes in her blog, “A chance to attend a seminar by Sunsilk India, where a famous hairstylist of that time shared their expertise in this field, fascinated me to become a hairstylist. The love of colours and creativity led me to pursue professional courses from the well-known institution, Pivot Point India by Mrs Blossom Kochhar and Alps by Mrs Bharti Taneja. My nights were spent in dreaming about new makeup techniques and creating new hairstyles. Education happened side by side as I completed teacher's training as a backup for a career.”
Much said and done, Vidhi admits how her core strength has always been her marriage and her supportive partner. She has also tried to dabble in teaching as a career before the writing bug bit her. However, she kept harking back to her first love - her mommy’s salon and gradually, made a mark that got her to establish her own identity.
She blogs at Luminosity and has a new identity today, but giving up her profession and dreams was the most confusing dilemma she faced early on, once her second daughter was born.
From Dawn To Dusk
She considers these years of challenge as her dusk but now she has arrived at a dawn. Her motherhood journey has made her a shero and a much stronger person in every way. Vidhi sums up,
“The end of any road doesn’t mean the end of the road to success. There will be U turns and way forwards. Be ready and hug on to life. New openings will come forth.”
There are lessons galore to be learned from such journeys and over time, women such as Vidhi mesmerize us to not look at life with a grey streak. Sure, there are ups and downs but this never signifies the end of your capabilities. Being a fighter means to make the best of what fresh you get dealt with in life. That’s the only way you can manage to keep coming through layers and yet establishing your own name.
A mommy blogger who gained writing inspiration once her life took a new turn post the birth of her second baby, Vidhi is a talented hair and makeup artist. A go-getter who manages blogging with a busy home, Vidhi is one inspiration to look at for those looking to restart a career.