BHOPAL (Madhya Pradesh): When one hears the word 'beautician', the image of a woman comes to mind. However, the profession is not the monopoly of females. A good number of men are also in it to help people look better.
On the eve of National Beautician's Day, Free Press profiles some city leading male beauticians who are associated with the beauty and wellness industry for decades.
Trained 3000+ students
Gopal Shrivastava (63) has been in the field for the past 30 years. As a young man, he was the distributor of a cosmetics company. He, however, had to remain bedridden for almost five years due to severe back pain and lost the distributorship. He sought guidance from famed hair stylist Jawed Habib and then did a two-month training at a VLCC Institute in Delhi. He worked there as a hair faculty for two years. 'I was so passionate to learn that after the institute closed at 6 pm, I continued reading books and magazines related to hairstyling till late in the night,' he said. Back in Bhopal, he worked for Nikki Bawa Academy for 14 years and then launched his own enterprise. 'I have trained almost 3000 students till now,' he says.
Non-surgical hair replacement
Naresh Sen (43) wanted to join the army. But that could not happen. He next began working as an LIC agent but was not satisfied. In 1992, he opened a small salon called 'Adarsh Hair Style' near Apsara Cinema. It clicked. He upgraded it to a modern salon in 2003 and then went on to launch hairstyling salons at 10 No. Market in 2007, and then opened its branches in the city. He was the first to launch hair extensions and non-surgical hair replacement in MP. 'I am a Loreal-certified trainer and have trained more than 1,000 students, most of whom are working in premium salons,' he said. 'Earlier women were a bit hesitant to use the services of male hairstylists. But it is no longer so. In fact, most of the salons have now become unisex,' he added.
Women's salon
Fifty-year-old Mohammed Waseem lost his father when he was in Class 5. And the responsibility of looking after his family fell on him. 'I quit school and began doing odd jobs,' he said. In 1996, he started 'Waseem's Touch of Joy Hair and Beauty Saloní in the Old City. Another salon followed near 2nd Stop. Both are meant only for women and provide services like hair styling, hair colouring, makeup and bridal makeup. 'I have been in this industry for 35 years and have travelled professionally to the US and Europe. But still, every day I try to learn something new,' he says.
Prosthetic makeup
Rajesh Soni (47) launched prosthetic makeup in Madhya Pradesh. He has been in this profession for the past 20 years. Earlier, he worked as zonal sales head for a cosmetic brand and as branch manager of SBI Life at Vidisha, his native place. He learned the art of prosthetic makeup from Amod Doshi at Mumbai. A prosthetic makeup artist has good job prospects in the entertainment industry, he said, adding that apart from Madhya Pradesh, he has trained students from UP, Bihar, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh in prosthetic makeup.
