Indore (Madhya Pradesh): After tiring preparations, Saturday was a day of relaxation for a large number of women in Indore celebrating Roop Chaudas.
Most women flocked to beauty parlours and salons not only to get ready for the grand festivity of Diwali, but also for body massages and traditional ubtan (body scrub).
Naraka Chaturdashi on the day before Diwali is celebrated to mark the victory of Lord Krishna against Narkasur. The day is also known as Chhoti Diwali, Kali Chaudas or Roop Chaudas. Many families observed the ritual to break karit (a bitter fruit) on the day, symbolising the victory of good over the evil.
Kali Chaudas is the day when a person is expected to abolish laziness and evil residing in his own self that is turning his life into hell. Hence, the importance of bringing out your best self is must by washing away all the negativity and evil.
Women spent good amount of time and money on body massage, spa and hair treatment in parlours. The massages with natural oils or aroma therapies were most sought-after services.
“For working women, the concept of beauty is not about doing a special thing for a particular day, but regular maintenance of look. I decided to take a step further for Roop Chaudas and upgraded my facial keeping in mind the festive spirit,” Madhuri Sharma, chief executive officer of a private firm, said.
“Apart from preparing for Diwali, I got ready for gathering at our office on Roop Chaudas. My main aim was to get relaxed through spa and massage as the preparation for Diwali was quite hectic in the past few days,” Ruchi Shah, an interior designer, said.
Beauty salons were busy throughout the day offering varied services to clients pampering and beautifying them from head to toe. Special packages were designed for the day as the clients were managed in slots.
“Beauty today is not just about looking good, but also being healthy and detoxified from inside. People are thinking more in terms of herbal treatments and services, which give them healthy glow instead of makeup,” Seema Soni, a beautician, said.
Women also beautified themselves at home with home remedies and traditional beauty hacks for Roop Chaudas. The most popular traditional ubtan was prepared using gram flour and turmeric powder.
“Using homemade ubtan is definitely better for us, because no matter how well-advertised the product claiming to be organic, it has preservatives that have a negative impact on our skin,” Anju Shankarlal, a homemaker, said.
Women inmates of old age home get makeover on Roop Chaudas
BHOPAL: Women inmates of an old age home, Apna Ghar, got their makeover done to look good and glow on Diwali. Beautician Shama Khan gave haircuts and coloured hair of inmates of Apna Ghar on Roop Chaudas on Saturday. She also applied traditional beauty treatments, especially ubtan on their face. Khan has been providing her services free to women inmates of the old age home for over 10 years on Diwali. “These people can’t go to beauty parlour, so I have brought a parlour to them,” she said..
