Aarti Nancy is a twenty-eight-year-old beautician and traniner from Chakkarpur, Gurugram. From being a diffident young girl to becoming a confident professional, her journey is reflective of strength and determination.

“I was 18 years old when I got married and I came to Chakkarpur, Gurugram from Patna, Bihar in 2013. I had passed my12th grade exams just before getting married. Initially, I was unhappy leaving my family behind. I used to cry a lot as I had no friends here in my new home. I felt uprooted,” Nancy remembers. In an attempt to engage her mind, she decided to pursue higher education. Nancy finished her graduation in BA (Hons) in Hindi through distance learning. According to her, “After finishing my graduation, I heard about a centre nearby providing beautician training and I went to explore. During these classes I started enjoying learning for the first time.”

Nancy completed both basic and advanced courses at the DRI Udaan Skill Development Center (HPPI). She excelled and passed out as a top student in 2019. Hopeful with new skills, Nancy joined a beauty parlor nearby in Galleria market in Gurugram. Her starting salary was three-and-a-half thousand rupees.

Within a few months, Humana People to People India (HPPI) offered her a role as a trainer for the beautician course at the same center where she was trained. Nancy was thrilled to get a job at the centre and that too at a salary almost more than double of her first job! She started feeling confident in own skill. The pandemic-induced lockdowns halted the programme briefly, but Nancy’s resilience never wavered. Now, she’s back as a proud trainer, supporting her family and embracing her independence. Besides the job, Nancy also works on her own time as a beautician as customers visit her for availing beauty treatments, especially during the festive season.

Nancy lives with her husband, in-laws and two daughters. With three earning members in her family, including her husband who works at Toyota, Nancy balances work, family and her passion for beauty training. “I call people from the industry to conduct workshops for my students; I guide my students to learn more by placing them in internships. I am connected to my students, even after they pass out,” explains Nancy.

“Even though I have a supportive partner, I have understood the importance of building my own identity. I want to be more than someone’s wife or mother. This job has given me a sense of self and I want to inspire my students and enable them to see that their identity is rooted in themselves,” smiles Nancy assuredly. She adds, “I will soon open my own beauty parlor and run my own business.”