Sambalpur (Odisha): Women, from tribal-dominated regions of Sambalpur and its surrounding districts, often are pushed to the brink and sent off to far-off cities to earn and contribute to the family income. This has been a growing concern, as most of these young women end up falling prey to human traffickers. However, some like-minded people have gotten together to change the trafficking picture, by way of making the tribal women self-sufficient.
Pushpanjali Mahakur, a beautician and entrepreneur and Sanjulata Nayak, an activist working for the Adivasis in the district under the aegis of Swarnanari Devi Kalyan Parishad joined hands to make women from the tribal pockets self sufficient by way of arming them with professional beauty and make-up training. They organised a three-day workshop for 35 tribal women in the district and called on professional trainers like celebrity makeup artist Dheera Kapur and Rajesh Parekh from Ahmedabad to impart soft skill training.
The organisers assured that braced with basic training, these tribal women will also be given placement or helped to start a beauty parlour. "Many women pursue this short-term course at nothing less than Rs 50,000, but we organised it free of cost because, the tribals from remote places do not have the ability to pay hefty amounts. I am a trained artist and I thought of empowering the gullible so that they become self-reliant too. Financial independence matters a lot so this is a small effort in the direction," explained Pushpanjali.
At the workshop, the trainees were made to understand basic colour make-up and hairstyles. They were also trained on how to choose the right product and work on natural colours on the face to enhance look.
Pushpanjali, who has over 20 years of experience in the beauty industry, explained, "Our region is far behind in terms of opportunities, and many of our daughters are forced to migrate to other states to work in harsh conditions. We wanted to change that by offering a viable alternative," she said.
The workshop was also attended by successful beauticians from nearby districts who shared their stories with the trainees. "We want to inspire these women by showing them that it’s possible to build a successful career as a beautician while staying in the community," Pushpanjali added.
Among the trainees was 21-year-old Prativa Patta from Nuadihi village in Jharsuguda, who was engaged in herding goats when she got to know about the training workshop. "Sanjulata Nani told me to attend the workshop which can change my fate and encouraged me and many others to participate. We were told that we do not have to spend anything to learn," said Prativa who has completed graduation in Education Honours from Basudev Godavari Degree College in Keshaibahal near Kuchinda in Sambalpur district.
"I am confident that with this training, I will be able to open my own beauty parlour and also train others in my village," Prativa said. For her and many others, the workshop is a chance to break free from the cycle of poverty and exploitation.
Rajesh Parekh, the Ahmedabad-based trainer, said, this workshop is not about technical skills but also about boosting self-confidence. "We are teaching these women to understand the unique needs of every individual’s face and personality. With such skills, they can not only work locally but also start their own businesses," he said.
He expressed the desire to impart training to more and more tribal girls free of charge. "Organise training programme in any city, just pay my travel expenses, and I will stay for 3/4 days and train," he assured adding that nothing could be more fulfilling for him than do a noble deed to work for the tribals. "I wish we could collaborate with the state government, so that the trainees get at least some subsidy to start their own venture," he hoped.
Bollywood makeup artist Dhira Kapur too echoed this sentiment. "Our aim is to empower these women with the knowledge and skills they can use to build a career. I am sure the training sessions will help them secure jobs or even allow them to become entrepreneurs," Kapur said.
Sanjulata however was candid in explaining that the programme was born out of necessity. "We’ve seen our girls being lured into human trafficking by sheer distrust. They were made to go on the pretext of jobs but ended up becoming bonded labours. So we decided to equip them with skills so that they no longer need to leave their homes in search of work," she said.
Sanjulata is working in 500 villages dominated by tribals. "A few days ago, our girls were trafficked to Delhi and Mumbai on the pretext of being given jobs. We decided do something here so that they do not feel the need to go out for work," she said, hoping that more and more tribal girls come forward to get themselves trained.
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