We have often heard ‘don’t give up’ and Sonali’s success story gives life to these words. No, Sonali is not a celebrity. She is a common woman who works hard to run her business and is an inspiration to many.
Sonali, a resident of Kohlapur is a mehndi artist by profession. She is a class 7th dropout as her parents did not have money to educate her. Sonali does not have the means to promote her talent, however, today she lip-syncs to English songs and makes the coolest videos on Instagram. She inspires every other woman to never stop dreaming.
Sonali sets up her stall in front of a temple in Kolhapur. There she sells artificial jewelry and whoever comes to buy them, she tells them about her mehndi skills. She herself handles her account on social media platforms like Instagram and works hard to promote her business. Her increasing fan following is the result of her hard work.
Sonali’s story of struggle begins when she was in class 7. Due to lack of money and increasing school fees, her studies remained incomplete. She wanted to be trained in Mehndi designing but this could not happen due to lack of money. So, she started with ‘block mehndi’ at Juhu beach Mumbai.
"I wanted to learn how to apply Mehendi but I didn't have money to join the classes so I started with block Mehendi,” said Sonali.
As Juhu beach one of the popular tourist spots in Mumbai, many foreigners used to visit her from whom she learned to speak English. "I used to live in Mumbai, a lot of people used to visit Juhu Beach, from celebrities to foreign tourists so my block Mehendi work went well."
She got married at the age of 18 and shifted to Kolhapur with her husband. As she moved to Kolhapur, her Block Mehndi business ended. Sonali wanted to learn applying Mehndi but could not get training due to lack of money. Following her desire to do something in life, her husband got her a mobile phone. Sonali used the mobile to train herself.
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"I could not take any Mehendi training because I did not have money. My husband bought me a mobile phone and taught me to use it. I used to see Mehendi designs and try them on my hands,” she added.
Soon, her family members and neighbors started criticizing her. Her husband and mother-in-law supported her however, other family members tried to break her phone and discourage her. But this could not break her spirit. She struggled and for the first time, she applied bridal Mehndi for only Rs 500. But now, she charges Rs 3000 to Rs 5000 for bridal mehndi.
"Earlier at festivals, I used to apply Mehendi for Rs. 20 or Rs. 50. I applied my first bridal Mehendi for Rs. 500 but now I take Rs. 3000 to Rs. 5000 for bridal Mehendi."
She also revealed that sometimes the bride’s family does not have money to pay her so she often applies mehndi for free. With her Mehndi skills, Sonali manages to earn Rs10,000 to 20,000 per month.
"I am planning to buy a home soon. Along with that, I also plan to increase my work. I am also learning to do bridal makeup by watching videos on YouTube,” said Sonali.