Vyanktesh Aggarwal : A Self Made Salon Entrepreneur

Vyanktesh is a 23-year-old Celebrity Make-up Artist & Entrepreneur. He recently opened his own Salon & Academy in his home town Rishikesh. Here, Vyankatesh shares his childhood memories and inspirations and discusses how he achieved his lifelong goals.

Can you tell us about your early Life/education?
I have done my schooling from Modern School in RISHIKESH and graduation from Ramlal Anand College, Delhi University. I had always been quite a confident child actively participating and winning in many school activities like painting, sports, debates and even Olympiads at school and state level. I would very confidently speak on stage in front of a big audience. I was quite good at studies too and scored 91% in the 12th standard. I come from a business background. Dad is a businessman. Financially we weren’t very well-off when I was growing up. At that time my Dad was working in a shop where now he is building a salon of his own!

How did you get into this field?
When I was doing my graduation, I always had in mind to do something out of the league and set up something of my own. Though I was a good scholar, I never really wanted to follow the same rules set up by society. I was a good artist and loved colors. During my graduation I would get some spare time in the evenings so decided to enroll myself in a cosmologist course in which we studied colors, cosmetics, skin, etc. Face art was also a part of this course and that really got me hooked. It is during this time that I figured how great the feeling is when you make someone look a certain way that they wish to. Basically, I just wanted to fill the lives of people with colors and smiles.

Give us a peek into your professional journey so far?
Initially, I started off as a freelancer. For my debut, I got a chance of working in the leading designer, Archana Kochar’s fashion show which had Shilpa as the showstopper. After this event, I made a team of 5 people and started taking makeup bookings for weddings and other such events. In the very first month, we got around doing 24 weddings including a VIP wedding of Bhopal’s MLA’s son which was held in Khajurao Madhya Pradesh. That was huge. After this, I Joined Lakme Salon and rest is history.

LFW was a milestone in your career. Tell us more about it?
Yes absolutely. Doing Lakme Fashion Week was one of the best things that happened in my career. It was an amazing experience, to say the least. I was only 20 when Lakme chose me for the fashion week. For 2 days I could not even believe this was for real and that I was actually going for Lakme Fashion Week! It was such a memorable experience. The entire Bollywood was present there, the glitz, the glam, makeup, backstage chaos, models, designers, the media, the camera flashes, the after-parties and pictures, pictures and more pictures!

Do you have any special plans for your hometown, Rishikesh?
As Rishikesh is my hometown so obviously I wanted to deliver the highest level of makeup and beauty to my people, which was pretty much lacking in my city. People here were hardly even aware of the latest beauty trends. Now my brand Padmaaksh is delivering these services to them.

Were your parents supportive of your career choice?
Yes, they supported me whole-heartedly. That’s the sole reason I have become what I am today. It is their support and blessings that is providing me the strength to build my own life today.

Did you face any resistance from society?
Yes of course. But resistance and criticism is what makes you work harder, isn’t it? Except for my parents and loved ones, everyone always mocked me. They all tried to demotivate and discourage me by saying things like: ‘Ladkiyon ko sajane ka kaam seekh raha hai.’ But now the scenario is quite different. Those same people, who never missed an opportunity to show me down, want their children to join my business! That’s my achievement.
Rishikesh has accepted me and my Services. Now Padmaaksh is the trendsetter for Rishikesh people.

Any tips for the youngsters today who are trying to make a name for themselves?
Listen to heart, do whatever you want to do and follow your dreams. Keep at it and eventually, you will win. Just be honest with yourself and your work.

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