It is rightly said that “beauty lies in the eye of the beholder” but to retain that beauty in today’s competitive world, one surely needs that tint of make-up. This was something that the young girls too believed by the end of the day, who attended the Oriflame Seminar held by Ms Madhu Nagar and Meghna Khanna at Deepalaya Vocational centre on 19th May, 2010. Twenty three girls of around seventeen or eighteen years of age who are trainees in the Dress Designing and Beauty Culture trades, attended this lecture to add to their beauty parlor courses already being held at the vocational centre.

These girls, coming from the local slum community, had not had the benefit of an advantageous education, but Ms Madhu showed them that their lives were not predetermined by their lack of education. Ms Madhu herself is an example of that. Married at an early age, she seemed to be tied down by life’s expectations. Then, however, one day she became an Oriflame agent, and now she is a Diamond Director, earning over Rs 1 lakh a month, traveling abroad, and selling beauty products that did not harm the environment. With her as a role model, the girls seemed to see hope for a new future for themselves as well. Motivated, they were instantly intrigued by everything Ms Madhu, a brilliant orator, had to say.

Ms Madhu started talking about her dreams. She reinforced the importance of dreams, and of thinking big, into the girls’ minds so that they did not feel restricted by social roles enforced upon them. Ms Madhu talked to them about taking care of their own appearances. A good self image is, of course, fundamental to selling beauty products. She taught them about hair care, proper face treatment and the fundamentals of make up. A few points she shared were:

• Always take proper care of your face, using a cleanser, toner, moisturizer and sun protection
• Massage your face with a face wash in upward, circular motion
• Do not use soap on your face
• Use a shampoo and conditioner for your hair
• Do not leave oil in your hair for more than a few hours as it clogs up your pores
• Massage your head for more blood circulation and better hair growth
• Always use a proper foundation to establish the base of your make up
• Use mascara to make your eyes seem wide open

The girls interacted during the seminar by using the products and applying them on one another. Guiding them through the process, Ms Madhu encouraged them to be more open, confident and inquisitive. As the session came to a close, pamphlets about Oriflame were distributed and a key to a door to another opportunity was handed over to these girls. In one hour, they saw how their lives could be different from the one they were expecting.

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“God can’t be everywhere, so he created mothers” was what Mr. Anshu Budhraja, Executive Committee Member – Amway Opportunity Foundation & CFO, Amway India Enterprises had to say during the mother’s day on the 9th of May,2010 at Deepalaya School Sanjay Colony. The day was also chosen to be the AOF (Amway Opportunity Foundation) day as well where the non- profit organization decided to celebrate its annual day.

It was Deepalaya’s way of giving a tribute to all the mothers from the underprivileged background who came forward to change the life of their children in order to create a better future for them. The day included some of these mothers sharing their experiences with a live audience on how Deepalaya has changed their life, how Deepalaya has helped them understand the importance of education. On the occasion an emotional Maltee, a staff of Deepalaya who works as a caretaker in the School said that, “it is because of Deepalaya that I understood the importance of education and got my three children educated and I am proud of the fact that they are now graduates.” It was a delight to see some of the mothers participating with their children during the occasion.

Adding a cherry on the cake was the Chief Guest for the day, Mrs. Aruna Sharma, Director General – Doordarshan who was herself accompanied by her mother. Addressing the students of Deepalaya, she said that, “Everything is possible if you are educated. With the Right to Education Bill passing, every child must avail this opportunity and get educated.” She appreciated the efforts of all the teachers who came forward to make the day a success.

Mr. Anshu Budhraja added, “It is always a pleasure to be with the kids and Deepalaya has been nurturing the kids from the underprivileged as their own mother. So this is why, we chose this day. Looking at the immense talent here, I feel that Deepalaya not just tries to educate the children, but also focuses on bringing out their latent talents.” The Amway team distributed gifts to the students as well as their mothers on the occasion.

Besides this, the students gave many cultural presentations with full zeal and enthusiasm. The audience was awe-struck by witnessing the talent of the students whether it was in the dances or the mimicry or their two minute painting. It was unquestionably a day with a tinge of emotions.

Send feedback to- pooja@deepalaya.org
By- Pooja Sikka, Officer- Media Coordination & Content Development