Bhopal:
From pity to admiration, 35-year-old Manoj Kumar has come a long way. A hair dresser at a reputed beauty Salon in Bhopal, Manoj makes the perfect cut and is equally good at head massages. Except for the fact that he's visually challenged, right from childhood, and decided to fight on.
"Now I know that I can be self reliant. I don't have to be dependent on any one," says Manoj.
Manoj was desperate to work, but found it difficult to get a job, though that only strengthened his resolve.
Three years ago, he met hair stylist Naryan Bhati, who holds a record for hairdressing non-stop for 172 hours. It was a meeting that changed Manoj's life.
"I taught him the basics of hair cutting. How much length to keep, and soon he started cutting on his own", says Naryan Bhati, hair stylist, Dream Rajasthan Parlour, Bhopal.
Today, Manoj earns Rs 5000 a month and the number of his clients is growing.
For the past two months I have been getting my hair cut shaving done from him only. If he is not free...I wait for him, says Dr Jettendre Gupta, one the regular visitor to his shop.