“I’m someone who never watches television. Why lose out on time while watching someone else’s story when you can make your own?

The whole of my school life was nothing less than a nightmare. The only thing that kept me going is my love for art. People might’ve labelled me a rebel, but that’s because I was never allowed to be myself and do the things I wanted to do. I felt caged. There were multiple instances which broke my confidence every single day. So much so, that when I finished school, I felt free, almost like I had wings. It was in college that I truly started exploring myself as an individual. Anytime there was a minor inconvenience in my life, I’d do something to my hair. My hair was my stress buster, which is why I chose hair dressing as my profession because that is the one thing that doesn’t feel like work to me.

I always feared going out. I have never seen a beach, a waterfall, a jungle or even a farm. I haven’t stepped foot outside of Hyderabad even once until last year when I randomly applied as a volunteer for an event in Gokarna. I didn’t expect them to pick me. I get a call a couple of days later where they said that they selected me out of the 17 other people who applied and they asked me to take the bus the next day and reach there by day after. I didn’t know how to book tickets, I didn’t know how to pack a bag, I have never travelled in a bus and most importantly, my parents had no clue. I asked them time till 15th which was 3 days from then and after a long struggle of trying to convince my parents, I reached Gokarna where my mother and two brothers tagged along with me for a day. I was terrified. I was the only girl in sight for miles and there were new faces everywhere. It was a one month gig which extended to 1 ½ months. I came back home only to go back there for 3 days which extended to a 2 month stay all by myself on a beach. I would see the sun setting everyday and I ended up being around 500 travellers who shared their story with me and I with them. It was the most beautiful and relieving experience of my life. I came back home as a changed woman. And one day, while I was sitting with my friend bored out of mind, I told her let’s shave our heads and we did. It was impulsive and fun but it was also testing my patience because now, I don’t have my hair to rely on when things go bad.

All in all, the one thing that I realised is that I have grown so much as an individual. You cannot limit your mind if you want to fill the soul. The day I looked at my fears in their eyes and faced them without hesitating, was the day I realised I can achieve anything and everything. Today, I’m happy and I will continue to be for the rest of my days. It’s kinda rebellious to be yourself after all.”

#Art #Life #Choice #Rebel #Confidence #Hairdressing #Explore #Passion #Empower #Travel #Experience #Inspire #Motivation #Happiness #Hyderabad #HumansofHyderabad