Pic by Rashbehari Das

I live everyday to try out something new. And I strongly believe that each day life throws something at you and it becomes a turning point. I had never planned to become a hairdresser. It happened when I went to Chicago from Mumbai at the age of 18 for my higher studies. I couldn’t afford a hairdresser and one day I cut my own hair. People liked it so much that they asked me to do their hair too. And that’s how I began having clients whose hair I styled at home.

So I started cutting for pleasure in Chicago and later I trained with Vidal Sassoon in Los Angeles.

I returned to Mumbai and started my very first salon called — Mad--Wot. But I have not restricted myself to being just a hairdresser. I have also been a writer for Mumbai’s top publishing houses. I have a double majors degree in marketing and communications from Chicago, I travel, ride a motorbike, play bass guitar and do DJ-ing… I always keep trying different kinds of things to see if I can do them.

I feel creativity cannot be confined to any one field. People generally limit themselves to a particular talent. But for me, a creative person can showcase his aptitude in almost any creative field. I want to keep trying my hand at new things all the time. The newest addition to my many turning points is my production house. It came about when I created a song for my salon. A client of mine happened to like it so much that he financed my music video. So, mine is perhaps the only salon to have a video. This is how I am and will always remain.

(As told to Lubna Salim)