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Vinay Nayudu
Doha
A celebrity hair stylist and owner of a chain of twenty salons and spas ‘Shiva’s’ across Mumbai, Shivarama K Bhandary is a celebrated man in India today having received the Bharat Gaurav Award 2019 from Sanskriti Yuva Sanstha
at the House of Commons in London two months ago, and with his memoir “The Journey at the Top – The Journey of Shiva” being released by legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan last week.
A grooming expert with an enviable client list that comprises Bollywood celebrities, leading political, social figures and corporate achievers, Shiva can be seen arriving in a Landcruiser or excelling in his craft wearing a Rolex. But few know that the extraordinary tale to success for this man from a remote village in the state of Karnataka, India, began very much here in Qatar in the early eighties.
“Qatar and the Qataris gave me a lot – from learning, love, affection to the most important of all – respect. Wherever I have reached today is because of what I learnt in Qatar. It was the first major turning point of my life and I am indebted to Qatar for all their graciousness and support,” said Shiva while speaking to Qatar Tribune.
While this learner has transcended social boundaries through sheer hard work and dedication and is now devoting much time to social and environmental causes, his phenomenal rise has much been from the ashes.
Born into a community of barbers, Shiva’s childhood was riddled with suffering and tragedies. He lost his father when still a toddler, had to drop out of school at the age of 10 to assist his widowed mother run the house, lost his ailing baby sister as they couldn’t afford medicines and food for her. Later, he also lost his wife to cancer.
Thrown into a deep end, Shiva struggled but didn’t lose hope. He went on to acquire elementary training in hair cutting as a teen even as he suffered physical abuse from his uncle.
Luck finally smiled on him when he arrived in Mumbai and a cousin told him that interviews were being conducted for a position in Qatar for a hair stylist and that he could give it a try. Shiva applied, got an interview call at Hotel Oberoi and soon was on a plane to Doha.
“It was a major turning point and the most memorable one,” says Shiva.
“I was in Qatar for exactly three years and nine months. From October 14th 1984 to August 30th 1988,” he recalls in a flash! “I worked with Al Sadd Sports Club and had a great time attending to all the players. I remember Badr Bilal, who once hit a famous bicycle kick goal, and many others. Also their Brazilian coach Procopio Cardoso, who took them to QSL titles in 1987 and 88. They all cared for me so much. Not just as a hair stylist, I also worked as a receptionist and as a manager.”
Shiva also attended to other top personalities in Qatar then, including some highly placed officials. “That gave me the opportunity to study their hair structure, their hair and beard styles. I worked on Qataris without using a comb given the texture of their hair and to work on it with care.
“In Qatar, a lot of my craft learning came from attending to people of various nationalities. While I would say I also received a lot in return for what I did, but what I learnt as a hair stylist has been priceless,” he stressed.
As much he wanted to come back to Qatar after a vacation in 1988, Shiva’s mother didn’t allow her son to leave shores as she felt lonely.
This saw destiny make Shiva do the next move. “I had to plead to my mother to allow me to go to Mumbai again. Thankfully, she relented. I went there, opened a small shop in Mulund and soon developed a good clientele. I was also myself visiting other top stylists to get hair cuts to know how they do it and if they were really that good. I once went to Hotel Taj, but soon refused a hair cut despite paying heavily for the appointment because I didn’t like the barber’s hygiene there.
“Soon I entered for a contest in London and went on to win it.” There has been no stopping since then. An outlet after another, Shiva’s chain has been growing. Meanwhile, the man who is 57-years-old now has attended to personalities like legendary poet Harivanshrai Bachchan, political figure head Bal Thackeray and numerous Bollywood stars.
He is also an alumnus of two prestigious international academies in the UK – Vidal Sassoon and Toni & Guy.
India’s elite now makes a beeline for an appointment at his swish Malabar Hill, Juhu and Lokhandwala outlets.
Now married to Anushree, he has two kids and stays with his family, and mother in Mumbai.
So will the man who has risen to new heights be back in Qatar again? “Of course, I have to. And I shall be there in 2022 to thank all those who helped me grow, and surely to watch the FIFA World Cup!”
The memoir ‘Styling at the Top’ is a testament to the power of true grit and positivity and makes for a compelling read. A life story of where you start doesn’t determine where you can reach. It is available on various websites including waterstones.com, amazon.com, hive.co.uk, bookdepository.com, amazon.in, flipkart.com, jainbookagency.com, sapnaonline.com, ompublications.com and ibp.com.
Doha
A celebrity hair stylist and owner of a chain of twenty salons and spas ‘Shiva’s’ across Mumbai, Shivarama K Bhandary is a celebrated man in India today having received the Bharat Gaurav Award 2019 from Sanskriti Yuva Sanstha
at the House of Commons in London two months ago, and with his memoir “The Journey at the Top – The Journey of Shiva” being released by legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan last week.
A grooming expert with an enviable client list that comprises Bollywood celebrities, leading political, social figures and corporate achievers, Shiva can be seen arriving in a Landcruiser or excelling in his craft wearing a Rolex. But few know that the extraordinary tale to success for this man from a remote village in the state of Karnataka, India, began very much here in Qatar in the early eighties.
“Qatar and the Qataris gave me a lot – from learning, love, affection to the most important of all – respect. Wherever I have reached today is because of what I learnt in Qatar. It was the first major turning point of my life and I am indebted to Qatar for all their graciousness and support,” said Shiva while speaking to Qatar Tribune.
While this learner has transcended social boundaries through sheer hard work and dedication and is now devoting much time to social and environmental causes, his phenomenal rise has much been from the ashes.
Born into a community of barbers, Shiva’s childhood was riddled with suffering and tragedies. He lost his father when still a toddler, had to drop out of school at the age of 10 to assist his widowed mother run the house, lost his ailing baby sister as they couldn’t afford medicines and food for her. Later, he also lost his wife to cancer.
Thrown into a deep end, Shiva struggled but didn’t lose hope. He went on to acquire elementary training in hair cutting as a teen even as he suffered physical abuse from his uncle.
Luck finally smiled on him when he arrived in Mumbai and a cousin told him that interviews were being conducted for a position in Qatar for a hair stylist and that he could give it a try. Shiva applied, got an interview call at Hotel Oberoi and soon was on a plane to Doha.
“It was a major turning point and the most memorable one,” says Shiva.
“I was in Qatar for exactly three years and nine months. From October 14th 1984 to August 30th 1988,” he recalls in a flash! “I worked with Al Sadd Sports Club and had a great time attending to all the players. I remember Badr Bilal, who once hit a famous bicycle kick goal, and many others. Also their Brazilian coach Procopio Cardoso, who took them to QSL titles in 1987 and 88. They all cared for me so much. Not just as a hair stylist, I also worked as a receptionist and as a manager.”
Shiva also attended to other top personalities in Qatar then, including some highly placed officials. “That gave me the opportunity to study their hair structure, their hair and beard styles. I worked on Qataris without using a comb given the texture of their hair and to work on it with care.
“In Qatar, a lot of my craft learning came from attending to people of various nationalities. While I would say I also received a lot in return for what I did, but what I learnt as a hair stylist has been priceless,” he stressed.
As much he wanted to come back to Qatar after a vacation in 1988, Shiva’s mother didn’t allow her son to leave shores as she felt lonely.
This saw destiny make Shiva do the next move. “I had to plead to my mother to allow me to go to Mumbai again. Thankfully, she relented. I went there, opened a small shop in Mulund and soon developed a good clientele. I was also myself visiting other top stylists to get hair cuts to know how they do it and if they were really that good. I once went to Hotel Taj, but soon refused a hair cut despite paying heavily for the appointment because I didn’t like the barber’s hygiene there.
“Soon I entered for a contest in London and went on to win it.” There has been no stopping since then. An outlet after another, Shiva’s chain has been growing. Meanwhile, the man who is 57-years-old now has attended to personalities like legendary poet Harivanshrai Bachchan, political figure head Bal Thackeray and numerous Bollywood stars.
He is also an alumnus of two prestigious international academies in the UK – Vidal Sassoon and Toni & Guy.
India’s elite now makes a beeline for an appointment at his swish Malabar Hill, Juhu and Lokhandwala outlets.
Now married to Anushree, he has two kids and stays with his family, and mother in Mumbai.
So will the man who has risen to new heights be back in Qatar again? “Of course, I have to. And I shall be there in 2022 to thank all those who helped me grow, and surely to watch the FIFA World Cup!”
The memoir ‘Styling at the Top’ is a testament to the power of true grit and positivity and makes for a compelling read. A life story of where you start doesn’t determine where you can reach. It is available on various websites including waterstones.com, amazon.com, hive.co.uk, bookdepository.com, amazon.in, flipkart.com, jainbookagency.com, sapnaonline.com, ompublications.com and ibp.com.
