TAIPING: Despite being born with achondroplasia (short-limbed dwarfism), henna artist Namvinsha Kaur Kreshan Singh, 33, stands tall as a shining example of resilience.
The only child of single mother Harmindear Kaur, 63, Taiping born Namvinsha faced many hurdles that would have broken lesser people.
However, with her grit and single-mindedness to succeed in life despite her physical challenges, she honed her skills as a bridal henna artist.
“Doing bridal make-up has always been my passion and I was excited when I discovered henna art. I never expected it to become my livelihood,” she told theSun.
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Upon finishing a nine-month henna drawing course, Namvinsha embarked on her home-based business, Vinisha Henna Design, in 2015.
Over time, her business grew and she is sought after for weddings and other festivities.
While acknowledging the demand for henna drawing is seasonal, Namvinsha found her earnings sufficient to sustain herself and reduce her mother’s financial burden.
But her journey to success did not stop there. Thanks to her entrepreneurial spirit, she recently introduced her two-in-one eyeliner product.
“I usually have a lot of downtime during the off-wedding seasons. So in March this year, I launched an eyeliner as a side business to diversify and grow my business.
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“I sell each eyeliner for RM25 and business is picking up. My customers like it and I believe sales will grow in time.”
Namvinsha said her mother has always been her rock and raised her to be strong even after her father left the family.
“I wanted to reassure my mother that I could take care of us. As a department store supervisor, she experienced financial difficulties as my childhood medical treatment was expensive.
“It was challenging for her to raise me. But thankfully, my grandmother stood by us and offered her support as well.”
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Harmindear said as she had to work, her mother cared for Namvinsha without ever giving up hope that things would be better someday.
“I wanted Namvinsha to be strong, so I chose not to send her to a special school and enrolled her at the Pokok Assam Methodist Primary School, and later at the Kampung Jambu Secondary School.”
Namvinsha said her school days were difficult, but she found comfort in the kindness of her friends and teachers.
In 2011, she graduated with a Diploma in Multimedia Management from the Multimedia College Taiping.
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Even after graduating, things were tough as potential employers rejected her due to her disability.
“I was jobless for five years and relied entirely on my mother. As an only child, I realised I needed to earn a living to reduce the burden on my mother, especially considering there will come a time when she is no more.”
This realisation led Namvinsha to pursue a career as a henna artist.
She started getting bookings to draw bridal henna, but it was hard to travel to her work locations. So, she learnt to drive and obtained a licence.
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Her determination and perseverance won her recognition from the Malaysian Indian Network of Entrepreneurs through two awards – the Woman Entrepreneur Of The Year 2018 and another one under the Differently-Abled Entrepreneurs 2018 category.
Namvinsha said her biggest dream is to become a full-service makeup artist, and care for her mother.
“I want to further develop my skills in bridal make-up. However, I cannot afford the courses and I am seeking financial assistance from anyone willing to help me.
“I am confident that I will do even better for myself and my mother if I have the opportunity to take the courses. I am also hoping that an angel investor would come in to help develop my eyeliner into a mainstream product.”
Namvinsha dreams of making it big someday, so that she can take her mother on a holiday, which is something they have never enjoyed.
Those who wish to offer financial assistance may do so via her Maybank account number 1580-5168-5674, while discussions on enhancing her eyeliner business may be initiated through her email vinisha_cool13@yahoo.com.
