Bhakti Park’s Sandhya Salunkhe wins Yashwantrao Chavan Puraskar

Sandhya Salunkhe, a resident of Bhakti Park, won Yashwantrao Chavan Puraskar on November 13. The event took place at Navi Mumbai Sports Club in Vashi.

Salunkhe bagged the coveted award for her entrepreneurial success that has stretched for over 15 years. She runs Vaishnavi Beauty Parlour in Manpada, Thane. A B.Sc (Chemistry) graduate and an MBA (HRD), Salunkhe worked in the corporate world before diving into the ocean of business.

Sandhya, who is also a famous tattoo artist, says, “I always wanted to do something in art. After working for a few years in pharma and other companies, I thought of starting something of my own. The idea of Vaishnavi Beauty Parlour was conceived. Besides running the parlour, I impart training to girls who want to become beauticians. I have designed courses for the same. Close to 3500 girls have trained under me, and I have managed to help them in getting a job. To date, I have taught almost 50 girls free of cost. In this way, I try to do my bit towards helping the needy.”

Sandhya is blessed with a son, Sarthak, who is studying in 10th standard and is supported by her husband, Kumar, who works with a pharma company. She avers, “I am grateful to have a supportive family. My husband never said no to anything I wanted to do with respect to my business. Also, my son tries to help me with household chores so that I can dedicate more time to the parlour and teaching the girls.”