-Dolma Tsering
My name is Dolma Tsering. I was born in Tibet but brought up in Darjeeling, West Bengal by my mother. I studied up to class XII from Central School for Tibetans, Darjeeling. I could not continue my studies thereafter. We moved to Nepal later. My mother and I have no other family members and relatives in India.
Whilst in Nepal, and in solidarity with the Tibetan National Uprising in Tibet in 2008, I took part in a protest march in front of the Chinese Consulate. Like many other Tibetans, I was arrested. After release from the prison, I was under frequent scrutiny of the Nepali police which scared me and made me feel very insecure. My mother and I decided to escape to India.
I started working in a small salon in Dharamsala to pay off for our living. While working at the Salon, Hair Dressing drew my interest. I decided to join Neelamangala Institute, Bangalore under the auspice of Department of Home, CTA. I pursued a Basic as well as an advanced course in Beauty and Hair. I worked in Salons in Delhi after the completion. However, I had to move back to Dharamsala as my mother got unwell.
In 2018, I won the TED Entrepreneurship award of three Lakh rupees, an Initiative of the Department of Finance, Central Tibetan Administration to support aspiring Entrepreneurs. I started my own Salon, Lhamo Salon for Ladies, provided all beauty services including Haircut and Massage. Out of own personal aspiration for growth and advancement of services, and also on the nudge of many of my customers, I decided to pursue a short-term intensive course on Spa therapy.
With support from Empowering the Vision Project, I was able to pursue my interest from VLCC Health Care limited for a month from October to November 2019. The course taught me a lot of Spa therapy, professionalism, and introduced me to many great Mentors. I also got to attend several workshops. My Salon has started Spa services beginning from 10th December onwards. I also plan to organize free workshops and training programs for other Tibetans who aspire to build a career through Spa therapy.
After the course and the addition of Spa services through my Salon, I feel my hard work and perseverance paid off. I feel confident and accomplished than ever before in my life.