Interview with Mr. Vishal Nagarkatti, Personality Re-engineering Centre, Grenoble, France.

Do you think that grooming and looking good has become very important?

Human beauty is viewed as an external projection of a person. I feel so as do many others in my profession that beauty lies within, and it is our endeavour to externalise this internal beauty. For this, grooming is necessary. I believe that being neat wins half the battle. As everybody has certain interesting points it becomes our duty to enhance these and highlight them in the eyes of the beholder.

What are the infrastructural facilities and what does one require to start in the business?

A Personality Re-engineering facility - requires everything a traditional beauty salon does plus certain additions like a computer programme with real time software to show the client whether a certain 'look' will suit them.

Additionally, my centre also provides facility for `Tai-Chi Chuan', and `yoga'. Over and above this I provide speech classes to enhance the modulation and tonal quality of clients who are interested in using their inherent skills to their benefit. When I began I had all these things in mind and I feel everyone who starts such centres would require all these facilities.

How helpful are the latest treatments like liposuction, hair weaving etc that are part of the beauty treatment now? Are they really effective?

They are effective, but I would not recommend them, as these interventions are potentially dangerous. It has been established that one out of every 5000 patients who go in for liposuction may die because of the blood clots that may reach the brain. Diet pills can also cause death or heart problems. Anorexia and bulimia have a mortality rate of 10 to 20 percent and herbal supplements that contain 'Ephedra' may take on properties of amphetamines, causing death in many cases, although they may have been suggested for weight loss. Hair weaving is something, which I don't do, and I have not heard of any contraindications.

What were the initial hurdles you faced while setting up ``Euridice''?

The biggest hurdle was the problem of financing my establishment. Secondly nobody thought I would get any return on my investment. Otherwise, it has been plain sailing.

How important is grooming? Does it reflect in one's personality?

Absolutely! Grooming does not mean merely combing one's hair, it also involves the clothes a person wears and how they carry themselves, how they talk, and what they talk about. Remember that even clothes that are not seen, such as lingerie, contribute to a person's personality projection.

Today we see health clubs as an extension of beauty and grooming. How much is looking fit and healthy a part of the beauty regime?Very much so, though I do not advocate violent exercises. Any exercise taken without consultating of one's medical practitioner is not advisable. Today everybody looks for the lean, muscled look. I do not think such women look at all attractive! Though this is my personal opinion, it has been found that women should have bodies that are soft, supple and nubile. In their attempt to appear `fit and muscled', they tend to develop a certain angularity, which I do not find attractive.

I also feel that overly muscled men tend to be more conscious of their ``perfect'' bodies than of the people they are with. This is what I call the Narcissis Syndrome. I strongly feel that gentlemen should display their charm by their deportment, grooming and eloquence.

Cosmetic enhancement is a big business in the west. What kind of awareness do you find in India?

My frequent trips to India have revealed to me that more and more people are going in for cosmetic surgery. Fortunately, as these interventions are expensive, the numbers are still very much lower than in Europe and America. The interventions requested here appear confined to the nose, hips, and chest, while facio- maxilliary treatment seems to be getting popular. Abroad, the interventions are far more serious and I can only hope that this never catches on in India.

Do you make use of Indian herbs in your treatments?

Yes, I make use of `shikakai powder', turmeric, sandal wood powder and oil, chrysanthemum oil, `multani mitti', `kasturi manjal', mung bean' sesame oil mustard oil, and gram flour. The list is longer but these are the ones I use in virtually every treatment. Once upon a time it used to be very difficult to get these in Grenoble, and I had to send for it from India. Today these have found their way to the local market.

Do many famous people come to your centre?

There are quite a few fashion shoots choreographed in the vicinity, however I zealously guard the confidentiality of my clients, since I am privy to their confidences. It would be unethical of me to mention their names.

PRATIBHA GADHALAY

pratibha.hyd@careercommunity.co.in