When life pushed her into silence, she chose to paint her future with the colours of resilience. From abandonment as a young mother in a rented residence to establishing one of Maharashtra’s most promising beauty and art schools, Shamim Yunus Dhamaskar converted adversity into ambition. Now, as the founder of Ayesha & Rabiya’s School of Beauty & Art, she is not only transforming appearances but empowering numerous women to redefine their own destinies.
Shamim was born on 24 November 1971 to a humble middle-class family. She was the eldest of the family, so responsibility dawned earlier than childhood ambitions. Education was much esteemed by her parents but with limited resources it was not possible to pursue higher studies. Yet, Shamim nurtured an eye for art, stitching, and imagination.
She remembers how colours mesmerized her as a young girl: the beauty of textures, the music of a brush, and the redemptive thrill of making something with her hands. “Art was my escape, my safe space,” she has frequently explained during conversations. What seemed to be a hobby then would become the survival rope that saw her through life’s worst punches.But fate caught up with her before her artistic spark could catch fire. Married off to an auto-rickshaw driver she had never heard of, Shamim walked into a home where her voice was soon muffled. Spousal abuse and neglect by her in-laws became the norm. But even during those years, she sewed clothes and ran tiny art classes, without knowing she was building bridges to her future.
For 17 years, Shamim juggled motherhood, a troubled marriage, and her artistic passion. She used her abilities to survive, she sewed clothes for neighbours, educated children, and taught crafts to earn extra money for the family. But it was not enough to protect her from psychological trauma.
Her world came crashing down in 2013 when her husband and in-laws threw her out of the house. Homeless and shattered, she sought refuge with her sister, Seema. The nights seemed endless, filled with fear and despair for her children’s future.
“That was the darkest night of my life,” says Shamim. “But sometimes, you have to lose everything to realize your own strength.”
A break came when her good friend Nishat provided her with money to pay for a small house on rent. While humble, it provided Shamim with something precious, security. That kernel of security encouraged her to dream once more. She chose to break away from the cycle of violence and move to Mumbai, the city where dreams are tried and realized.
Mumbai turned into Shamim’s canvas of re-birth. It is there that she encountered Parvez Junaid Syed, a man who believed in her idea when others disbelieved her. Parvez motivated her to pursue professional training in makeup, haircutting, and Advance Beautyculture & Wellness Skills so that her inherent talent was combined with formal training.
Together, they established Ayesha & Rabiya’s School of Beauty & Art on 19 April 2014. The school, named after people close to her heart, was not a business, but a mission: to revolutionize beauty education into a tool for empowerment.
The initial period wasn’t smooth. Leasing space, coordinating resources, and persuading students to have faith in a new academy were battles uphill. Shamim used to work double shifts, training students during the day and honing her skills late into the evenings. She would personally promote her courses, go door-to-door to local communities, and assure families that beauty training was a dignified career option.
Her determination proved fruitful. Word-of-mouth spread, and before long, young women began to enroll in the academy, attracted not only by the technical instruction but by Shamim’s tale itself. She turned into both teacher and mentor, a testament in human form to perseverance.
“When a woman acquires a skill, she doesn’t merely make money, she gains respect, confidence, and a future,” Shamim points out.
Since its humble inception, Ayesha & Rabiya’s School of Beauty & Art has come to be a household name in Maharashtra’s beauty education industry. There are hundreds of women who have graduated from the academy and gone on to open their own salons, become bridal stylists, or work with top beauty brands.
The academy’s vision of “Women Empowerment Through Beauty” is now more than a catchphrase, it’s a reality. Shamim has also utilized social media platforms such as Instagram (@hayatmakeupacademy) actively to post makeovers, student success stories, and transformation, spreading her reach beyond Mumbai.
Her efforts have not been overlooked. The academy was awarded a National Award as Best Beauty Culture & Wellness Academy of Maharashtra, an award that justified years of toil. Shamim was also awarded in 2023 at the Versatile Women’s Organization (VWO) Awards, when she was lauded as a woman who channeled personal struggle into professional success.Peers and students both tell us that she’s a visionary who marries art with business sense. For Shamim, though, her greatest triumph is her students’ success.
“Whenever I see one of my students opening up her own salon or standing on her own two feet, it is like my victory too,” says Shamim proudly.
Behind the founder is a woman who has found love and family once again. In 2018, Shamim wed Parvez Junaid Syed, with the blessings of her children, a union that represented not only companionship but also respect and shared vision. She now owns a home of her own and divides her role of founder, mother, and mentor perfectly.
In spite of her hectic schedule, Shamim is down to earth. She likes trying out new beauty trends, painting, and guiding young women. Her friends characterize her as warm, affable, yet strong-willed, a leader who can know when to coddle and when to push.
She also speaks out on mental strength. Having been emotionally abused for decades, she frequently urges women to appreciate themselves more than societal expectations. “My life is evidence that a woman’s second innings can be happier than her first,” she states, echoing her doctrine of hope and rebirth.
In the future, Shamim wishes to expand her academy to small towns and semi-urban areas where women’s opportunities are limited. She dreams of establishing centers of excellence in beauty and wellness that also serve as secure learning environments.
She also believes the Indian beauty industry will mature beyond glitz, into a defined profession with worldwide potential. “Beauty is not vanity,” she maintains. “It is a craft, a means of income, and in many senses, a healing.”
Her legacy, she hopes, will be not just in the quantity of women trained but in the effect they have in turn. Every empowered student who stands on her own two feet financially is, for Shamim, a change multiplier.
“I want every woman who comes into my academy to leave not only as a beautician, but as a successful entrepreneur in her own right,” she asserts.
Shamim Dhamaskar’s existence is not a flight from adversity but a metamorphosis of it. Her tale reminds us that resilience is the true money of achievement. From sewing garments in a rented apartment to heading a well-known beauty school, she is an example of how empowerment takes its roots in a single choice: to get up.
Her academy is both a refuge and a catapult, a refuge where women learn not only how to make others beautiful but also how to reclaim their own dignity. And as she expands her vision ever further, one can be sure of this: Shamim Dhamaskar is painting a legacy more expansive than her own existence.
