India’s legend and leading superstar, Mr. Amitabh Bachchan released the memoir of celebrated hairstylist Shivarama K. Bhandary of Shiva’s salons, whose deeply inspiring life story aims at reaching out to the new generation and budding entrepreneurs and shows that hard work and the will to learn as the two mantras to achieve success.
The book titled Styling at the Top, The Journey of Shiva Bollywood’s Celebrated Hairstylist, written by Jayashree Shetty is published by Amaryllis, an imprint of Manjul Publishing House and distributed by HarperCollins India.
Despite having a busy schedule of film shoots and back-to-back meetings, Mr. Bachchan took time out to unveil the book at a small function held recently in his office, Janak, in the city and wished all success for the book.
The towering personality of Mr. Bachchan was all-pervading throughout the evening. With his awe-inspiring presence he made the evening function held for friends, family and close associates a memorable one. Most of all, his smile and jovial demeanor were rather infectious as he posed with the book and with everyone present there for photos. He was also seen spending some affectionate moments with Rohil and Aaradhya, children of Shivarama or Shiva as he is well known.
Styling at the Top traces Shiva’s amazing life journey, from the rigours and perils of his early years when he acquired the elementary craft, while assisting his uncle in a barber shop in a hilly village in Karnataka to this day when “Shiva’s” has become a brand name to reckon with in India’s metropolis. It is a story that spells of grit and determination. It is a testament to the power of hard work and positivity and proof that where you start does not determine the heights you can reach.
A stint in Qatar in the UAE, where he was exposed to a gamut of hair textures of sportspersons coming from different parts of the world to play there, to later studying hi-fashion in hairstyling from the two renowned institutes, Vidal Sassoon and TONI&GUY, set him up as a hairstylist to groom the world stage.
He came to Mumbai with dreams of making it big in his field and so he did, but not before starting out from a tiny barber shop in suburban Thane in the mid-eighties. Today, he owns a chain of 20 salons and spas, bespoke salons and a line of cosmetic products under his brand name. Shiva’s outlets, spread across the length and breadth of the city, draw an enviable clientele consisting of Bollywood celebrities and corporate achievers. The sky is only the limit when it comes to fulfilling one’s dreams and ambitions. The Marathi and Kannada language editions of Styling at the Top will be available soon. The Gujarati and Hindi translations will follow.
