Warriors of the Night

We name our daughters Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati; we worship the divine feminine power in the temples but oppress, repress and even attack the feminine power amidst us. That is the irony in the way India sees its women.

After the safety of the daylight fades, women are seen as easy prey by the predators of the night.

We mark the nine nights of Navratri, the festival of the goddess, by celebrating the dedication and valour of nine real-life women who brave the challenges of the night to pursue their dreams.

PART - 3

Fearless Planner

The wedding concept designer advises learning to say no and being bold when interacting with people

Richa Ahuja, 28, wedding concept designer, Nashik

Wrapping up work at 3 A.M. and being back at the venue at 6 A.M. to ensure the set-up is in place before the wedding party arrives isn’t an unusual workday for Richa Ahuja, 28, an interior designer who runs a wedding concept design firm called De:Tales in Nashik. “I sometimes get only two hours of sleep during the peak events period but I enjoy every bit of my work and independence,” she says. She drives herself to work and back since Nashik doesn’t have a very robust public transport system and travelling in one’s own car is the safest option especially at night. “That way, I have never faced any trouble while commuting,” she says. During the wedding ‘season’ which is for around five months in a year, Ahuja juggles her work and home and sails through high pressure times with ease. “I enjoy my work and the freedom it gives me,” she says.

The world of event planning entails interactions with numerous clients and while she confesses that some of her colleagues have had unpleasant experiences, Ahuja proudly proclaims that she’s “never faced any nuisance”. And that, she says, is because of her demeanour and the way she communicates with people. “I have developed a very stern and no-nonsense persona. That is my defense mechanism so people don’t get too friendly. A lot of the time people judge you by your body language and the way you communicate. It’s important to draw a line,” says Ahuja.

Staying out till late is a battle that has to be fought on different fronts—apart from the sleepless nights and the safety concerns that come with the job, Ahuja has had to struggle to get her family, post-marriage, to accept her schedule. “I had to fight for my freedom to work; my in-laws weren’t comfortable with my profession although my husband understands my passion,” she says. On the other hand, her parents raised her to be independent. In keeping with her family’s expectations, Ahuja starts work by noon after cooking and finishing her household duties when she doesn’t have early morning events.

Ahuja did her schooling in Valsad before moving to Baroda to study interior design. She soon returned home but realized that the city of her birth didn’t have too many opportunities for her. Her next stop was Vapi where she joined a wedding planning firm and gained adequate experience in designing wedding sets and managing events. In 2022, she married and moved to Nashik and decided to collaborate with reputed wedding planners to market and design the concept of a high-scale wedding. Her company does business with other planners, bringing in new concepts for luxury wedding functions.

“You have to be fearless,” is the mantra Ahuja lives by, something that she learnt early on in life while growing up in a small town and moving cities to find work and realise her dream of being independent. While narrating her life’s journey, she says: “I hope my story encourages other women to embrace their power, no matter how difficult the circumstances. We are capable of incredible things, even when the world doesn’t provide us with the support we need. We can create, lead, and thrive, all while carrying the weight of our responsibilities with grace and determination,” she says.

According to her, every woman must have a self-defense mechanism, which includes being bold and learning to say a firm no. “One of the biggest reasons why women face trouble is because they say yes even when they don’t want to. Learn to say no and be bold while interacting with people,” she says. Ahuja’s life journey will resonate with several women who pursue their dreams while battling multiple challenges.