Diner Sheshe

"I belong to a caste where girls aren't supposed to wear a Hijab. But, in my school everyone wore it since it was a part of our uniform. When my parents saw how much I loved wearing it even outside of school, they didn't question my choice.

Unfortunately, when you wear a Hijab, the general assumption is that you're illiterate. But I didn't let it bother me; I felt really confident wearing it. After my graduation, I was very confused about whether to study further or look for a job. It was around this time that I was trying to buy a Hijab online.

But there was no option to buy a single piece- I had to buy the whole pack of 10 Hijabs! The minute I saw that, I had an idea! I used the money I'd saved from my pocket money; with 3000 Rupees I reached out to the vendor and bought the pack.

I then made a business page on Instagram and uploaded the photos of the Hijabs- to see if people were willing to buy them and in 2 days, I sold out! I felt like I was onto something and realized that maybe I was born to do something of my own; something which was a reflection of my identity!

However, not everyone was happy with my decision. My aunt got upset and told my dad, 'Why is she wearing it? She's not supposed to.' I didn't know how to react. Growing up, I was always told by my parents that there is only one God, and that caste must not create any divide. So, my parents and I had to explain this to her and eventually she calmed down.

Another time, at a family gathering, my cousin said, 'Don't wear your hijab; no one likes that you wear a hijab.' At that point, my father stood up for me and told her that it was my decision to make! Once, I was interning with a photographer, he actually asked me if I would be okay with not wearing my hijab in front of clients. Over time, I invested all the revenue from my sales back into the business. I even got my friends to model for the pictures on my website, to save up.

Humans of Bombay, Fb
I did take a loan from parents, but pay them back monthly- the business is doing well! Through my website, I have a family of over 5000 customers who support my work. I'm just glad I didn't succumb to the barriers created by society, and I'm able to do what I truly love and believe in. My only goal is to inspire as many women as possible to go out there and wear what they want- with zero guilt."