The beauty salon in Kerala, India, has been called the “beauty capital of the world.”
That’s because it’s been built to save the life of a man who lost his battle with cancer last year.
Kunal Kannan is not only a local beauty aficionado but also a local entrepreneur.
Kannan, who was born in the Indian state of Kerala, is the owner of Mimi Beauty Salon in Kochi, Kerala.
In October, he lost his wife of 10 years to cancer, and his mother to brain cancer, but the salon has managed to keep the place alive for him.
“The salon is in a good shape,” said Kannans mother, Kavita, who has lived in the neighborhood for more than 30 years.
“It has been the place where I used to go for my beauty treatments, and my mother used to come here.”
When Kannanas mother died in 2012, his father-in-law started the business, but it fell through, so Kannani opened the salon with the help of the local community.
Since then, the salon is managed by Kannanes father, Virendra, who started it in 2015 and continues to manage the operation.
“Kannani was my mentor.
He taught me the business and helped me make my own decisions, and I was very lucky to have him,” said Virendran, who now runs the salon as well.
“He taught me how to run a business and how to make a profit.
The way he runs it is the way we do things.”
The salon’s customers come from all walks of life.
People come from poor backgrounds, from working class families, and from the upper classes.
Some are doctors, some are doctors and pharmacists, and others are social workers.
The salon has been providing free haircuts and body treatments to people in need for years, and Kannannan’s family has even donated hairpieces and body art.
But the salon, which started out as a community initiative, has grown into a multinational business.
Today, it’s a multi-million dollar operation with over a hundred employees, according to Kannana’s mother, and the salon even sells cosmetics.
“We have a total turnover of around $30,000 a month, but we also have a surplus of products, and we have products from around the world,” said Durga, the owner and manager of Murali Beauty Salon.
“Our salon has sold around 500 products in the past five years.”
The owner of the salon said he also has a “tough time” in the face of cancer.
But he said that he has been lucky in Kerala because he is not surrounded by people like his father, who is a physician and a businessman.
“I am not isolated, and everyone is supporting me,” said the owner, who added that he is also working on a project to help build schools for disadvantaged children.
The salon owners are hoping to help other people living with cancer, too.
“I have been going to the cancer patients every single day for the past six years.
I do everything I can to help them, but there are so many people living in poverty and they are not able to afford the surgeries, chemotherapy and all the medicines,” said Pankaja, who also works in the salon.
“My salon is helping them in other ways too.
I also help them with health care.
I want to work with the cancer patient, and also give them the support that they need.”
For the owner’s son, the business is also about saving his father’s life.
“For me, the money we make helps pay for all the things my father needed to do in his life.
He lost his job and he is still in hospital, and he cannot afford to buy any medicine,” said his father.
“We are trying to save his life, and hope that our salon can be an example for others.”