Kajal Pradhan, my senior from engineering college, An Odia girl from Brahmapur. After working few years at Amazon, she left the tech job because her heart and passion was in makeup industry. People around her said she was wasting a good career, talked against her openly, humiliated her many times before her big success. A girl from a small town shouldn’t leave a stable job for something like this. She heard it all and still started freelancing in Pune. Slowly she built her name in Mumbai. Worked with celebrities, film and TV people. Then came the big one , she became the official makeup artist for ICC men’s and women’s cricket events. From Brahmapur to those stages, standing with cricketers and stars. This is beyond a typical success. She was a lone girl holding a clear vision and a solid approach in a crowded industry full of big established names. She worked day and night, quietly, with no shortcuts, and still rose to shine on the biggest stages. With her pure talent, solid energy and determination from Odisha to international fame, she did it her way. Last week when we spoke, I could see how deeply passionate she is about this industry. She doesn’t just want to stay where she is. She is already looking beyond India targeting international forums and even the Western ecosystem. She wants to scale her passion properly, use technology, and make the whole thing more engaging and meaningful. Even after all that, she never says no when Odisha needs her. Any promotion, any young girl asking for guidance, she helps without thinking twice. Kajal didi, so proud of you. Keep going higher. Odisha needs more like you. Image copyright and credit- Kajal Pradhan ( her Instagram page muakajalpradhan)