Inner wattage

For Vandana Luthra of VLCC, which is a big hit in India and now in Dubai as well, beauty is what you create for yourself.

Fat takes a beating at her beautifully manicured hands. Vandana Luthra is the czarina of an adipose-busting empire that spans 104 outlets in 48 cities, including three in the GCC. The founder and mentor of Vandana Luthra's Curls and Curves (VLCC) was a Punjabi housewife but with an extraordinary vision ? she foresaw a huge opportunity in the wellness business, as a newly affluent section of Indian society began to grapple with the ills of "affluenza": obesity and other lifestyle-related diseases.

A Germany-trained cosmetologist, Luthra did a series of courses in beauty care; fitness, food and nutrition and skincare from London, Munich and Paris. Her entrepreneurial debut in 1989 was touted as India's first Transformation Centre combining fitness and beauty at Safdarjung Enclave, New Delhi. Today the VLCC empire claims to rid earthlings of 35,000 kg of superfluous fat every month.

In Dubai on a business trip, Luthra looked every inch the best brand ambassador for her business. Clad in white, the tall and elegant lady cuts an impressive figure, with her solitaire-embellished fingers and kohl-lined eyes. She offers us juice and when we politely decline, she presses us with heartwarming Punjabi hospitality, "Beta kuchh to lo!"
("Have something, child!) "We settle for a chilled cola. She smiles at my choice like an indulgent aunt and launches forth on how she built one of the biggest Indian success stories in the wellness business.

What sparked your interest in the beauty business?
Since childhood I have always been into beauty and glamour. I always wanted to wear the best make-up and clothes. My initial training, however, was picked up just by watching experts. I knew how to do waxing, threading, facials and other beauty treatments; and did all these for my mother. I dressed her hair in ornate styles like the high chignons that were popularised by Bollywood filmstars in the 1960s.

I wanted to get into a business where health and beauty went hand in hand. In my mind, they were intertwined. In my mind weight loss went together with well-groomed hands, good skin and hair. It was the experience of a complete transformative journey that I wanted to give people.

Who were your beauty role models when you were growing up?
My mother. Whenever I looked at my mother, I imagined growing up to be just like her. I loved dressing like her. I may not look like her (I have taken after my father), but our personalities are very similar.

My mother never went to salons. She was an ayurvedic doctor, who believed in the power of external beauty reflecting internal wellness. Since childhood we did yoga and learned about herbs and natural medicines from her.

Are there any Bollywood stars you think represent the essence of Indian beauty? After all, Indian women always look up to Bollywood for their cues on beauty and fashion...
The film industry is an artificial world; it's full of illusions and rivalry. I don't really see any beauty in Bollywood or Hollywood. A lot of the actors have beauty achieved through cosmetic surgery and invasive procedures.

We have a number of Bollywood stars as our clients. Some of them need a new look before every movie and others come for post-natal weight loss. We assist all of them to achieve their goals. I was once associated with the Miss India [contests]. But those girls were starved. It's one of the reasons I opted out of the contest. I didn't want to be associated with promoting such ideals. That's not beauty to me. I don't believe in an hourglass figure, I believe in a healthy body.

Many women, especially mothers, say they don't have time to take care of themselves. Is it true?
I got married when I was 21. Within a couple of years I had both my daughters ? Meera and Pallavi who are now 25 and 22 respectively.

Getting married was one of the biggest turning points in my life. My brothers and I were raised in a modern way and were educated abroad. When I got married and moved to my husband's home, it was a huge change. His family was conservative and traditional. All of a sudden as the daughter-in-law, I had to cook, clean and manage the home ? tasks I had never done before.

When housewives and mothers say they don't have time to take care of themselves I don't believe them. I think it is possible for one to take care of herself, believe me I am talking from experience. Somehow you have to create time and this can be achieved through multitasking. I often combined two tasks: putting vitamin E oil under my eyes while brushing my teeth. And my children would keep me up, so I made do with five hours of sleep a night, so the Vitamin E oil was essential to banish the under-eye bags!

Women have tremendous responsibilities today and if they do not take care of themselves, how will they take care of others? I believe that our bodies are a blessing and we should take good care of them.

What do you think are the reasons that VLCC has been such a runaway success?
VLCC is so successful, because it is scientific. To lose weight, you do not have to go on a starvation diet. You can have an optimum weight eating regular food. Our wellness programmes are doing so well because people find them easy to follow and keep off the weight, whether in India or overseas. We are a happy brand. Our goal is to make people happy.

The best beauty advice I ever got?
 Once when I was getting ready to go for a party, one of my friends told me to wear kohl in my eyes. Up until then, I never used to play up my eyes. But wearing kohl has changed my entire look ? I now give emphasis to my eyes and tone down my lips.

Having a positive attitude is one of the best beauty secrets ever. It all has to do with a way of thinking. I try to live positively. Beauty is to do with your personality as much as it's about physical features.

Vandana's list of the most beautiful Indian women
 
- My mother, Kamini Arora. With her elfin good looks, she resembles the yesteryear's Bollywood star Naseem Banu (mother of actress Saira Banu). Today my mother is 73, but doesn't look a day over 50. She dresses simply and beautifully in starched Bengali cotton saris, and still wears her hair snaking down to her knees.

- Mother Teresa: She was so pure and had great inner beauty.

- Sonia Gandhi: Being an Italian, and adopting our culture has been no mean feat. She is always so gracious and so elegant ... And of course, she has the most beautiful, flawless skin.

- Sushmita Sen: She is intelligent, vibrant and a real role model. Another natural beauty is Rani Mukherjee [and] Kajol.
 
- Meera and Pallavi: My daughters, who are great human beings!