Each Moment is a Gift

So believe entrepreneurs, Nitin Agarwal and Rita Verma, even as they devote each day to the building of dreams, memories and a legacy to remember. This is their story, and this is how they tell it

Rita Verma, MD of the SMA International Makeup Academy, lives and works by a basic mantra. Her power-packed schedule, given her goal, is a given. She wants to expand her work base in different parts of the country and employ more and more hands to take the baton forward. She exhales, “If you are alive, you may as well be fully so. There’s plenty of time to rest when you are dead.”

Inspiring words coming from a person who’s been battling cancer-pulmonary adenocarcinoma, since October 2021. While the diagnosis could have been a shock to anyone, especially to a healthy forty-year-old, Rita’s spirits are bolstered by three factors: her own never-say-die spirit, her entrepreneurial goals, and the support from significant half Nitin Agarwal. “I am going to be frank. Living with this condition, I have good days and bad days. I am undergoing target therapy, a form of treatment that is working well for me. Of course, there are low moments, but he’s always there for me, super supportive and loving. Honestly, at the end of the day, it’s all about love. Everything flows from there,” she says.

Back to the beginning

This love story was first scripted in 2010, when the duo met through friends. Despite the different backgrounds—he’s a Marwari, while she’s a half-Christian North Indian—the finance and beauty professionals hit it off instantly. The differences in their personalities only served to complement their relationship. “He’s the practical one, whereas I am more romantic. But we balance each other, and ultimately, that’s what a partnership is about,” smiles Rita.

Friendship blossomed into love and soon, the duo was discussing marriage. The transition hasn’t been a journey without obstacles, says Nitin. “Our parents had their concerns, but honestly, we knew what we wanted, and so we saw each other through thick and thin,” he says.

Though Rita’s dad adored Nitin from the get-go, her mother had her reservations—given the inter-cultural settings. “It was such a tense time that we wondered if we would have to call off the wedding,” he says.

But, long conversations and a willingness shown by both sides to reach out to the other, carried the day. And, they were duly wed in 2013 with blessings and good wishes from loved ones.

Building dreams from ground zero

Post-marriage has been a journey of discovery, both personally and professionally as both had entrepreneurial aspirations, despite coming from non-business backgrounds. While Rita had always been a hair and make-up professional, she wanted to take it a step further and start an Educational Makeup and Hair Academy with International Partners from Europe called, Scandinavian Makeup Academy (SMA International Makeup Academy, Pune, Delhi, Bengaluru and Indore). To that end, she did not just set up shop, she also studied make-up and its associated science in depth. “I have a PhD in Natural Cosmetic Science, which deals with the formulation of cosmetics,” she says. Obviously, this has helped foster an indepth understanding of the scientific base behind popular products. Having run a salon and cafe earlier in Pune’s upmarket Kalyani Nagar area, she knew what business entailed too—so without further ado, she decided to take the plunge.

In the meantime, Nitin has been busy as well, setting up the Galactus Intercontinental LLC, a company based in UAE, dedicated to global trading of food commodities and petrochemical products. “I realised that there was opportunity and growth in this segment, and I was lucky to find like-minded people. Over the last five years, Galactus has gone from strength to strength.”

So, what advice would they give to budding entrepreneurs out there, especially married couples, when it comes to giving up the security of a fixed income and embracing uncertainty? “Don’t be afraid to take risks. Frankly, security and insecurity are just a matter of mindset. There is great value in building something together,” says Nitin.

Of course, like any couple, they have their ups and downs, but time and experience of each other have taught them to minimise the conflict. “We are both hot-tempered, both ambitious, so obviously fights do happen,” says Rita. “But over time, we have realised that both of us have a different way of approaching business and challenges. The trick is not to react at the exact same moment that the other is upset.”

Quality time consists of visiting restaurants and taking a yearly vacation, not to forget the occasional movie. That said, both are dedicated careerists and enjoy their work thoroughly.

“Given that both have been married for ten years and have dated each other longer than that, what as per both, are the pillars of a marriage? “Love each other, and just don’t give up,” says Nitin. Rita couldn’t agree more.

"Each day is busy, between work calls and managing schedules, but the couple believe in living each moment to the full. It’s mind over matter,” says Rita. “Your positivity and outlook definitely make a difference to your health and spirits,” adds Rita.

While she has accepted her health condition, it is not something that defines or limits her. “What defines you is the legacy you leave behind. I want to reach out to as many people as possible through more and more branches of the SMA International Academy,” she says. “But my greatest dream is to open an NGO that provides skill training to underprivileged and victimised girls, needy moms with children. I also want to open some more SMA training centres pan-India and provide jobs to the girls of the NGO. This will take time as we are looking out for government help,” she rounds off.

Speaking like the empowered woman she is, but as she will have you know, the wind beneath her wings is a partner who is with her through thick and thin.

MANTRAS OF A MARRIAGE

• Love and support
• Commitment
• Sharing dreams and goals
• Having a sense of the legacy you wish to leave for society and posterity