Lighting up life

"I have been making candles from my home for the last three years, both scented and non scented ones. Clients have bought my candles as gifts for the birth of a child or christening, to decorate tables for birthdays and navjote celebrations, etc. My candles have been taken to the US, Australia and Dubai by visiting family and friends,” says enterprising Khushnam Mistry.

Khushnam Mistry and her range of candles

"For candle making you need to have a lot of patience because it takes a long time. If you are making a one kg candle, it takes around four to five hours while a smaller one would need two to three hours. If the ready candle does not come out of the mold easily, place it in the refrigerator for some time and then try again. Make sure not a single drop of water goes into the wax otherwise the wax will start floating in the water. You cannot light the candle as soon as you take it out of the mold. Light it after a few days,” Mistry explains, taking obvious pride and joy in her work. Family support is constant. "My mom always packs my candles when I have a big order and sits next to me at exhibitions. Dad will sit and read his newspaper to keep me company while I am working and even makes and packs tasty egg sandwiches for us to carry to exhibitions!” Mistry’s candles can be viewed on her Facebook page as also on the Indiamart website. She can be contacted on +91-9920892707.
A resident of Malcolm Baug, Jogeshwari in Bombay, Mistry did her schooling from St Joseph’s Convent and college from Mithibai College of Arts in Vile Parle. "I always wanted to become an airhostess, but in spite of giving dozens of interviews I did not get selected. I have worked briefly in Shiamak Davar’s Institute for the Performing Arts, as a call center executive and at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital as customer care executive. But I was not happy working. These were not my dream jobs! I finally told myself why can’t I try making candles, since I love candles,” she continues. Support and encouragement from her mother Farida, father Rusi and older sister Kainaaz Irani led her to learn the basics of candle making from an acquaintance conversant with the process. "After that I learnt on my own through trial and error.”
Her first exhibition at a leading pharmaceutical company was followed by many more and word-of-mouth recommendation ensures that orders keep flowing in.