Mangaluru: Nafisa Afnan Farooq, a skincare expert hailing from Mangaluru was conferred with the Bharatiya Nari Ratna Award by Global Scholar Foundation at an event held in Goa on February 12.

Nafisa Afnan Farooq is the founder, Skin Specialist, and Formulator at Earthy by Ellenza. She was awarded for her immense passion and achievements as a woman entrepreneur.

The award was presented by Padma Shri Mukesh Batra of the Batra’s Group of Companies.

Empowering women has always been one of the objectives of Nafisa. A lawyer by profession but with a passion for skincare, her journey began with self-employing, sprouting, and nurturing the business from scratch. Backing her education and knowledge are the various certifications and courses like Plasmapen, Advanced Microneedling, and International Fellowship in Cosmetic Science (Non- injectables) from London Beautorium Facial Aesthetics Academy. Nafisa Afnan also holds a diploma in Natural skincare from Formula Botanica.

Nafisa Afnan specializes in and brings one-of-a-kind creative Aesthetic, non-invasive, and result-oriented facial treatments in her clinics. Earthy By Ellenza is the first clinic in Mangalore to launch the original Dermapen 4 from Australia.

Being the lone formulator, producer, and packer for the brand to Fast-forward - 4 years in, Aesthetic Skin clinics with 35 personnel and 4 flourishing branches. Afnan drew a potential, talented, and skillful workforce for the brand and assisted them to grow emotionally, financially, and most of all intellectually and believes empowered women can make the world a better place, a press statement added.

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New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Saturday, while lauding the win of the UDF in Kerala local bodies elections, also congratulated the BJP for its historic performance in his Thiruvananthapuram constituency, calling it the "beauty of democracy".

In a post on X, he said the people's verdict must be respected, whether for the UDF overall or for the BJP in his constituency.

"What a day of amazing results in the Kerala local self-government elections! The mandate is clear, and the democratic spirit of the state shines through.

"A huge congratulations to @UDFKerala for a truly impressive win across various local bodies! This is a massive endorsement and a powerful signal ahead of the state legislative elections. Hard work, a strong message and anti-incumbency have all clearly paid off to achieve a much better result than in 2020," Tharoor said.

He said he also acknowledges the historic performance of the BJP in Thiruvananthapuram, and "offer humble congratulations on their significant victory in the city corporation -” a strong showing that marks a notable shift in the capital's political landscape."

Tharoor said he campaigned for a change from 45 years of the LDF "misrule", but the voters have ultimately rewarded another party that also sought a clear change in governance.

"That is the beauty of democracy. The people's verdict must be respected, whether for the UDF overall or for the BJP in my constituency.

"We will continue to work for the betterment of Kerala, advocating for the people's needs and upholding the principles of good governance. Onwards and upwards!" Tharoor, who is the MP from Thiruvananthapuram, said.

The lotus bloomed in the state capital as the BJP-led NDA achieved a resounding win in the polls for the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, snatching it from the CPI(M)-led LDF and marking an end to 45 years of continuous Left rule in the local body.

The win in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation will act as a boost for the BJP in the 2026 Assembly polls, especially in the state capital.

Of the 101 wards in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, the BJP won 50, LDF 29, UDF 19 and two wards were won by independent candidates.

The BJP is one seat short of a decisive majority in the corporation.

Besides this, the NDA retained the Palakkad municipality after a close battle with the Congress-led UDF and wrested the Thrippunithura Municipality from the grand old party.

In Thrissur, from where Suresh Gopi won in the Lok Sabha polls last year, the BJP won 18 out of the 46 wards in Kodungallur Municipality, eight in Thrissur Corporation, two each in Guruvayoor and Vadakkancherry municipalities, seven in Kunnamkulam Municipality, six in Irinjalakuda Municipality and one in Chalakudy Municipality.