Hair stylist with 'kind soul' remembered for 'tremendous journey' from India

An ‘amazing’ number of people paid their respects following the loss of a beloved hairdresser in Taplow.

Nayana Rao launched Pro Edge Hair and Beauty Salon with her husband, Sanant Kakran, in 2011, and had numerous loyal clients hailing from as far as Cambridge.

The couple met in Hyderabad in 2003 while working as celebrity hairdressers at the Jawed Habib Group, one of India’s largest hair and beauty salon chains.

In a few short years, they were married and accepted a company transfer to London before settling in Slough in 2006.

“Nayana was my best friend and motivator,” Sanant told the Express.

“She guided me throughout our time together, and I will miss that immensely.

“Our initial struggles while settling in this country also cemented our bond and guided us in building a community on professional and personal fronts.”

Nayana suffered a short illness following a cancer diagnosis in January this year and passed away on June 15, aged 48.

Her family invited two or three people to pay their respects at home, but close to 200 people showed up when they took her body away.

More than 500 people attended her funeral at Slough Crematorium on Wednesday, June 25, and over £13,700 has been raised on her dedicated Thames Hospice fundraising page.

“So many people loved her – the Indian and Pakistani community – but I was not expecting that [attendance] on a weekday,” said Sanant.

“It was a surprise because people took the day off, especially for Nayana – it was amazing.”

Born on July 8, 1976, in Puttur in the Indian state of Karnataka, Nayana was an ‘outgoing and fun-loving kid’ who was also a ‘very disciplined’ state-level cross-country runner.

She received a degree in psychology and criminology from Mangalore University while training for a National Cadet Corps certificate within the Indian Army Air Force division, and even modelled as a hobby.

“Nayana was an inspiration for me,” said her older sister, Shobha Rao.

“She was born in a small town, and her journey from there to here, and even between that, she has had two amazing daughters. She’s had a tremendous journey.”

To ‘divert her mind’ after their mother passed away in 2002, Nayana joined her sister in New Delhi, who was working as a human rights lawyer in the Indian Supreme Court.

Here, Nayana took a hairstyling course with Jawed Habib Academy and found a new career as a stylist, featuring multiple times in the Deccan Chronicle and Times of India newspapers.

She worked with Jawed Habib for five and a half years, then set up Pro Edge Hair and Beauty Salon, based near the A355 Bath Road in Slough, and later relocated to Nursery Road in Taplow in 2021.

“She was a very kind soul, and I think that was part of the reason why so many people would come to her shop often, not just for a haircut but also to speak to her,” said Shobha.

“People come to the UK as IT professionals, doctors, engineers – they are more respected, but as a hairstylist, she has made a mark in the community.”

Her family described her as a 'very warm and generous person' who loved her work and was a ‘constant learner’ of new techniques and ideas.

Although Nayana was spiritual throughout her childhood, she took a ‘spiritual path’ in 2023 with the Hare Krishna movement, adopting a sattvic diet, reading the Bhagavatam and regularly visiting ISCKON Bhaktivedanta Manor in Watford.

Nayana participated in fundraisers after joining the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS) charity in 2021, including half marathons and the Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge, and also fundraised for Sewa UK.

“She was a very strong-willed woman. Even during her cancer, she would say, ‘Please don’t cry, I’m going to God,’" said Shobha.

Her family were ‘astounded’ to see people of all ages call Nayana their sister or daughter at her funeral, as she evidently ‘touched the community at every different level’.

“She was a fun person. She was always jolly, very smiley,” said Sanant. “When meeting her for the first time, people used to like her.”

Nayana was also both ‘gentle and a strict disciplinarian’ as a mother to Roma, 17, and Lakshmi, 10, imbibing her habit of keeping fit through running, and participating in Kho Kho and Kabaddi.

“I would have to now fill her shoes in ensuring the children continue these activities,” Sanant added.

Visit the tribute page here: https://nayana.muchloved.com/