The Barber

There was a time when you went to the barber shop to cut your hair.
And if it was the rustic shop in the village, you got to hear some real good juicy gossip from the barber. I always wondered if the barber believed all that he heard from his customers. After all he could not afford to disagree as they were his bread and butter. And there used to be a radio playing some old tune in the background. Now the Radio has been replaced by the TV. So when the barber is cutting your hair, you have to keep an eye on the barber as his one eye keeps straying on to the TV. After all he does not want to miss his favorite serial.



Today’s barbers are more interested in giving you a “face steam” and colouring your hair with that new colour that has come in the market. “How about that Amir Khan cut sir?” I heard a customer reply “No no I don’t want to look like a goonda with those rippling muscles” The barber replied “No Sir, not the Gajini cut I was talking about the Taare zameen par.







I wonder how this hair cutting thing started. Did the stone age man think about doing away with all the facial hair and then shortening the hair on the head? And while doing that why did they decide that the woman should still continue with long hair? May be they did not want to give up the idea of “dragging the lady by the hair to the cave”






Talking of barber shops how can one forget the famous barber shop of Charlie Chaplin in the movie The Great Dictator.


All those who have not seen the movie should have a look at this clipping
I remember the days when the barber used to come home (with his aluminum box) and all the male members in the house used to get the monthly hair cut. There are some who still oblige to come home but at a higher fee.

After all it cuts down your time in going into a barber shop and doing the waiting jig.
Came across this drawing of a barber shop - how it was long long ago. Its worth looking into each and every detail in this drawing.

You go down south to some of the temples and you get to see them sitting in a line ready to tonsure your hair.



And those barbers who cannot afford to have a barber shop, uses the footpath with no overhead expenses. Works out cheaper for the customer too. (clicked this in the by lanes of Colaba Mumbai)

Left handed

Whenever I see a left handed person drinking tea, or for that matter any one drinking with his/her left hand, I am reminded of my friend Nanya (Swar)
We were at hotel Sunrise, situated at Deccan, opposite Natraj theatre. After ordering our chai, with Bun maska (Bread with butter) we decided on the usual number “Pop Corn” to be played on the juke box, which could be played at a quarter of a rupee. (even though the anna system was abolished, people still referred to it as char anna) After finishing the bun maska, the tea arrived and Nanya as usual picked up his cup with his left hand (even though he was not a lefty) When I asked him about this peculiar habit he said “most of the people are right handed and they use their right hand to pick up a cup, by which one side of the cup touches their lips. If we use the left hand then the other side touches our lips by which the chances of being infected through the cup is minimized” Talk about the slip between the cup and the lip !! Somehow at that time I was impressed by his logic and started following suit.

Now Natraj theatre is not there nor is the hotel Sunrise (and the juke box) but the habit of using the left hand is stuck with me.
Another habit that got stuck with me (I don’t know how) was to use my left hand to comb my hair !! You see I had that big puff in the front like Dev Anand and maybe to keep the hair standing that way I had to use my left hand. The irony is that now I don’t have much hair left but when ever I reach out for the hair brush (to comb that little patch on the sides) it’s the left hand.
I wonder how Amitabh combs his hair (or what others think is HIS hair)