The neighbourhood barber shops were more than a place to seek regular grooming, these ‘saloons’ as they are popularly called were more like a club. For instance, the men’s saloons were the one place where the entire neighbourhood’s gossip was discussed. Yes, men gossip, especially when at the barber. And the said barber would all at once be, hairdresser, skin care specialist, and the keeper of secrets big and small.
Regular clients would be more like friends than paying customers, so much so that students, and those yet to find a job would either get a discount or be allowed to pay next time. Most did. This was after all one of the few ‘hangout’ zones in the neighbourhood. In parts of West Bengal, a visit to the barber could turn into hours of ‘addabaazi’ and tea would be called for from the shop next door, especially in smaller cities and villages. A scenario that suddenly changed when Covid-19 came knocking.
Barbers, mostly self employed, earn on a daily basis. A day without work, means a day without any income whatsoever. Even after bigger, flashier barber shops began opening, the neighbourhood saloons still managed to survive. However, it was the smaller local barber shops that were the first to be shut down as soon as Covid-19 curfews and later lockdowns were imposed. Everyone had stayed indoors, markets were closed, and those employed in offices were told to work from home. However, a barber cannot work from home, and commuting was banned, so there was no question of visiting clients’ homes to render grooming services.
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When the restrictions were lifted, I met Barber Bikash Mal who recalled that his salon was closed four to five days even before the official government lockdown was announced. “It is more risky to cut hair and beards in the salon. People stopped coming to the salon a few days before the lockdown was announced,” he recalled the sudden shut down that had lasted for a long time. Even now things have not returned to what was once ‘normal’. “Everyone is asked to maintain a ‘social distance’ to avoid coronavirus infection, but it is not possible for me to cut and style hair and beards in the salon keeping a distance of one meter,” said the barber. He also added that often the same pair of scissors is also used to cut hair for multiple clients on a busy day, and he has been told that this too can be a cause of “spreading corona”. “That is why not many are coming to the saloons now,” added his associate Amit Mal.
“Yet, we work every day, because we have to buy food every day. I have to take care of my mother and two more sisters. Somehow we manage. I can’t stop working now,” he added. During the lockdown, the family used up their savings, however they do not have that back up anymore, “I am worried and wonder when the situation will be normal. Even when there is no work I have to pay the shop rent of 900 rupees. And only after that can I spend on family expenses,” said Mal, who has no time to pause as there is a customer in the chair. He talks as he expertly snips away, eyes on the job, his skilled hands turning the mop of hair into a tidy summer hairstyle.
Mal has no time to stop for a meal, as another customer has walked in, and is waiting his turn. It is a good day for Mal’s saloon, however, he cannot celebrate yet. There are electricity and water bills too. Like the hair he cuts, they seem to grow at their own pace, and feel more like a burden in the aftermath of the extended lockdowns.
This report is part of CJP’s Grassroots Fellowship Program, and has been written by researcher Ripon Sheikh, who is travelling around rural Bengal, tracking and documenting social and cultural movements in the region.
Meet CJP Grassroot Fellow Mohammed Ripon Sheikh
This young man, who has graduated with a B.Sc degree from Burdwan University, loves trivia. Sheikh’s passion to research and seek “unknown information about World History” has earned him many medals and trophies at various University and state-level Quiz championships, and youth festivals. Sheikh is a born orator and a natural community leader. He has the potential to represent his community, state and country at a global level one day. His immediate goal, however, is to find a job so he can support his parents.
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