Back in the day when boys followed their fathers and became men and not metrosexual males, it was the practice of all mothers to send their sons for a haircut at the start of summer. We got a Military Cut. Which is coming back in fashion today as the Buzz Cut. It was a basic short back and sides haircut. No frills and fancies. There were no unisex parlors then where pretty girls from the North East gave hair spa treatments and men wanting to be urban, hip, and stylish were unashamed to be seen getting a pedicure and manicure or their hair coloured. There were barber shops. Or hair-cutting saloons. In which hajams gave men unfussy haircuts and shaves.
These saloons were unpretentious. They had open doors, glass panels, and ceiling fans that were switched off to sweep the hair off the floor. And they had ingenious names like Paradise, Taj, A-1, Lucky, Star, and Glamour. With unflattering paintings of Amitabh Bachchan, Jeetendra, and Vinod Khanna on their signboards in which those handsome actors with long hair would have difficulty recognizing. There were no appointments. You sat on a bench and waited for your turn. Leafing through outdated film magazines. Listening to the radio playing old Hindi songs. Knowing that if your haircut was not short enough, your mother would send you back.
The barber’s chair was fitted with a collapsible headrest and fixed footrest. Like an old-fashioned dentist’s chair. He used one pair of scissors and a comb for all. And a folding razor whose blade he dutifully changed. They were kept standing in cool Dettol water. The drop cloth was a white sheet the barber tied around customers. It was common. Like the face towel. He gave his regulars a champi maalish. Cracking the head and neck. His signature touch was the Tan-Ta-Dan hair oil, Cuticura talcum powder, and Afghan Snow beauty cream he applied at the end. My mother hated their scent. She made me bathe with Lifebuoy soap soon as I got home.
About Mark Manuel
The above thoughts/content has been proudly copied from the wall of Sir Mark Manuel. Being interviewing almost every role model of this country and going stronger each day. Mark Manuel is a respected Mumbai editor, writer, and columnist.
With over three decades of journalism in leading publications. This includes the Free Press Journal, Times, Dainik Bhaskar, Mid-Day, and Afternoon. He is famous for his brilliant pen interviews. He himself is a TEDx speaker.
Further
His interviews have been featured in several leading media houses. They include the Hindustan Times, Huffington Post, BBC, and Network 18. Almost every famous person has been interviewed by him in the country from Mother Teresa to Muhammad Ali. His first book is just out. It’s titled Moryaa Re! It is a crime thriller that is perhaps the country’s first police procedural. He began his career covering crime. And in a tribute to his experience and knowledge of this beat.
Several distinguished officers of the Mumbai Police and its Crime Branch collaborated with him to make this book possible. Amitabh Bachchan wrote the forward in a statement of friendship for Mark Manuel and admiration for his work.
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