.
The
sketch of the social fabric of Ponani in the middle of 19th century
will not be complete if do not scribble a few words about the following persons.
The barber shop of Kuttan, on the main road near A.V. High School was
known to every one . At least once a
month inhabitants of the nearby locality visited him. Small in size with a
little hunch and smiling face , showing his front teeth slightly protruding Kuttan
was exclusive in his profession. The
height of the chair was slightly higher for us . I used to make a jump to get
into it. On the wall there was the pictures of various styles of hair cut viz. Cru
cut , long cut , oxford cut ,etc etc. In our case the style was summer cut
always. He would tug a cloth on the neck. It used to smell either the sweat of
the previous person or a cheap talcum powder. Then he would pull up the chin
and will never allow us to move it till the end. Every time we made a movement
he would forcefully adjust . Some times with a reprimand. Most enjoyable part
was the way he made a chattering metallic sound incessantly with the two blades
of the scissors. It never stop ed moving till
the end. The pitch going up and down as if a clapping instrument is on. Very often I would take a nap drooping my head
and he would wake me up with a sudden jerk of my head. There would be some of his
friends sitting on the bench and he went on talking with them mostly about the illicit relationships. He
would order a cup of tea to all those present except us , because we were
forbidden to drink anything from outside. Sip by sip he would enjoy the tea
while talking and moving the scissors. The finishing grooming was with a machine which he moved, with a
tik tik sound on the back side of the neck and above the ears. And finally a
trimming with a knife which he would sharpen by rubbing the edge on a leather belt up and down in quick motion. After removing the cloth some powder
application and if there was any cuts a piece of alum would be rubbed. Then he would signal us to step down. Paying the
fees we would go home in style to take plunge in the pond . Father had his hair cut
in our house by Kuttan. Till I left Ponani for College studies I availed his service which had a personal touch. Such a feeling I failed to enjoy with any other.
No comments:
Post a Comment