Who gives you a Haircut?

When your dad asks you to get a shave or a haircut, what do you do? You would probably go to a nearby salon to get your service done. Have you ever thought about the person who serves you? The hairdresser? The person who is looked down upon in society, not because he is dishonest or immoral but just because he is a barber.

He slogs from morning to night working 16 hours a day, standing for nearly throughout the day. The veins of his feet are swollen and with slight pressure they can  get punctured and bleed. He cannot afford to eat his meals at the right time of the day, because he cannot disappoint his clients. He has to smile, though his body is nearly giving in to the  unimaginable levels of fatigue and tiredness. We all have to struggle in life for existence, and I am not overemphasising the struggle of a simple barber. What I would like to implore to the reader is not to look down upon such noble unknown souls.overlooking  their hard work is such a disservice that we render to such community helpers. They struggle and put in every atom of their energy in the work they do but the society labels them and associates their status with ‘caste’.

Do you know that it is so hard for them to obtain a rental accommodation only because of their caste?

Do you know that people despise them as a bad omen when they encounter them in the morning?

The social and economic status of a barber is really low in Indian Society. Do you know that they cannot attend any event in their children’s school? The reason is that they fear that if anyone in the school should get to know about the child’s background, they are belittled and discriminated against.

The physical health of a barber is gullible to many diseases such as varicose veins and cardiovascular diseases.

The ironic truth is that in Indian Society, an aged doctor is considered highly experienced but an aged barber is considered as one who has lost his lustre and can no longer serve appropriately.

In ancient India, barbers were surgeons owing to their profeciency in using razors. But today, when we consider those barbers who couldn’t change according to the changes in technology, their lives are indeed hard and it’s hard to make ends meet. Here, we need to exclude hairdressers who belong to huge high end  salon chains.

The only request that I have to the reader, who has patiently read till the end is, not to look down upon any humble soul earning his bread with honest work.