Peerzada Arshad Hamid

Anantnag

Forty five-year-old Abdul Salam Hajam is one among the 20 other barbers, who have set up their makeshift shops under the open sky in the General Bus Stand here to earn the livelihood.

He along with his other fellows regularly reaches the bus stand at 9 in the morning and leaves the place around 5 in the evening.

Huddled in a single corner of the bus stand none among them has been able to set up a permanent shop. Most of them have been practicing this family trade ever since the construction of bus stand here in 1985.

Broken chairs, fitted with worn out black umbrellas. Tables made from wood pieces of fruit boxes are lined to welcome the customers. All the barbers are anxiously waiting for the clients to make their day.

Salam hailing from village Kamad was the first to come to the place along with Ghulam Hassan Hajam (44).

"That was the time when mecdamisation of the stand was going on with full pace and we set up our chairs here. Although for both of us it is a family trade but I was having experience of working at Srinagar bus stand and Ghulam Hjassan was a novice," said Salam showing superiority over other fellows.

"At that time we used to charge rupees one for a shave and two to three for a haircut," he reminisces.

For him taking shop at bus stand is one among the cherished dreams. Something he can’t afford.

"People say for taking a shop at this place one need to deposit 7-8 lakh rupees initially and then has to pay rent on regular intervals," Salam said with exclamation.

Salam has a family of seven to support.  On an average he earns rupees 60-70 and some times when business is brisk, his earnings may go up to rupees100, he informs.

‘I think nobody here among us can earn more than Rs100 a day as we are many at this small place," he wonders.

This small community of barbers are scared of the police as according to them they come of and on to damage their makeshift shops. The fear remains despite every barber deposits rupees five per day with the authorities of Municipal officials as rent to occupy the place.

"You might be thinking why our tables are not decorated with big mirrors. It is our furniture that often fall prey to the action of policemen, whenever there is any problem," said a barber possibly to evade the question about broken furniture.

Claiming to be fully acquainted with the know-how of trade, however barbers from outside are threat to this group.

For Abdul Salam many important people like manager of the stand and senior drivers are among the regular customers who come to him for shave and haircut and prefer his services over rest others.

If it is rain, holiday, strike or some other disturbance, it has an impact on their earnings.

While new trends to imitate western work are picking up in each and every field, this is just the other side of life in Kashmir.