We NRIs (including me) give bombastic speeches about the low cost manual labor in India. At the same time we take the guilty pleasure of availing that, grabbing it at the first opportunity when time comes. It was my turn to do that by visiting a saloon close to our house.
This barber shop was clean, improvised itself over the years, a wall mounted AC being its latest addition. But I hardly noticed any change in profile of the folks gathered inside. After entering I noticed a few ahead of me in line. So when the hair cutter called me to occupy his chair, it surprised me, putting me in a spot.
Soon I realized the reason of me being pulled ahead of the rest. Those guys ahead of me were not customers, but free roamers needlessly hanging around. The reluctant hair dressers, not fan of these BALUNGAs (worthless weeds), wanted to avoid PUNGA (not to mess around) with the local brats - tolerating them as unavoidable nuisances.
One of them was combing his hair backwards standing in front of mirror from time immemorial, whistling from top his snorted piggy lips. He took a break, wiped residual hairs off the comb, check it again by turning it over. Not satisfied, placing it close to his mouth, he tried to vacuum it off by blowing hair through his pouting lips.
He resumed his combing operation, ploughing his hair backwards, uttering in Odia - KIRE KUNA (a common Odia nick name) TA SHAALI BAHAGHARA RU PHERILA (Did Kuna return from the marriage of his sister-in-law) ? A guy reading a local newspaper got up, walked to the front door to spit out his betel stained saliva and replied - NA MA. SE E JAYE MEESSI KALLA KARINI. (He has not given me a miss call - a call on the cell phone which is destined to be missed).
The tete a tete continued as the barber focused on giving me a clean shave, used his blade in surgical precision reaching out all the nooks and corners of my face which I can rarely reach. He continued weeding out the unwanted hairs off my face, gave me a nice massage, soothing my jaded nerves.
I thanked him for giving me a clean slate. Adding my tip to the final payment it cost me less than a dollar. Can't complain, when I had a close shave for a tiny amount, as close and low it can get.
The Plumbers, Electricians, AC Mechanics et all thrive well and make a decent amount of money due to the city's explosive growth. The dignity of labor hasn't quite matched up to their earnings, but should eventually happen in couple of decades. More later...
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