BASANT'S SALON

A ramshackle wooden cabin, in close proximity to a betel-shop next to a milk booth, on the side of the lane, I pass by every morning. The rickety cabin with a bright paint on the exterior, supposed to be a barber's shop, has remained closed for over three months after its owner, a young man, reportedly met with a road accident at home, a hundred kilometres away, and broke the left femur. Going by the looks of his shop, I had always thought the man to be having a frugal income from his profession. After this unfortunate accident he has remained immobilised for days without any income. I cast a fleeting glance at the cabin almost every morning to check if the man has returned to work. 

This morning, I was lucky. The shop was open but look inside was even more sickly than that of the exterior. The owner, however, was missing. The helpful betel seller, on enquiry, responded. The man had gone to the tea-stall for a cup of tea. He even went up to the tea-stall to inform the barber that he had a visitor. The barber was not to be found. He had walked to yet another tea-stall, a little away.

I moved ahead and saw a tall, slim young man, slightly limping, coming, what looked to me, towards the barber's shop, known as Basant's Salon. I guessed him to be the person I had in mind. I uttered the name when the stranger was close to me. He stopped, there was a trace of surprise on his face. He confirmed being the barber I was looking for. I was a stranger to him and when I asked him about his hospitalisation, he felt the warmth of a well-wisher. The medical treatment was costly. He had spent one and half lakh of rupees. He spent his savings and borrowed from relatives .

 

He lived nearby, in a cottage he had built on perhaps a piece of government land, like many others. We spoke for a few minutes. I advised him to look for more customers so that he could earn more and repay the loan.

He said he has been visiting homes and rendering service to elderly people and small children who find it difficult and cumbersome to visit a barber's shop. He even volunteered to offer me home-service. I wasn't prepared for it. I just smiled and noted his phone number.

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10th September, 2018