Mr.Subramanian, the Barber with a humane touch..

Mr.Subramanian, the Barber with a humane touch..
It was a chilly morning in February when I first met him. My uncle in Coimbatore had referred him and his shop to me.

His shop was a small one room one with three revolving chairs. You could see a photo of Lord Ganesha, Goddess Lakshmi and Goddess Saraswathi, on a small shelf with two small lamps lit up. Two agarbathis were also lit and there was a strong pleasant fragrance of jasmine in the air, inside the shop.

He was the owner of the shop and was cutting the hair for one of his many regular customers. The other two chairs were empty.

When I went in, he glanced at me and nodded his head and said, “Please sit down” and directed me to a steel chair. I waited for my turn. I glanced around and saw the floor outside the shop cleaned with water, giving the unique earthly smell. His two wheeler bike was parked outside in a corner with the chain lock tied up.

I was observing him and his features. He looked to be in his early fifties, of medium height and build and was wearing all white - dhoti and shirt. He was sporting a long beard with a moustache. To top it all, he had a well drawn three lines in ash on his forehead, with a big dot of vermilion in the centre.   

After he had finished his work with the other customer, he directed me to the revolving chair.

 He smiled and enquired, “Sir, I am seeing you for the first time, are you new to Coimbatore?”. ‘Yes, I replied, recently moved to Coimbatore’. I continued, ‘I was referred to your shop by my uncle, Seshadri’.

“Oh, Seshadri Ayya, here in Ram Nagar, I know him well and for a long time, Sir”. His eyes turned bright when I said ‘I am related to him, he is my Uncle’.

He was the typical talkative person, who wanted to talk to every customer, while he went about his job methodically.

When I mentioned that I would require only a ‘medium cutting’, he said not to worry. He started enquiring about my home, my family and my place of work. When I finished replying to all these queries, he started with the next set of queries. I thought that this would go on infinitely. I cut short by enquiring about his family, his work …

‘I have two daughters Sir, he replied, ‘one daughter is doing her B.Com, second year and the younger is in 10^th standard’. He paused and checked whether I was ok with the length of the hair and then continued. He finished the cutting and I left for home.

My talks with him continued every month whenever I visited his shop for my hair cut.

On one of my trips, we were talking on various topics and I was enquiring about his shop and business. He mentioned that he has been in this profession for more than two decades. “I have been in Ram Nagar itself for more than two decades. This shop is more than two decades old..”, he remarked. An individual needs to be in a place for a long time to establish oneself and to have the roots spread in a city or town like a Banyan tree.

“I have earned whatever God felt I should earn, and I am content with it”. “If you become content, then your outlook will become different and you will start looking at the society at large”. I was listening to his philosophy with real interest. I felt, here was a man who has a different mindset and thinking.

To continue the conversation, I told him about my intentions of doing some social work and charity after my retirement from the corporate world. He replied with his eyes, glowing at my mention of social work and charity. “Sir, I go to ‘Uthavum Karangal’ (a large charitable organization serving the under privileged children, home less, old aged and destitute), every Tuesday and do cutting to the children there through out the day. I do about 25 cuttings every Tuesday. It is very satisfying and fulfilling to me”. This is because the saloon shop is closed on Tuesdays.

‘I am very popular with the kids, Sir, and I buy whatever sweets or fruits, I can afford, and take them with me when I go on every Tuesday to the Ashram’.

I was dumb-founded on hearing this routine of him. My mind began thinking about this simple yet very effective and great way of serving humanity.

I left his shop with many thoughts and various theories. My mind and thoughts were revolving at this unique way of a barber using his professional skills in serving under privileged children.

My inner mind spoke, - ‘We call ourselves professionals to the core and always wanted to do social work or serve the under privileged. Yet, we all end up doing nothing or at best, contribute some money’

My mind was working overtime, taking a cue from this live example of a simple man, a barber, who has taught a life-time lesson.

On my next visit, I continued to pick up the conversation of his social work and he replied in his usual style, “Sir, I will have this shop and keep working till my daughters are settled down. Then I will go and remain in the Ashram itself so that I can do more work at the Ashram”. He continued, “The peace and satisfaction you get, Sir, needs to be experienced!!”

It was a big lesson from a person, whom you least expected to give it. To me, it has been a big experience speaking to him and understanding what humane touch is……. They say, God is omnipresent, and here was a live example of God walking and talking to me…..!!!!

 

-       Venkatesh