A Sandeep encounters anywhere between 60 and 70 heads each day (except on Tuesday) at the 85-year-old Kerala Hair Dressers in Pondy Bazar. But on February 4, he received a call requiring secrecy and an international popstar.
“I had no idea who Ed Sheeran was. We said ‘hi’ to each other and began the massage. I gave it to three others,” he says.
In the video on Ed Sheeran HQ on Instagram, the artiste who is in India for his +–=÷× Tour (pronounced The Mathematics Tour), can be seen jokingly saying, “This is abuse”.
“I usually do not use the kind of force seen in the video but foreigners tend to like the pressure. They asked for it, actually. My daughter has been reading out the comments and customers have been asking it as well. Who knew he was as popular,” Sandeep says.
Sandeep however, is no stranger to celebrities. His oldest, most consistent customer is industrialist and famous T Nagar resident Nalli Kuppuswami Chetti. “Other famous personalities have visited over the years including Rajini. He used to pick calls on this telephone,” he recounts. Actor Sivakumar continues to get his hair cut at this shop opened in 1939, he says.
On a regular day though, Sandeep can be seen saying a cheerful “Hello,” leading customers to their ornate Burma teak chairs with old leather cushions. They tend to dole out nuggets of advice, tokens of appreciation and light quibbles about the trials and tribulations of the world. I suspect that Sandeep has taken to understanding life through parables that he hears from these heads. It is in these stories that he finds confidence to run a saloon that continues to charge only ₹150 for a haircut.
“There was a time when Rajini [kanth] was speaking about three rabbits.. no tortoise. Forget it, I don’t remember the animal. Anyway, these three were racing to the top of a mountain. Two failed as they were distracted by random noise. The third made it because he was deaf,” he says, dropping the first of his several lessons. “That is how one should be — deaf to all the noise but still being aware of what is to come. It is how one can succeed. It is why the saloon continues to run today,” he says.
A mane to tame
When Sandeep’s grandfather V Sankunni Nair arrived in erstwhile Madras in 1929, he landed up in Pondy Bazar because it was the location of the first planned commercial complex in the city. “Everyone who wanted to make money, obviously came here,” he says. He broke away from the then famous Malabar Hair Dressers in 1939 to establish his own shop to send money back home to Thrissur. “Back in Kerala too, the family did the same job. However, we only received payment in the form of barter — veshti, mundu and rice. He needed to move but also had plans to go back home. Chennai however, never let him go. The people here are full of kindness. Paasa kaaranga,” he says.
Stepping into the saloon feels like a trip back to the halcyon days. Everything is the same except the colour of the customers’ hair. One finds intricately crafted Burma teak chairs with a flower carved in the wood. Rosewood shelves line the walls and glass painting panels alternate with mirrors. There is no annoying set list of English pop or the uncomfortable chill of an air-conditioned parlour. The gentle smell of rose powder wafts in the air, accompanied by the light hum of a hair clipper. The staff clean as they go and Sandeep says that though he has considered alterations over time, long-time customers have opposed it vehemently, sometimes blatantly refusing to walk in if the conversation of a chair upgrade takes place.
Old customers at Kerala Hair dressers.
| Photo Credit:
VELANKANNI RAJ B
G Sankaran, a 96-year-old resident of T Nagar says that the saloon was always neat and hygienic. “I remember getting a haircut for ₹2. The grandfather, father and son would always have a pleasant word to say and a smile,” he says.
Sandeep says that these are the only prerequisites essential to successfully run a business. “Maintaining relationships is essential. It is why you will see me greeting passersby at the door. At first, they might be startled. The next time, it is likely that they might walk in for a cut. The second is to maintain cleanliness,” he says. It is probably what led to him landing the Ed Sheeran gig, he says.
Sandeep adds that although people have not always responded kindly to the ‘vanakkam’ at the gate, he hasn’t stopped. “People wonder how I put myself out there so often. I tell them that I am nervous too. I am quick to say ‘sorry’ when I offend but I usually receive a kind ‘good morning’ and ‘vanakkam’ in return. I enjoy that,” he says.
A hair cut in progress.
| Photo Credit:
VELANKANNI RAJ B
Inside the saloon though, he is far more conservative. He does not sit inside the shop, does not believe in fancy treatments or colouring and does not love lengthy, unruly hair. It is why he prefers providing simple and quick cuts, shaves and oil massages. The idea of bleaching and colour was introduced to deal with demand. “Instead of keeping cucumber over the eyes, just eat it, no,” he asks.
He and his staff clean the premises twice a day — once during lunch hour and another at night — so that the saloon is ready to open at 8am sharp. Rush hour is usually in the morning and late at night as shopping ends in the location, he says.
Times have changed now though. The T Nagar map that he hand-drew and then digitised and hung on his wall has drastically changed due to metro rail work and subsequent redevelopment over the years.
The hand-drawn T Nagar map
| Photo Credit:
VELANKANNI RAJ B
Celebrities too, have new stylists today and the cuts involve fades and mullets. Does he feel left out? “I ask my customers if they want a stylish cut or if they want a beautiful cut. I can do the latter. They can do the former themselves. I want to be accessible to the common man,” he says.
He closes with another allegory as we end. “My mother has told me to walk when I have the ability to afford a bus; take the bus when I can afford a two-wheeler; and the car when I can buy a bike. I can afford a car today but I still go by word. It is what will lead to lasting success. Good lessons to learn when you want the saloon to run for many more years, don’t you think?”
An old phone
| Photo Credit:
VELANKANNI RAJ B
Published – February 10, 2025 03:13 pm IST
