The nationwide lockdown to combat the spread of coronavirus has been in place for nearly a month now. With over ten days still to go for the lockdown to end, many have complained about unshaven facial hair and unkempt hairstyles as salons are shut. The barber community in Bengaluru, however, like many self-employed businesses, is facing problems as they have no other means to sustain themselves.
The barber community in India is primarily from marginalised groups, undertaking the caste-linked profession. With barber shops in Bengaluru closed due to coronavirus, those performing the service are among the worst-hit amid the economic downturn.
TNM spoke to people attached to the Pulakeshinagar Savitha Samaja, the barbers’ association in the Frazer Town area in Bengaluru. The barbers say that they are facing financial problems because they have to keep the shop closed, even as they continue to pay rent for both the shop and their home.
The organisation had sent a letter to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) stating that it had decided to keep shutters down during the lockdown. Notices have been stuck at barber shops under the association, announcing that they would not be working until April 30.
Prakash, the General Secretary of the association, says that with no other means of survival, many members of the association are seeking assistance after the decision to stay closed. “The association has no funds of its own. On their behalf, I have requested the government for relief to be distributed to the community. We have not received any assistance from the government yet,” he says.
Members also said that they did not have ration cards, and so could not avail food grains like rice and wheat from the public distribution system.
Rupesh, a barber, says that they manage by taking credit from local shops and relying on cooked food distributed in the area. “The local MLA comes and distributes food packets in the afternoon. But how will I survive on the food being distributed? I have five people in the house, and we cannot live on one meal a day, especially young children,” Rupesh points out.
The widows of former Savitha Samaja members are also in touch, says Prakash. “These women are usually domestic helps and they cannot go out to work right now. They are not getting their monthly salary so they don't know how to manage household expenses, rent and utility bills,” he says.
The government had asked employers to not withhold the salaries.
However, Prakash says that even the women in his community who work as domestic helps have not been paid by their employers. The whole community is suffering without even proper food due to the lockdown, he says.