BARBERS

The Panicken family was brought by our ancestors solely for the purpose of performing the duty of barbers for the inmates of the Oli Mana. They settled down as tenants on the island. Kunchu Panicken used to do his work religiously. When he expired his son Paramu, took over from his father. I remember his nephew Lambodharan. He was soft spoken. He was a veteran barber who mastered several hairstyles. The clicking of his scissors was so light it seemed like a feather touch. He opened a barber shop at Perumanoor. Those days it used to be a suburban area. He did so to get a better income. Paramu also joined him in the trade and gradually stopped coming to the Mana.

I vividly remember my hair cutting session with the newly appointed barber at our house. His name was Pappu. He would take out a machine to give a close crop to my back and sides. I got irritated when the hair fell on my body. Appachan and Ammachi would hold me on either side to make me sit still. He would pull out a big comb and a scissor from his brittle bag. I was mortally afraid of the click-clack sound of his scissors. I used to think that the old spectacled Pappu would accidentally chop off my earlobes.  With this fear in mind I used to keep looking back at him. The razor he used to make a finish of the edges was equally scary. After that I would insist on a bath. A close crop was a great relief during summer. On his demise, a mobile barber, Raveendran, took charge. He used to keep his gadgets spic and span and they were kept neatly and orderly in his iron box. It was interesting to listen to him. He spoke as if he knew everything under the sun. He used to have plenty of gossips, information and opinions which he voluntarily gave to please his customers.

I knew Balan Nambiakuruppath. He was a traditional barber. His son Gopalakrishanan started a barber shop in the center of Kumbalam. At present, his son Viju carries on the business. At present a lot of people belonging to other communities too started to enter this occupation. There is an air-conditioned saloon also in the center area.

Excerpts from

MEMOIRS

An autobiography

by

Joseph J. Thayamkeril

Lawyer, Kochi, Kerala, India.

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