Nadeem Hair Salon

Nadeem Hair Salon is tucked away in Bhagat Singh Market, specifically in the Tikoniya area of Morar, Gwalior. It is a busy little corner of the city. The market is always full of life and noise, which I’ve gotten used to over the years. My shop is small, but I’ve arranged it so there is enough room for people to wait. I mostly see the same faces every week or every month. In Morar, word travels by mouth, so if you do a good job, people tell their neighbors. I don’t spend money on posters or big signs. The name is on the front and that is enough for us. I handle all kinds of hair, mostly just the usual styles that people around here prefer. I like the routine of it. Every morning I set up my tools and wait for the first customer. Sometimes it is a student from nearby, sometimes it is an older man who has been coming here for twenty years. We talk about politics or the price of things in the market. Gwalior is my home and this shop is my life. I don’t try to be something I’m not. I’m just a barber in Tikoniya. I keep my head down and work. The floor gets covered in hair, I sweep it up, and the next person sits down. That’s how it goes.