Ashok Hair Beautsiyan

Ashok’s place is inside the Anaaj Mandi at Paota in Kotputli. It’s a busy area, especially during the harvest season when everyone is bringing in grain. There’s a lot of noise from the tractors and people haggling over prices outside. The shop is tucked away in a corner of the mandi. It’s called Ashok Hair Beautsiyan, though we mostly just do regular haircuts and shaves for the men who work around here. The walls have a few old calendars on them. We have some wooden stools for people to sit on while they wait. The air smells like dust and grain from the market. I’ve been cutting hair here since I was a young man. The tools are simple—a few pairs of scissors, a comb, and a manual clipper for the back of the neck. We don't have fancy lights, just one long tube light that hangs from the ceiling. It gets dark early in the mandi, so we finish up and head home around seven. People know Ashok is always here, six days a week. We don't take appointments; you just show up and wait your turn. Sometimes we share a cup of tea with the grain merchant next door. It’s a good community to be a part of. The work isn't hard but it keeps us busy from morning till night. The mirror is a bit cloudy but you can see your reflection well enough to know the job is done right. We keep a small towel for everyone.