Janta Hair Saloon

Janta Hair Saloon is over on Khatipura Road in Jaipur, specifically in the Kumawat Colony area of Jhotwara. We are quite near the Manglam Sky Mall, but our shop is a lot more low-key than that big building. It’s a traditional hair salon where folks from the neighborhood come to get their hair cut or their beards trimmed. The 302012 area has changed a lot with the mall coming in, but my shop stays pretty much the same. I have the same old chairs and the same big mirrors I’ve had for years. There’s a certain way the shop smells—a mix of aftershave and talcum powder—that I’ve grown to love. The traffic on Khatipura Road is always moving, and sometimes the dust blows in, so I’m always wiping down the counters. It’s not a fancy place with air conditioning or leather sofas. We have plastic chairs for waiting and a big ceiling fan that spins all day. I know most of the people who walk in by their first name. We talk about local politics or whatever is happening in Jhotwara while I work. It’s a steady life and I like the routine of it. The shop is my second home, and I treat everyone who comes in like a guest.