Komal Hair Art

You can find my place right on the Delhi Highway in Shahpura. It is a busy stretch of road and the dust from the traffic sometimes drifts in when the door is open for a breeze. I’ve been working here in Jaipur for a long time. The shop is called Komal Hair Art, though it’s really just a straightforward place for a haircut. I have two chairs and a small table where I keep the newspapers for people to read while they wait. In Shahpura, everyone knows everyone, so it's less like a business and more like a meeting spot for the local men to gather. We talk about the crops or the weather or the new construction happening down the highway towards Delhi. I start my day around eight and I don't really leave until the evening is late. The scissors need sharpening every few days and I do that myself to make sure they are right. I don't have fancy lights or music, just the sound of the highway and the clicking of the shears. Sometimes travelers stop in because they see the sign from the road and need a shave before they reach the main city. I’ve lived in Rajasthan my whole life and this shop is my way of being part of the local community. It’s a simple setup, nothing like those big salons you see in the middle of Jaipur city, but it works for the people who live out here.