Darpan Beauty Parlour

If you know Pune, you know how busy Shukrawar Peth gets. Our shop is at 198-A, right in the thick of it near Nana Peth and Pimpri Chowk. It is Darpan Beauty Parlour, and we have been in this spot for a good while. The street outside is always full of rickshaws and people rushing somewhere. Inside, it is a bit different. We have our mirrors—that is what Darpan means—lined up along the wall so people can see the work. The sound of scissors clicking is the main thing you hear, along with the radio playing softly in the corner. We do not have fancy air conditioning, just a couple of good fans that keep the air moving. It gets very hot in the Peths, especially in the summer months. We spend most of our day on our feet, moving from one chair to the next. Our hands usually smell like soap or hair oil by lunchtime. We get all kinds of people, from young girls wanting a new style to the older ladies who have been coming to us for years. We do not have a big sign or anything flashy outside. People just know where we are located. We keep our combs in the blue liquid and our towels stacked up. By the time we close the shutters at night, our backs are usually aching, but it is a good kind of tired. Shukrawar Peth never really sleeps.