The other day when I went to my barber for a haircut, I was surprised to see a little girl sitting with her mom and enjoying a donut. Knowing that my barber gives haircut only for men and does not do women’s hair let alone kids, I figured the kid must have accompanied her had. In a few minutes my suspicion was proven right.
I thought this could only happen in this country and this would be a cultural blasphemy if happened in India. I began to wonder if the culture is the byproduct of plain economics. Here is how I justify my argument.
The barber shop I go to is a 800sqft facility, she has done a wonderful job of decorating the place and keeping it simple yet elegant and the some of the furniture though old is pretty comfortable and nice. In short apart from the barber chairs and the tools, there is hardly anything around to make it a barber shop. Compare this to a 100 to 150sqft single room with a few barber chairs on one side and a sitting bench on the other side. The shop walls are usually decorated by huge cut outs of the barber’s favorite movie stars. Some places in India where the real estate is expensive, the barbers don’t believe in renting a place but do their job on the side walks.
Thinking rationally, I wouldn’t taking my daughter with me to the barber shop and let her play around while I get my haircut. But I wouldn’t do it in the near future, for one my daughter is too young.
This small thing makes me wonder how many such “cultural/traditional” reasons exist which can use a re evaluation under changed circumstances/conditions?
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