PUDUKKOTTAI: Try paying a spa a bag of grains after your haircut, and you will perhaps be laughed at. However, Ramaiah (70) of Pudukkottai is more than happy to accept this as payment for his services, reminding people of an old tradition.
The practice of taking grain or accepting an yearly payment, irrespective of the number of times a service is utilised, was around when barter system was in vogue. “I serve customers in villages of Tindaiman Viduthi, Mandhakudi and Kaatupatti. I take my bicycle, my bag of shaving and cutting equipment, and leave to these villages once in three days. On other days, people come to my home to get the service,” says Ramaiah.
He lives with his wife Indrani (65). Though their son Sekar is also a hair dresser, he has set up a shop of his own. Though each customer pays Ramaiah a different sum of money for service, several villagers still pay him in kind either with grains from their harvest or with a one-time payment for a year. “Some time, they will be facing losses or the harvest might be poor. So, they might pay a lesser amount. Still, we manage with that,” says Ramaiah.
On how the villagers have changed with time, he says, “The younger generation might prefer a new and fancy salon. But, elders in these villages are particular to take my service.” Apart from giving people a good look, Ramaiah also serves people in a way which many might hesitate to. His wife Indrani says, “If there is death in a house, they will call my husband to cut the thread knots on toes and to carry out a few rituals. If my husband is ill or not available, my son would go.”
Even as time looks frozen for Ramaiah, he has married off his four daughters and two of them live overseas. Sekar’s son Praveen (19) is studying computer science at a reputable engineering college in Coimbatore.