Man opens salon to give jobs to Hindus, name stirs row
DEHRADUN: A 48-year-old man from Haldwani has opened a haircutting salon at Halduchaur which, he said, would give livelihood to jobless Hindus in the area where haircutting is often considered a menial job.
The salon’s name , ‘The Hindu Barber Shop’, has become the talk of the town, with activists saying the move will divide society on communal lines.
“I decided to put that name to send a message among members of the Hindu community in the area that this was a job that was once done by Hindus. Now nobody wants to do it considering it a low job,” said Deepak Rathore, owner of the shop.
“Apart from hair-cutting, other jobs like welding and carpentry are also not being done by Hindus now. Hence, I decided to open this salon with that name to tell Hindus that don’t think it as a small job. Instead of sitting jobless, take this job and earn a respectable livelihood,” he said. “The shop will be inaugurated on Wednesday and only Hindus will be trained for haircutting.”
Rathore, who also runs a school in Lalkuan town of Nainital, said customers will not discriminated on the basis of religion. “Though the people working in my salon will be Hindus, they won’t deny their services to people of any other religion.”
Rathore said, “Many times during last rites of a Hindu, community members want only a Hindu barber, but they fail to find one as most of them are Muslims. My venture will solve that problem to some extent.”
Rathore said he would soon open more salons under the same name in other areas of Nainital to give livelihood to Hindu youth.
Social activist Anoop Nautiyal,
founder of SDC Foundation, said, “The intention of providing livelihood to youth is welcome but the manner in which it implemented is not good.”
He added, “The move will divide society on communal lines which is not good for a state like Uttarakhand where there are already divides on caste, region and other factors. Today he has done it, tomorrow a Muslim and then a Sikh might open a venture with similar names with religious tones, which is not good for society.”
JP Pachauri, a sociologist and VC of Himalayan University, said, “Rathore’s intention is good but the name of salon is sending a wrong message in society.”
“However, he alone can’t be blamed for it. It is the result of the current political scenario and developments in society on the lines of caste or religion. We all have to first change ourselves to stop such moves,” he said.