After arthritis forced him to quit his hairstyling job more than a year ago, Binu T.S. dusted off his old skills for a noble cause last Sunday.
Since then, he, along with his two friends, has given haircuts to 30-odd people at their homes to raise money for the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF) to tackle COVID-19.
“I have been responding to calls for haircuts despite my medical condition since it is for a good cause. Unlike at salons with height-adjustable chairs, we have to work with normal chairs at households, not to mention the distance we have to cover attending to calls,” said Binu.
The Ernakulam central local committee of the All India Youth Federation (AIYF) landed the idea while thinking of ways to contribute to the CMDRF and some of its members volunteered for the service.
“We were receiving many calls from our friends and acquaintances asking whether we could arrange for haircuts since barber shops and salons continue to remain closed. Moreover, doorstep service by mainstream players in the field was costlier than what the majority could afford,” said AIYF district joint secretary V.S. Sunil Kumar.
No fixed fee is charged for the service. Instead, customers may deposit whatever they can afford in the ‘Break the Chain’ box. The money would then be contributed to the CMDRF.
K.R. Rupesh, who also quit the hairstyling profession a few years ago, is now sparing time for haircuts. “Since there are three of us, we divide the calls among us. But often our plans go awry as many people in the neighbourhood keep approaching us once they come to know that we are doing a haircut nearby,” he said.
The service will be available for a few more days before they hand over the contribution to the CMDRF.
