Parents with school-going children are accustomed to getting letters from headmasters.
But Channappa Sidramappa Navi, a barber based in Kulahalli village in Bagalkot district, was surprised to get a letter from the government high school headmaster, though his children are not in the school.
As expected, the letter was about truant children but they were just not his. It was about high school children who were getting a fancy haircut from him inspired by the Kannada film Hebbuli.
Headmaster Shivaji Nayak complained that several students were getting the Hebbuli style haircut, made popular by actor Kiccha Sudeep and, that they were not paying enough attention to studies.
“The haircut is weird, with long hair on one side and minimal on the other. Students with such a style are not involved in academic activities. They are falling behind. This is also disturbing others,” he said.
“I request you to give them a style that is acceptable to students. If any student forces you to give him a Hebbuli cut, please intimate his parents or the headmaster,” the letter said.
The letter was issued on July 20. “It is my duty not only to teach but also to enforce discipline. I need to do that in earnest,” Mr. Nayak told The Hindu.
Basavanneppa Kulalli, a student who is already sporting such a haircut, said that he will get back to a traditional hair-cut, as the letter has created a lot of discussion among the villagers.
