A day in the life of a New Delhi roadside barber

Rajesh Kumar moved to Delhi from Bihar successful 1999 astatine nan property of 18 to thief his begetter tally a barber’s stall connected nan roadside successful nan Jasola area, a mixed neighbourhood successful southeast Delhi. But aft immoderate months, he started moving arsenic an adjunct to a expert astatine nan Apollo Hospital successful Jasola, handing retired medicine papers and organising diligent records.

After his father's decease from crab a twelvemonth later, Kumar took connected nan business himself, continuing nan roadside tradition. “I wanted to proceed his legacy,” he says, but he besides hopes his children will prosecute “better profession choices”.

“I unrecorded successful a one-room flat, but they should person large houses,” he says.

Roadside barber Rajesh Kumar wrong his one-room apartment, which he has lit up pinch festive lights connected nan eve of Diwali [Meer Faisal/Al Jazeera]

Swami, 40, stopped his acquisition while he was still successful superior schoolhouse because he was unhappy location but says he is wished to support his daughter’s dream of becoming an architect.

He first started cutting hairsbreadth successful his colony successful Uttar Pradesh. But 20 years ago, he moved to New Delhi and group up a roadside stall successful nan mixed, upper-middle-class Sarai Jullena neighbourhood, and it became his imperishable address.