Ten homeless men living on the footpaths near the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital on Trichy Road here were given free haircuts by a hairstylist, dressed as Santa Claus, on Tuesday.
P. Devaraj, a 59-year-old salon owner at Edayarpalayam, said that he has been doing this as a service for the last 25 years and it gave him a lot of satisfaction. His 12-year-old grandson B.M. Mukunthan, also dressed as Santa Claus, accompanied him.
Mr. Devaraj claimed that he had so far given free haircuts to around 10,000 homeless people in Coimbatore and nearby districts and in Kerala.
“It is not really easy with everyone. The initial reaction of the people varies. While some express their gratitude, there are some who yell at me. Some even throw stones since they get scared of the equipment. I used to do this twice a week, but now it is just twice a month,” he said. Mr. Devaraj takes his grandson along with him most of the time to motivate him in serving others. “I was waiting for my grandson’s vacation so that I could take him along with me,” he said.
Mr. Devaraj also provides food and money to people after the haircut.
