T.H. Sundarbabu is a picture of concentration as his fingers work dexterously to give a constable the ‘police cut’.
After a furious few minutes of snipping away locks of hair with scissors, the little barber shop situated inside the city police’s Armed Reserve unit in Egmore resounds with the buzzing of clippers.
Mr. Sundarbabu belongs to the fourth generation of a family that has served the police for over 80 years. The 500 sq. ft shop with an asbestos roof is a blend of antiquity and modern technology. While the coat hanger in the corner reminds one of British times, the sterilising equipment and electronic clippers are indicative of how the barber shop has embraced modern conveniences. Mr. Sundarbabu has a staff of 10 working for him.
“Around 1936 my great grandfather T. Ramalu began cutting hair for the police. He started with four chairs under a peepal tree. In those days, horses were sent to take him to the officer’s house for a haircut,” he says.
Then Mr. Sundarbabu’s grandfather Rangasamy took over duties as the police barber, followed by his father T.R. Haribabu. When his father became incapacitated a few years ago, City Police Commissioner A.K. Viswanathan asked Mr. Sundarbabu to take over.
VVIP clientele
Apart from the British officers, he claims his family gave haircuts to the likes of former DGP K.R. Shenoy, present DGP T.K.Rajendran, former DGP and Mylapore MLA R. Nataraj and even former President R. Venkataraman.
Among his clients are Armed Reserve constables, commandos, NSG commandos and some senior police officers. “The constables and commandos visit our shop once every fortnight for their haircut,” says Mr. Sundarbabu, taking credit for the famous handlebar moustache sported by Mr. Nataraj as city police commissioner.
Haircut done, Constable Vinod Kumar is impressed. He says the shop is hygienic even though it does not have some of the facilities of a modern salon. “Everything here is sterlised and the cost of a haircut is only ₹35,” he adds.
Mr. Sundarbabu plans to renovate the shop and give it a modern look. “I will be renovating the shop and adding an air-conditioner soon,” he says.
