Page:The People of India — a series of photographic illustrations, with descriptive letterpress, of the races and tribes of Hindustan Vol 8.djvu/169

 BARBERS. (447)

HE barber, Hindoo or Mussulman, is indispensable to the community; every one is shaved more or less, men and boys on the head, the chin, under the arms, as may be the practice of the caste he belongs to, from the Brahmin to the lowest Sudra. The mode of operation is well shown in the Plate: the man being shaved sits on his bedstead, while the barber stands before him, manipulates his skull or his chin with plain warm soft water (soap is never used) till the hair or stubble is quite soft; the razor, which is a peculiarly shaped instrument, not unlike a small hatchet, and very sharp, is then applied, and the result is a very perfect one. The barber knows the turn of the hair, and regulates his strokes accordingly, so as to give as little pain as possible, and the hair as removed is wiped upon a clean white cloth or towel, which is tucked in at the waist. The hair, beard, if any, or mustachios, are then trimmed, and the operation is complete; nails of feet and hands are then pared, ears cleansed, and the person operated upon is meanwhile entertained by gossip of the town or village, as barbers know how to relate it. No one shaves or is shaven everyday, no one shaves himself; and for a Hindoo it is necessary to have a proper time and hour fixed by the village or other astrologer, neglect or omission of which may be attended with serious consequences. The hair of male children is never touched till a certain age, which may have been vowed by its mother, and is then removed, with many ceremonies to the tutelary divinity of the family. Girls' hair is never shaven or cut under any circumstances. In the country generally, barbers are surgeons also, and are able to dress or sew up severe wounds, and attend to sores or ulcers; but they are not able to perform amputations, though some are found to possess knowledge of lithotomny and to be able to operate skilfully. Barbers always belong to village communities, and are members of the village council, though they do not hold so high a position as carpenters or blacksmiths. They are of good Sudra castes, not intermarrying or eating with other castes or trades. One of the offices of village barbers is to carry torches at