Getting a hair cut today took me back to my neighborhood salmooni , where Iradj khan, a GILAK man was a local shop keeper in “se raah-e takht-e jamshid” for as long as I remembered.
In his shop there were all kind of magazines for customers to kill time until their turn, and a black and white TV.
Sepid-o Siah, Tehran Mosavvar, Javaanan,Etelaat-e haftegi, and of course Etelaa’at-e koodakaan AND Keyhaan bache haa (which by no means was I interested in, because at the age of 8 or 9 I hated to be called a BACHEH!! koodak? was fine but Bacheh? Heck no! I was a “young man”!
I remember older guys use to read paper or magazine while getting their hair cut and Iradj khan was catering to them, going around them squatting, moving side to side, bending, turning and doing whatever it took to do his job! While they were focusing on reading those materials!
I wanted to be able to do that! I wanted to be able to read a magazine AND getting a hair cut!
Iradj khan was discriminating! Because I was a “Bacheh”! He used to grab my head and turn it left to right and side to side and up and down to cut my hair without moving himself an inch! Lazy Iradj khan!!
So bad I wanted to grow up quickly and Iradj khan be retired, so I could have a “salmooni” of my own and give him a hair cut, turning his head every which way without giving him a chance to read anything like the big guys!
