Clipping away to success: The first Adi hairdresser turns into local celebrity in Arunachal

Toklom Perme, a 26-yr-old Adi tribesman, opened a barbershop in Kiyit, Arunachal Pradesh, providing a service to 1,200 villagers who previously had to travel 20-55km for a haircut. His success is celebrated as an example of enterprise & self-reliance, inspiring others to pursue similar paths.

For the villagers of Borguli, Kiyit, and Ngopok, getting a decent haircut meant travelling 20 kilometres to Mebo town or 55 kilometres to Pasighat, the headquarters of the East Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh. That was before Toklom Perme happened nine months ago.

It is not unusual for small ethnic communities in Arunachal Pradesh to celebrate their first venturer in high-profile professions or in white-collar jobs. Mr. Perme, 26, arguably the first Adi tribesman to set up a barbershop in a rural belt, is also being hailed, at least by some 1,200 male villagers he caters to.

Akok Lego, a Kiyit village elder, was sceptical when Mr. Perme approached him in January seeking space for opening a barbershop. The young man, he thought, would probably not last long pursuing a trade associated with Hindi speakers.

As Mr. Perme’s landlord, he is now happy to have been proved wrong.

Today, Mr. Perme handles an average of 15 clients with a maximum of 30 on Sundays or local holidays. He earns an average of ₹19,000 a month, much of which he sends home at Bijari village in the adjoining Lower Dibang Valley district.

“My expenditure in Kiyit is at most ₹5,000, including ₹1,500 as rent for the shop and an attached room to live in. The rest goes for the education and maintenance of my two daughters, as well as the upkeep of my parents who take care of them in Bijari,” he told The Hindu.

His wife left him more than a year ago. It was a reason why he decided to move to Kiyit, but not as strong as the urge to work in a more populous area for a higher income.