Unlike certain other villages, Koliwad village in Hubli taluk, which is in the news after barbers closed their establishments following differences between upper castes and Dalit families, does not have strictly enforced caste-based social restrictions.
People belonging to the upper caste frequent Ambedkar Nagar to fetch ‘sihi neeru’ (potable sweet water) for their households.
Most people belonging to Chalavadi Samaj, which is the majority community in Ambedkar Nagar, work in the fields of persons belonging to the Lingayat Ganiger Samaj, which is the largest upper caste community in the village.
“I don’t know why this restriction on haircuts is still prevalent, when we are treated on a par with members of other communities, especially during social functions such as marriages,” said Uduchappa Doddamani, an elder of the Chalawadi community.
A former Forest Department employee, Mr. Doddamani, cannot understand why Dalits are denied haircuts, when they operate the water supply system in the village and run the flour mill. Even before the barbers shut down their establishments, getting a haircut was costly as Dalits were forced to travel a minimum of 10 km to get a haircut.
While Nalavadi is situated 10 km away, Mulugund is 18 km away and Annigeri is 15 km away from the village. The nearest city, Hubli, is 33 km away.
“I try to repair every vehicle that comes to my shop in the village. I am not bothered about who the owner is. But when I want to get a haircut I have to go out of the village. For that, I have to forgo a day’s earnings,” said Mallappa Kale, a mechanic. The restriction on haircuts is not just for Dalits within the village.
Apart from Dalit youths from the village in the backward classes and minority hostel, Dalit youth who are not from Koliwad are also denied haircuts by the members of Savita Samaj (barber community) residing in the village.
Meanwhile, a member of the Chalavadi community revealed that while salons in the village had remained closed for over a month, there were reports about barbers giving a haircut to upper caste persons in cattle sheds.
