Fifteen years is a long time to go without a haircut. In West Bengal's Cooch Behar, one man says politics was the reason.
Baneshwar Barman, a resident of Bengal's Baman Para village, finally cut his hair this week after fulfilling a vow he claims to have made in 2011: that he would not trim his hair as long as the All India Trinamool Congress remained in power in West Bengal.
On Thursday morning, surrounded by neighbours and curious onlookers, Barman had his head shaved near his home.
Barman, a migrant worker employed at brick kilns and known in the area as a BJP supporter, maintained the vow for nearly a decade and a half.
“Since the Trinamool government came, I haven't even touched a barber's shop,” he said.
Asked whether the long hair affected his work, Barman laughed and replied: “No, I tie it in a bun.”
“On May 4, the day the election results were declared, my eyes were glued to the TV screen from early morning. When the BJP crossed the 100-seat mark, I simply could not take my eyes off the screen. Today, I am truly overjoyed,” Barman said.
Barman said he now plans to return to normal life after ending the symbolic protest.
“Now that the BJP is here, new hair will grow. I'll cut it whenever I want,” he said.
As news spread through the village, residents gathered near his home. After the tonsure ceremony, family members and locals distributed muri, or puffed rice, as part of the celebrations.
Explaining the reason behind his long-standing frustration, Barman claimed there had been little development in the area over the past 15 years.
He said his family, including his son and two daughters, had struggled through the period and that the lack of visible change was one of the reasons he had hoped for a political shift.
(With inputs from Prabir Kundu)
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