Time was when even wild horses could not drag me within miles of a barber’s shop or salon as they are
called nowadays. Those were days when hippie cut held sway and a close cropped guy was an exception.
Yet, even in those days civilization was measured by the length of your locks and I was no exception. Much
water has flown under the bridge since then in recent times I begin to yearn for barber’s ministration the
moment my hair kiss my ears. But then there is another reason for this yearning and that is my barber
Salim. He is more educated than me, having done his masters in literature with a first class first, capable of
quoting Chaucer & Byron with equal felicity as he could Raja Rao and Narayana. He had been an English
Professor for a couple of years but when his father, who ran the salon, kicked the bucket he found that it
was good economics to make a switchover.
Salim’s salon was a salon with a difference. A big sign board announced that Politics was a taboo. Salim
once enlightened me on this, recalling that he had sent a customer packing though only half of his hair had
been cut because he had dared to take a political stand, which to add insult to injury was contrarian to
Salim’s view point I once asked him, “Don’t you miss all those students whom you were teaching English
Literature. I have heard a couple of them say that you were the best among the lot.” “Not at all” said Salim
without batting an eyelid, “they might no longer be my students but they are my customers now. And I do
manage to clear a doubt or two when they came for a sitting”. ft was then that I realised that the barber’s
itch for literature had not dampened one bit though combs and scissors had replaced his original tools of
trade. (C.V. Aravind)
Answer the following questions by choosing the best option from the ones given below.
(a) In earlier days civilization was measured by
(i) Wild horses
(ii) Length of hair locks
(iii) Number of cropped guys
(iv) Number of salons in the town
(b) Salim switched over from professor to a barber because
(i) Of his family pressure
(ii) Of his passion for this profession
(iii) Of the advice of his students
(iv) It was good economics to make a switchover
(c) Salim considered politics
(i) To be having liberality
(ii) To be a taboo
(iii) He had no viewpoint about politics
(iv) To be good and essential for everyone
(d) The word that means the same as ‘Kicked the bucket’
(i) To harm as well as humiliate
(ii) To show no surprise or concern
(iii) Past events that are over or done with
(iv) Died
(e) Was Salim still in touch with his students?
(i) No, he was not in contact with them
(ii) Yes, he met them occasionally but never solved their problems.
(iii) He used to take extra sitting / extra classes for them.
(iv) His students were his customers and he used to solve their doubts.
Answers
The answers to the given questions from the passage are given below:
a) In earlier days the civilisation was measured by the length of hair locks (option ii).
The author confirms in the passage the notion that he was also part of this notion of civilisation.
b) Salim switched over from professor to a barber because
it was good economics to make a switchover (option iv).
Salim had done his masters in literature and had been a professor of literature for a couple of years but switched later to this new profession.
c) Salim considered politics to be a taboo (option ii).
He was a student of literature and had a very strong opinion against any political stand.
d) The word that means the same as ‘Kicked the bucket' is the past events that are over or done with (option iii).
Salim's father got over his salon when Salim makes this shift to the new profession of a barber.
e) Yes, Salim was still in touch with his students because his students were his customers and he used to solve their questions. (option iv).
Salim himself confirms that he solves the student's questions when they sit with him.
Explanation:
the writer often thought about salim as he