Hair and now: It’s a growing livelihood for many in several UP districts - Hindustan Times
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Hair and now: It’s a growing livelihood for many in several UP districts

Hindustan Times, Kasganj | By
Jan 22, 2019 09:21 PM IST

Processed human hair is exported largely to China where it is crafted into wigs, moustaches, beards and hair extensions. The amino-acids derived from hair are also used as fertilizer

A hawker rides his loudspeaker-fitted bicycle into a village in Kasganj district of western Uttar Pradesh. As his announcement breaks the languor of the afternoon, children rush to him with the fallen scalp hair of women of their families.

A trader who purchases human hair from small hawkers in a UP district.(HT)
A trader who purchases human hair from small hawkers in a UP district.(HT)

Ravi, 18, the hawker belonging to the Scheduled Caste (SC) community, buys women’s fallen hair, giving items like sugar balls, ‘kurkure’(a snack), ‘churan’ (a digestive) in exchange.

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He is not alone. Such scenes are common in Kasganj, Etah, Mainpuri and Aligarh districts where human hair, which falls out during daily combing, has fast emerged as a precious tradable resource.

Processed human hair is exported largely to China where it is crafted into wigs, moustaches, beards, hair extensions etc, according to those in the trade. The amino-acids derived from hair are also used as fertilizer.

Women’s fallen hair collected from villages is preferred as it is largely untouched by hair colour and shampoos, says a person familiar with the trade.

Hawkers like Ravi are the first link in the long trade chain, riding loudspeaker-fitted bicycles, mopeds or motorcycles in villages to buy and collect women’s fallen scalp hair in exchange for commodities or cash.

“The trade chain is really very long with lakhs of people, ranging from unskilled to highly technical people, involved in it,” says Saumitra Tripathi, a Kolkata-based large scale hair dealer.

A trader with a heap of hair in a bag. (HT)
A trader with a heap of hair in a bag. (HT)

Thousands of poor families in Uttar Pradesh are now earning their living from this trade that has evolved and boomed around the variety of uses of human hair. The trade is fast attracting the unemployed.

Take the case of Ravi, resident of Dengri village in Kasganj. He resells the hair collected by him and earns around Rs 10,000 a month by doing so.

“Currently, we purchase hair for Rs 1,000 per kg and resell the same to bigger dealers for Rs 1,500 per kg or even more,” says Ravi, who will be appearing for the class 10 examinations two months later.

“My father earns even more as he can travel to more villages,” he says.

Ramveer, 50, resident of Khushalpur village in the same district, has joined the trade only recently. Riding a moped, he travels to more villages and earns around Rs 15,000 a month. Unlike Ravi, Ramveer pays cash for the hair he buys.

“I was drawn to the hair trade after getting inspired by the success stories of those who are already in this fast-expanding profession,” he says, while collecting fallen hair at Myansur village in Kasganj.

While some hawkers buy other scrap as well, there are many others who exclusively deal in hair. But all of them buy only fallen hair of women, not shaved or cut hair of men or women.

Locals say hair trading, as a large-scale organised commercial venture, has boomed only recently in Uttar Pradesh though hair collection as a sporadic activity had been in practice for last several years. “It is only during the last two-three years that a large number of hair dealers have started coming to villages every morning, buying female fallen hair and using a loudspeaker for making announcements for their clients,” says Suraj Pal Singh Yadav of Deori village.

The hawkers resell the hair to a bigger merchant or a commission agent in a nearby town, for a higher price.

“Often, they collect the stuff from our home and also make advance payment available to us when we need it to meet some urgency,” says Saudan Singh of Dengri where all the families (comprising 1000 voters) belonging to the Bahelia caste (SC) are engaged in the hair trade.

“Bahelias have very little land for cultivation and in districts like Kasganj, Etah, Mainpuri, Aligarh, they have all taken to human hair trading although people of other castes and communities are also in this trade,” Singh says.

Shakil, a scrap-dealer who buys hair form small dealers at Sahawar town, says large-scale traders come to him from various adjoining districts to buy hair from him and the rate goes up to Rs 3,000 per kg. He claims he is able to sell 30-40 kg of fallen hair collected from hawkers every month.

“However, competition is growing now with new players joining the trade every day,” he says.

Jamuna Das of the adjoining Amapur town says he collects around 25-30 kg of hair from hawkers for Rs 1500 per kg and resells the same for Rs 2200-3000 per kg to bigger merchants.

Curiously, while a large number of people are engaged in hair trading, all of them feign ignorance when asked about the end use or user of the hair they buy and sell.

“We hear it (hair) is used for making blankets, ropes wigs and beards etc,” says Kamlesh of Chandi village.

Saumitra Tripathi says, “Murshidabad in West Bengal is a large centre of the human hair industry. Human hair collected at various levels is brought by trains from various cities in UP and other states to Murshidabad. There, the raw hair is processed, untangled, cleaned and sold to manufactures or exporters.” The human hair industry exists in other states as well, he says.

Tripathi says the processed human hair is exported largely to China where it is crafted into final products like wigs, moustaches, beards, hair extensions etc widely used in beauty and fashion industry all over the world.

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  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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    Brajendra K Parashar is a Special Correspondent presently looking after agriculture, energy, transport, panchayati raj, commercial tax, Rashtriya Lok Dal, state election commission, IAS/PCS Associations, Vidhan Parishad among other beats.

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