Hairdresser Riyazuddin Ahmed attends to a customer at his clinic. Picture by Eastern Projections

Aaina jhooth nahi bolta,par yeh bhi sach hai ki log waise nahi hai jaise nazar aate hai. (Mirrors don’t lie but it is also true that appearance can be deceptive)

July 20: The hand that plies the scissors and hairstyling gel can also rhyme words as well as any poet.

Riyazuddin Ahmed, hairdresser, can handle words as deftly as he plays with tresses.

Be it politicians, bureaucrats, police officials, actors or sportsmen, many have trusted their manes to his skilled hands.

Ahmed has recently penned a book of couplets — Justuju-e-Riyaaz — portraying how beauty influence life. The book will soon be available in the market.

Giving a glimpse of his creative self, Ahmed said, “Besides superficial beauty, my poetry is also about the inner beauty of a person. This collection comprises couplets, which are mine as well as those that I have heard and read during the last 40 years of my life. I have seen many people from different backgrounds and diverse castes at my hair clinic. I derive inspiration from my observations of individual characters.I enjoy every aspect of life — pain or pleasure.”

From his very childhood, Ahmed was attracted to poetry.

Born and brought up in Siwan district of Bihar, he travelled to many places with his friends to recite Urdu poetry. In Jamshedpur, Ahmed also won accolades from the public for his rendition of qawalis.

“After my marriage, I realised that singing qawali or reciting poetry would not help me earn my livelihood. So I decided to do something, which would earn the daily bread for me and my family and in the process, came to Guwahati. I initially set up a hair clinic in Fancy Bazar in 1975. After two years I shifted my hairdressing salon to its current location on B. Borooah College Road. Since then I have never looked back. The love and affection of the people of the city have also helped sustain me,” he said with a disarming smile.

Ahmed said since two of his sons have taken over his business, he has started giving more time to his favourite vocation. “Money is not the reason for releasing this book. Allah has given me enough to live a decent life.

“I write poetry to satisfy my soul and would continue to do so till my death,” the hairdresser said.