That's what all the men of Manger village in Faridabad, Haryana, seem to say as they flock in droves to the local barber's shop. Here's the remarkable story of how a village painter turned a loss-making salon into the hottest shack to be seen at every weekend

This Faridabad painter can give marketing guru Philip Kotler a run for his money, and image. This small-time artist has changed the fate of village barber Manger Nai with a stroke of his brush.

A few years ago, Manger Nai's thatched 'salon', the only one in village Manger, wasn't exactly a money-spinner. Footfall didn't seem to go up, and he was contemplating bringing down the shutters. Until he met Ravinder.


On Sunday mornings, more than 50 male customers line up outside
Manger Nai's salon for a haircut, shave and to enjoy the experience of
watching Ravinder paint a seductive woman. PICS/ Subash Barolia

On a rainy Sunday morning, we decided to drive down to the village in Haryana, on the outskirts of Delhi, to witness what we had heard. Cupped in the hills of the Aravali mountains, the village is home to 1,200 people.
Tall promises of 'seamless connectivity' by most telecom operators fall flat as you near the hamlet. With no phone number to check, we were making a surprise visit. All we had on us were names. At what seemed like an entrance to Manger, we met an old shabbily-dressed but clean-shaven man. "Bhaiyya, Ravinder kahan milega? (Where will I find Ravinder?)" "Thoda aage chale jao, jahan bheed lagi ho, wahi Ravinder milega (drive up ahead. When you spot a crowd, you are also likely to find Ravinder)," he said with a smirk.

A kilometre past the entrance, a swarm of kids, teenagers, young and old men milled outside a shop. At the centre of the crowd was a man, brush in hand, filling in with green paint the petals of a flower that decorated the sarong of a young woman. Scantily clad, her life-size painting adorned the wall of the shop, with 20-odd
customers watching him as they waited to get a shave and a cut.

The photographer got to work. Ravinder looked at him from the corner of one eye, and said, "Bhai, main abhi busy hoon. Tum logon se baat nahin kar paunga (guys, I am busy right now, I won't be able to talk)."

Watching Ravinder get back to work, Manoj Tanwar, a young resident of Manger who runs a transport business, offered to share the story. "Ek samay iski dukaan mein koi nahin aata tha (there was a time when not a soul came to his shop)." Ever since Ravinder began painting seductive women on the walls of his shop, the barber's fortune is looking up. "It's raining today, so you have a turnout of just 20. On a sunny Sunday morning, he gets no less than 50 customers. Ravinder ka jadoo hai (it's Ravinder's magic)," said Tanwar.

Can he get Ravinder to speak with us? "Post 10 am, I have other paintings to work on; let's walk and talk," Ravinder suggests on Tanwar's request. We walk away from the shop towards his home, and on turning back, watch as the crowds dissipate after the magician leaves. We walk a bit, and I turn around to see the crowd following us. A six year-old looks at us and says, "Inko bolo Mandakini ki painting banaye. Bahut mast lagti hai (ask him to paint Mandakini. She looks hot)."

Ravinder seems oblivious to the tizzy he has left Manger's men in. "If my talent helps someone flourish or beautifies his house and workplace, I'll do it. For free. For a living, I have my canvas works to sell," says the 33 year-old who has buyers from Delhi source his paintings for Rs 500 to Rs 3,000. Using acrylic and oil, Ravinder paints seductive actresses, freedom fighters, superheroes, kings and queens, all in typical bold strokes and striking colours.

A walk through Manger reveals how hardly any surface walls are free from Ravinder's magic. He started out painting the facade of his own home. "Back then, it was just a hobby. To encourage me, our village panchayat asked me to paint its chaupaal (courtyard). That's when I got noticed, he says, before telling us he needs to get back to his canvas art.

One more reason to visit Manger
For those of you who want to make this a weekend trip, drop by on a Sunday morning to watch Ravinder in action. Once done, drive down to Dhauj where Camp Wild, an adventure camp, offers 15 lodges with a view of the Aravalis. Try your hand at rock climbing, monkey crawl, Burma bridge, commando net, Tarzan swing, machaan climb, barrel crossing and balance walk. Rs 4,500 plus taxes for a couple (3 meals inclusive).
Call: 09999600365