As a local barber in Ratnagiri, Amit Yashwant had to limit his creativity and desire to experiment. His clients, mostly poor farmers and land tillers, weren't interested in undercuts, razor fades or pompadours. The haircuts had to be short, functional and easy to maintain. "I had to visit neighbouring hamlets looking for customers because there was no culture of even visiting barbershops," says Yashwant, who started cutting hair after flunking Std VII. While a haircut would cost R10, a shave was offered for R5. The earnings were negligible, but enough to sustain his interest in the profession. "It's the only thing I was good at. So, I would try to get my hands on Marathi newspapers and magazines to find out about trending haircuts," he says.

This was in 2007.