IPOH: In conjunction with the upcoming Merdeka celebrations, a barber in the old town here organised a one-day free haircut for 100 people, including the homeless, as one way of giving back to society.

Patrons turned up as early as 8am before M. Selvaraj, 39, who starts at 9am in a small shop at Persiaran Bijih Timah.

Also known as Raj, he did not stop at 100 people as planned.

At the end of the day, 150 came for the free haircut. 

Raj also roped in a friend, A. Rajan, to help as his assistant and others to distribute free food to the patrons and give out queue numbers.

Patriotic songs were played while Raj was busying cutting hair where the event was streaming live on TikTok.

A tent was set up outside for those waiting in queue while nasi lemak, bread and mineral water were also provided with small Malaysian flags being distributed to add the national day atmosphere.

Ipoh councillor Wong Kar Keat was present as the Kepayang DAP service centre also contributed RM500 for the programme.

“People who turn up for the free haircut also come from other parts of Ipoh such as Kampung Simee, Mengelmbu, Bercham,” said Wong. 

Raj told Sin Chew Daily that the free haircut was well-received. People of all races, especially Chinese senior citizens, came for the free service. 

He had the idea of organising free haircuts after participating in non-governmental programmes that provided free haircuts to homeless people.

“People facing financial difficulties contact me and I cut their hair for free. Some even come to the shop and tell me that they don’t have money. I cut their hair free-of- charge,’’ he said.

On Saturday, he was happy to see people of different races come for the free haircut. While waiting for their turn, they interacted harmoniously.

Raj is grateful that he was given a “second chance” after recovering from injuries sustained in a road accident. Although his mobility is limited, it does not prevent him from standing while cutting hair to earn a living for years. 

He began learning the skill at the age of 19 and now he has 21 years of experience.

His customers are mainly Chinese men who are patrons of his barber shop of 50 years. It was founded by his grandfather and later run by his uncle.

Taking over from his uncle, he runs the shop for more than 10 years.

His shop has a Chinese name, decorated with Chinese couplets that also attracted tourists to take photos of his shop.