|
|
|
| Sunday, 14 August 2005 |
 |
|
 |
Magazine |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
|
Tresses by Umangi de Mel
A day in the life of Ramzi Rahman, from the plain ole' silver scissors to well rather high tech equipment to styling, streaking, perming, crimping, colouring, curling, shampooing and rebonding.... 30 years of experience don't come easy. Ramzi has worked his way up from the starting point to the present iconic status. Ramzi started his career as an artist as he got into painting, "It was mostly oil paint and water colours. I used to do portraits, landscape and just sketching stuff but it wasn't very profitable so after a while I switched to hair cutting. One of his top most clients being the President, Ramzi seems to have reached that high to please a variety of people.
He says that he loves doing bridals but never took part in competitions, "It's just show work and seminars." But that's not all; talking about the accidents while snipping tresses,
Ramzi bursts out laughing as he practically chopped off an ear once, "well
I guess I got too engrossed in chatting and that was a close shave," he
says. Well he got into more scrapes as
The lady wanted to see the style and I was reluctant to show her the rear view of her hair. But when it came to that point I told her that it was gorgeous and very nice for a change!" Ramzi says grinning. His clients range from children to adults and even some bed-ridden folks... "It's a cross-section of people. Some are very particular. One of my clients, an old lady, who's bed-ridden at the moment, still gets her hair done by me. Of course I don't take anything instead I go to her place and do what she wants with her silver but excellent hair. She may be old but she has an excellent hair growth." Years ago as he was working at the salon, yet another thing happened, "I was doing somebody's hair and a fire broke in the salon. Naturally I got very excited and I tried putting it out with my water spray which I was using at that moment. But obviously it didn't work so we had to get some other source," he emphasise. Well the excitement doesn't end there. Ramzi has a past full of funny incidents. Once he was to do a bride at a hotel and he was rushing, "Generally I carry a lot of bags. That particular day, I had left two bags in the car which contained most of the cosmetics. First I was a nervous wreck and then I stopped being jittery to cool myself down although I never told the bride. I spent a little time on her hair and I managed to borrow some cosmetics from an air hostess who had come to the hotel. But fortunately I got my stuff on time." But the best part is when it comes to convincing customers, talking them out of a style that doesn't suit them, to talk them into do something more sensible, he says, "well that is hard. Sometimes they come with magazines wanting to look exactly like the models in them but those may not suit them at all. It's impossible to do a hot movie star kinda hair for a normal school goer. It takes a lot to convince them nevertheless we try to strike a balance as much as we can." Ramzi says he loves his work. But he feels that the dedication and love for the work lacks and points out the fact that a lot of people are interested in the perks the job offers, now. "But I totally enjoy doing the bridals, creating and designing clothes," Once a good dancer, Ramzi reveals that he even took part in competitions but he has given up already, "I've got too lazy. I love watching Hindi movies and other TV programmes and a bit of partying on and off.." His favourite hide out is a quiet place with lots of greenery, "preferably down South, I love cool holidays," says Ramzi also adding that he's not into hard liquor. Letting us in on a little secret, he says that he gets a little high on wine, "I chug it down." Claiming to be a little moody, he says nevertheless he's able to understand people better with experience and age, "I haven't got a lot of friends. I've had bad experience with people who tried using me but now I'm very careful when it comes to bonds." Ramzi may not bat an eye lid when it comes to hair but is on pins when he's behind the wheel, "I'm scared which is why I don't drive but I've got a driver or else the mode of transport is trishaws." |
|
| News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security
| Politics | Produced by Lake House |
Having opened three salons over the years, Ramzi has about 25 people
working under him. 
time passed by.." Once I was a bit
upset and cut a lady's hair really short.. when I realised what I had
done, I wanted to run a mile. 
