Kerala man shaves off half head, vows not to grow hair until Modi is out
Fed up of the recent demonetisation drive, a 70-year-old man in Kerala has pledged not to grow his hair after shaving off half his head until Narendra Modi is no longer the prime minister of the country. Dr. Ashraf Kadakkal, an assistant professor at the University of Kerala, shared the story of Yahikkakka on his Facebook page under the title ‘Mann Ki Baat from a small hotel owner to a former tea vendor’.
Here’s a translation of the post which was written in Malayalam:
My name is Yahiya. Peers call me Yahi, others prefer calling Yahikkakka. I am nearly 70 years old, a native of Kadakkal Mukkunnam in Kerala's Kollam district. I live with my wife and two daughters.
When I realised I cannot marry off my daughter from what I make from climbing coconut trees and working in farms, I sold everything I had and went to the Gulf. Nothing but a life of suffering awaited me there, a poor, uneducated man. I came back with whatever little I made. With that money, and a bank loan from Kadakkal Co-operative bank, I got my daughter married.
I found a new way to sustain myself and family by starting this RMS fast food joint.
I handle the entire hotel myself, from cooking to serving to cleaning. So I chose to wear a nightie. My customers enjoy the tasty beef and chicken fry I serve from 5 PM till midnight, and stay entertained by what they consider ridiculous attire for a man. Had I been running this store in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, I would have been hanged.
I was living, facing one day at a time, till Prime Minister Modi announced the demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes.
I had Rs 23,000 in cash, all in the demonetised notes. I tried my best to get it exchanged from nearby banks, stood in queues for two days. On the second day, blood sugar level dropped and I almost collapsed. Some Good Samaritans helped me to a government hospital.
Other than the loan account at the co-operative bank, I don't have a bank account. Since all transactions at co-operative banks were frozen, I realised I cannot get it deposited anywhere.
How many days should I stand in queues to get the money I saved, my money, the money I made working hard for hours straight over the years, deposited?
When I got home from the hospital, I lit my choolah and burnt the entire Rs 23,000 in it. I then went to a nearby barber shop, shaved off half my already bald head.
I vow to grow it back only when Prime Minister Modiji, the man who, in a jiffy, burnt all my hard work and savings into ashes, is voted out of power and this country is saved.
This is my pledge and my protest."
Dr. Ashraf Kadakkal ends the post with the following words: "Dear Yahikkakka, sorry for treating you like a clown all these years. Your protest is so powerful and meaningful that the bandh the strongest party in our state is conducting tomorrow."
Here's the original post:
