Ear Cleaners of Old Delhi: A Mughal-Era Tradition on Verge of Extinction
Modern methods and a relatively low trust among people are causing a drop in customers for ear cleaners.
advertisement
Ear cleaners in Old Delhi can be easily spotted from a distance, thanks to their red skull caps and small bags that hold their special gear. A vocation passed down several generations, the 'Laal Topiwales' have existed since the Mughal era. But ear cleaners tell The Quint that the profession is losing its sheen with the advent of modern technique resulting in increasingly low demand from customers. Yet, they don't want to look for alternative jobs.
(Photo: Ribhu Chatterjee/The Quint)
Mohammad Salman has been working as an ear cleaner for seven years in Chandni Chowk. A resident of Madhya Pradesh's Bajrangpura, he learnt this art from his father.
(Photo: Ribhu Chatterjee/The Quint)
Salman puts an ear drop in a boy's ear to loosen the wax before cleaning it.
(Photo: Ribhu Chatterjee/The Quint)
He works from 9 am to 6 pm – and manages to earn around Rs 500 per day.
(Photo: Ribhu Chatterjee/The Quint)
Typically, ear cleaners use a 'chimti' (prong) to scrape away the wax. Then, they wrap a 'silaai' (sharp steel needle) in cotton and use it to oil the interiors of the ear.
(Photo: Ribhu Chatterjee/The Quint)
An ear cleaner closes the lid of a bottle usually containing mustard oil.
(Photo: Ribhu Chatterjee/The Quint)
An ear cleaner uses a 'silai' to oil the insides of an old man's ear.
(Photo: Ribhu Chatterjee/The Quint)
They usually tuck the 'silai' in their caps while they roam the streets of Old Delhi looking for customers.
(Photo: Ribhu Chatterjee/The Quint)
Since the age of 15, Mohammed Raees, now 50, has been an ear cleaner. He came to Old Delhi from Haryana's Faridabad in 2000 – and has since been living with his cousin.
(Photo: Ribhu Chatterjee/The Quint)
Raees can be seen cleaning a customer's ear in front of Delhi's Jama Masjid. He charges Rs 40 per customer – and gets about 10 customers a day.
(Photo: Ribhu Chatterjee/The Quint)
Raees has no complaints despite a drop in demand for his work. "Sab Allah ki den hai aur main khush hoon isme" (Everything is a gift of God and I am happy with what I make), he tells The Quint.
(Photo: Ribhu Chatterjee/The Quint)
Mohammed Imran cleans a customer's ear in Chawri Bazar.
(Photo: Ribhu Chatterjee/The Quint)
"It's a family business for me," he tells The Quint. Though his family lives in Uttar Pradesh's Moradabad, he lives here to continue the tradition. He learnt the 'art' from his father and brother.
(Photo: Ribhu Chatterjee/The Quint)
Imran has many regular customers in Chawri Bazar. One of them is Renu, who has been coming to him since a bindi "got stuck" inside her son's ear – and Imran's father helped remove it.
(Photo: Ribhu Chatterjee/The Quint)
Imran, who makes roughly Rs 500 a day, cleans the ears of his friend Nadim, a fruit-seller in the Chawri Bazaar area.
(Photo: Ribhu Chatterjee/The Quint)
The 'Laal Topiwales' can be spotted in the Jama Masjid, Chandni Chowk, and Chawri Bazar areas of Old Delhi.
(Photo: Ribhu Chatterjee/The Quint)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)